CONSERVATION TECHNOLOGIES IN PRODUCTS OF ANIMAL ORIGIN - LITERATURE REVIEW (Atena Editora)

Abstract

Food preservation is a method that can be carried out in several ways, all of which are important for increasing commercial validity, food safety and the conservation of their sensory characteristics. Due to the evolution of technologies, forms of conservation have gained new forms and today, we can find methods such as the use of heat, cold, dehydration, salting, smoking, irradiation, fermentation, addition of additives, among others. In addition, packaging presents its importance in food storage with the type of material present in its composition in order to ensure the purposes of each process. The main objective of all this conservation technology is to inhibit or delay deterioration processes caused by microorganisms, enzymes and/or chemical reactions. The heat used on the food results in a change in its texture and palatability, in addition to providing the destruction or delay of microorganisms, undesirable enzymes, insects and parasites. Cold works by decreasing the temperature of the food, causing a control over the proliferation of microorganisms, slowing down metabolism, as well as their enzymatic reactions and slower deterioration. Dehydration is used to reduce the water activity in the food, thus resulting in the inhibition of microbial growth and enzyme activity, without changing the original microbial load. The salt enters the food through diffusion and/or osmosis, thus eliminating the bacteria present due to the high concentration of the same through the resulting dehydration of the product, in addition to adding sensory characteristics. Ionizing radiation is used to inhibit germination, disinfestation, pasteurization and sterilization. Despite all these methods, there are still many other conservation processes that help to promote food safety and increase the commercial validity of food.