Emergency Preparedness
Understanding the importance of preserving food
Since ages man has been preserving foods by removing the water content and reducing the oxygen in the food item. Both the water and oxygen provide ideal conditions for the bacteria to grow. Bacterium grows when it gets the optimum temperature which is nearly equal to our room temperature. Every food item contains some amount of bacteria in it. To get rid of bacterium you need to sterilize the food as we boil the milk to kill the bacteria present in it.
In colder regions or in the deserts, where the availability of food is scarce, a lot of the population depends on effective Food Storage methods. Some of the most common food storage preservatives are salt, sugar and vinegar. Freezing the food also elongates its freshness. Any bacteria or virus finds it hard to live in very cold situations. The freezing state doesn’t kill them, it just makes them inactive. An inactive bacterium goes into the dormant stage and hence is equal as dead, but the moment it gets the optimum temperature it starts increasing its numbers again.
In many countries the irrigation is not done on a regular basis in a year, which increases the need of Survival Food. Lack of proper irrigation facilities such as poor quality of the land, less rainfall etc are the factors that lead to either importing of food products or preserving them. Also these storage shows their importance in times when a natural calamity hits the country. These food packets are sending to feed them.
How to preserve food at home in easy steps
We all buy preserved food items from the market, but there are also some easy methods that you can use to store foods at your home also. The first thing that we all should do to protect our eatables is to contain them in an air tight container. More than the air, it is the oxygen content in the air that spoils the food inside. Using salt to preserve food is a very ancient technique and is very effective, salts help to remove the water content in the food item. Meat items tend to get rotten easily, but if they are salted properly can last for 3-4 days.
The method of making pickles of our favourite items is an old process and is even effective today. Mango lemon or any other vegetable is dipped in an anti-bacterial liquid for a very long time which removes the oxygen and water content in the vegetable and only the eatable residue is left. If you are looking for a professional help, click here http://emergencyprep.bravesites.com/entries/food-storage/essentials-of-an-emergency-food-supply-.