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Food Preservatives And Its Effects On Food

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Food Preservatives Food preservatives are described as natural means or man-made chemicals that are used in foods to prevent them from spoiling. A subgroup of preservatives are food additives, which differ from preservatives in the way that additives are not only used to lengthen the life of food, but also to improve taste and appearance. The ultimate goal of preservatives and additives are to improve the quality and lifespan of food by slowing down the decomposition process using chemicals or natural methods, such as salt and dehydration. Food preservatives can be broken down into two basic groups- natural and chemical. Natural preservatives are methods such as sun-drying, freezing, or adding other ingredients like honey that essentially slow down the speed at which food spoils. Chemical preservatives are chemicals added to foods for the same purpose as natural preservatives are. It is the same with additives; the difference being that they may be also used to purposely change a food’s look and taste. Preservatives and additives are used in most of foods, especially in our pre-packaged meals, whether it be natural or chemical versions being added. According to historical records, natural methods of preservation, such as salting or dehydrating, have been around for centuries. When humans began to switch from hunting and gathering to a more agricultural approach, they needed a way to make food last for longer periods of time. This became an obvious problem as food

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