Education: food processing
Much of what we eat has been processed in some way. Let’s find out more about methods of making food edible
WHERE does the bread for your sandwich come from? Most people buy bread at supermarkets, but we know it doesn’t grow on trees! So how is wheat turned into bread? And how does milk, which comes from cows, become yoghurt?
WHAT IS FOOD PROCESSING?
Bread and yoghurt are just some of the products created by food processing. This is any process in which raw foods – fruit, vegetables, grains, meat or dairy products – are reworked to make them tastier or to
while removing prevent food Methods methods so it harmful outer can to such be make layers bacteria stored as food pasteurisation and for tastier growing cooking longer. include in food, and the bay. fermentation Freezing and keep cooking harmful also kill bacteria bacteria. at Sometimes food is also processed to increase its nutritional value, such as when we turn milk into yoghurt or cheese. Food processing dates back to prehistoric times. Before people had fridges they needed to find other ways to keep the food they collected in summer fresh and to store it for the winter months when food was scarce. They found they could preserve meat and fish by salting it, covering it in spices and then letting it dry. This is called curing the meat. This was how people figured out how to make biltong and bokkoms (dried fish).
ADVANTAGES OF FOOD PROCESSING
S Makes transporting food easier. It’s sometimes impossible to transport food for long distances and still keep it fresh but processed foods stay fresher for longer. S Food is available out of season. Most fruit and vegetables are ready for harvesting only in specific seasons. For example, grapes are ready to be eaten in late summer. Through food processing it’s possible to make these foods available year-round. S Preserves food. Processing is often used to keep food edible for longer, such as when we turn fresh fruit into jam. This means the food has a longer shelf life. S Food is easily available. For most people it’s more convenient to buy food at supermarkets than to get it directly from the farms where it’s produced.