Food preservation usually involves preventing the growth of bacteria, fungi (such as yeasts), or

any other micro-organisms (although some methods work by introducing benign bacteria or
fungi to the food), as well as retarding the oxidation of fats that cause rancidity. Food
preservation can also include processes that inhibit visual deterioration, such as the enzymatic
browning reaction in apples after they are cut, which can occur during food preparation.
Many processes designed to preserve food will involve a number of food preservation methods.
Preserving fruit by turning it into jam, for example, involves boiling (to reduce the fruits
moisture content and to kill bacteria, yeasts, etc.), sugaring (to prevent their re-growth) and
sealing within an airtight jar (to prevent recontamination). There are many traditional methods of
preserving food that limit the energy inputs and reduce carbon footprint.
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Maintaining or creating nutritional value, texture and flavour is an important aspect of food
preservation, although, historically, some methods drastically altered the character of the food
being preserved. In many cases these changes have come to be seen as desirable qualities
cheese, yoghurt and pickled onions being common examples
Food processing is the transformation of raw ingredients into food, or of food into other forms. Food processing
typically takes clean, harvested
Food processing is the transformation of raw ingredients into food, or of food into other forms. Food
processing typically takes clean, harvested crops or butchered animal products and uses these to
produce attractive, marketable and often long shelf-life food products.
Food processing dates back to the prehistoric ages when crude processing incorporated
slaughtering, fermenting, sun drying, preserving with salt, and various types of cooking (such as
roasting, smoking, steaming, and oven baking). Salt-preservation was especially common for
foods that constituted warrior and sailors' diets until the introduction of canning methods.
Evidence for the existence of these methods can be found in the writings of the ancient Greek,
Chaldean, Egyptian and Roman civilizations as well as archaeological evidence from Europe,
North and South America and Asia. These tried and tested processing techniques remained
essentially the same until the advent of the industrial revolution. Examples of ready-meals also
date back to before the preindustrial revolution, and include dishes such as Cornish pasty and
Haggis. Both during ancient times and today in modern society these are considered processed
foods.
Modern food processing technology developed in the 19th and 20th centuries was developed in a
large part to serve military needs. In 1809 Nicolas Appert invented a hermetic bottling technique
that would preserve food for French troops which ultimately contributed to the development of
tinning, and subsequently canning by Peter Durand in 1810. Although initially expensive and
somewhat hazardous due to the lead used in cans, canned goods would later become a staple
around the world. Pasteurization, discovered by Louis Pasteur in 1864, improved the quality of
preserved foods and introduced the wine, beer, and milk preservation.


A form of pre-made split-pea soup that has become traditional
In the 20th century, World War II, the space race and the rising consumer society in developed
countries (including the United States) contributed to the growth of food processing with such
advances as spray drying, juice concentrates, freeze drying and the introduction of artificial
sweeteners, colouring agents, and such preservatives as sodium benzoate. In the late 20th
century, products such as dried instant soups, reconstituted fruits and juices, and self cooking
meals such as MRE food ration were developed.
Food composition is a term that is used to describe an analysis of the vitamins, minerals, and other nutritive
substances in a given food. In addition to vitamins and minerals, many reports include information on and
analysis of phytonutrients and macronutrients within a food. This information can be used for a number of
purposes, including to make sure that a certain person, family, or population is getting enough of one kind of
nutrient, vitamin, or mineral. It can also be used to define certain foods that may or may not have allergens. An
abbreviated version appears on the labels of most kinds of packaged food and is intended for the same sorts of
purposes.
There are a number of organizations, including the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), that
compile and disseminate information on food composition. The information that is available from an
organization like the USDA is usually much more detailed than that printed on packaged foods. The full-length
report for creamed corn baby food will list many in some cases, dozens of vitamins, minerals, lipids, and
amino acids. This information can be used to find out, for example, how much lysine is present in 1 cup (240
grams) of this particular kind of baby food.