Keeping the Food Safe and Edible: An Analytical Review of Preservation Techniques from Ancient times to Modern Technology
Abstract: Every food begins to lose its quality as soon as it is harvested or slaughtered. Preservation is the set of interventions that slows this declining in order to make food stays safe, appetizing and nutritious for as long as possible. This article surveys the main types of preservation methods: those that remove or bind water, which can apply heat, those that exploit cold, those that rely on chemical or biological agents, those that depend on protective packaging, and newer technologies that avoid heating. For each type of preservation the underlying mechanism, typical applications, and trade-offs between microbial control and sensory quality are analyzed. The discussion then turns to hurdle technology, in which several adequate barriers are layered in order to protect a product, and closes with open problems related to energy demand, consumer expectations and food loss.
Keywords: food preservation, water activity, thermal processing, hurdle technology, non-thermal processing
How to Cite?: Sagar Rahul Mane, "Keeping the Food Safe and Edible: An Analytical Review of Preservation Techniques from Ancient times to Modern Technology", Volume 15 Issue 10, October 2026, International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), Pages: 1358-1361, https://www.ijsr.net/getabstract.php?paperid=SR261020110532, DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.21275/SR261020110532