Chemistry and Food Preserving
Do you ever wonder how your food is able to be preserved through freezing? Or ways similar. That pizza you put in the refrigerator two days ago is still good to eat due to chemistry and food preserving. Chemicals are as well added to food when they are first made to keep them lasting longer.
What is Food Preserving?
Food preserving is the process of substances added to food to preserve it or to improve its taste or appearance. These are also known as food additives.
Chemicals Used to Preserve Food
Chemicals are the main reason food is able to be preserved. Food additives do not subtract from your health, they stay the same depending on what food you eat. BHA and BHT are the most common chemicals added to foods in order to preserve fat. BHA is Butylated Hydroxyanisole, and is characterized as C11H16O2 for the molecular formula and is generally a white or yellow waxy solid, and has a faint odor. BHT is Butylated Hydroxytoluene and another phenolic compound added to food to preserve fats, it is represented by C15H24O and is generally a white powder. They preserve food due to them reacting with oxygen allows them to protect the fats and oils from spoilage. BHA and BHT have been tested to see if they're bad for your health which they aren;t they can be used to treat diseases like AIDS. They don't just preserve food but as well as preserving fats, cosmetic oils and pharmaceuticals.