Food science

[Resha Caner]

What is involved in food going bad?

I know part of it is that other organisms are using the food as an energy source to proliferate themselves. So, eating food possessed of some microbial farm risks a deletorious effect.

I also assume certain chemical processes would go on even in the absence of microbes. So, over time, the nature of the food could change enough to make it harmful.

But does that necessarily happen to all foods? It seems salt (while not really a food), can be preserved indefinitely. Are there other more nutritious substances that can be preserved for long periods of time?

 

[jacknife]

What is involved in food going bad?

Are there other more nutritious substances that can be preserved for long periods of time?

if you bury a duck egg long enough it will ferment to the point it preserves itself (it's called a century egg). smoked and dried meat last longer. you can pickle things as well.

 

[Resha Caner]

if you bury a duck egg long enough it will ferment to the point it preserves itself (it's called a century egg). smoked and dried meat last longer. you can pickle things as well.

Right. I forgot about the eggs. I haven't been able to bring myself to eat one of those yet.

 

[jacknife]

Right. I forgot about the eggs. I haven't been able to bring myself to eat one of those yet.

they dont serve them around where i live sadly. though i have eaten insects used in dishes. meal worms ground up inside of cake batter (that cake was really good) and fried grasshoppers inside of fried rice. i have also eaten chocolate covered scorpions. (chewy then thought they would be).

 

[juvenissun]

What is involved in food going bad?

I know part of it is that other organisms are using the food as an energy source to proliferate themselves. So, eating food possessed of some microbial farm risks a deletorious effect.

I also assume certain chemical processes would go on even in the absence of microbes. So, over time, the nature of the food could change enough to make it harmful.

But does that necessarily happen to all foods? It seems salt (while not really a food), can be preserved indefinitely. Are there other more nutritious substances that can be preserved for long periods of time?

Nearly all foods are organic in nature. Organic material will be food for micro-organic lives. Organic material will also be oxidized. There are some ways to prevent the growth of micro-organic lives. But oxidation is hard to prevent. Nevertheless, oxidized food can still be consumed with some adverse effects.

 

[Split Rock]

What is involved in food going bad?

I know part of it is that other organisms are using the food as an energy source to proliferate themselves. So, eating food possessed of some microbial farm risks a deletorious effect.

I also assume certain chemical processes would go on even in the absence of microbes. So, over time, the nature of the food could change enough to make it harmful.

But does that necessarily happen to all foods? It seems salt (while not really a food), can be preserved indefinitely. Are there other more nutritious substances that can be preserved for long periods of time?

What salting food does is increase the osmotic potential of the food. The high outside osmotic potential kills microorganisms that try to live off of it. Basically, the water inside them diffuses out and dehydrates them.

 

[Resha Caner]

What salting food does is increase the osmotic potential of the food. The high outside osmotic potential kills microorganisms that try to live off of it. Basically, the water inside them diffuses out and dehydrates them.

Cool.