Methods of Preserving Food

The breakdown and spoilage of all food is caused by the actions of mold, yeast, and bacteria that exist throughout the universe in air, water, and, in fact, all matter. Mold feeds on sugar and mainly attacks fruits and vegetables that convert their starch into sugar as they ripen, beginning the process that leads to ultimate deterioration. Yeast also feeds on sugars but causes fermentation as it consumes its host food. All three types of microorganisms require food, warmth, oxygen, and moisture along with a degree of alkalinity and time to survive and flourish. Preservation methods, therefore, are intended either to deprive the microbes of a hospitable environment in which to grow or to encourage the development of different microorganisms that will preserve the food and render it safe (as is the case with fermentation).