Shelf life stabilizators substances
Functions served by additives might also be considered from the point of view of their influence on quality. For the needs of food industry, it is most useful to define quality by enumerating the desirable features of a product. These features have been divided into three categories concerning: wholesomeness, sensory attractivity and availability of the product.The product's wholesomeness is primarily determined by the lack of any threats of a microbiological, chemical and radiational character as well as the absence of parasites and mechanical contamination. Microbiological safety is provided when pathogenic microbes are absent from the product and the overall amount of microorganisms is small. In meat products, the limiting overall number of microbes is considered to be 105 in 1 g. Fresh meat, as far as its chemical contents and the physicochemical conditions found in it are concerned, is a favourable environment for bacteria existence. Only an initial, high oxidoreduction potential inhibits the growth of bacteria, prolonging the duration time of the population growth curve lag phase.
Since prehistoric times people have employed various methods of prolonging food durability. Besides typical methods of preserving food, using drying, heating, cooling and fermentation processes, in some cases chemical substances have been also used to achieve the same aim. The use of chemical preserving substances has grown rapidly during the last few years, when the market forced food producers to provide products that are:
- long lasting
- available all year round
- sensorily attractive
- convenient to use
The use of preservatives results in limiting or preventing unfavourable biological and chemical changes caused by microbes, oxidation of food components, enzymatic and non-enzymatic reactions, or in some cases providing consumption safety through the inhibition of pathogenic microbes' growth.