It's lunch time, there you are hunched over your desk stomach rumbling trying to get the company report done by two o'clock. The thought inherent in your head is that there is no way of getting the work done while still managing to squeeze in lunch, well, shelf stable meals offer the best best remedy for the conundrum you find yourself in. These are basically foods that would normally require refrigeration but have been processed to increase shelf life.
A varied number of ways by which these products are made exist thanks to technological advancements. These could include simply dehydrating the foodstuffs or opting to apply more technical methods such as ionization and hydrogenation.
Dehydration entails reducing the amount of water in a product. This works to prevent food spoilage by depriving bacteria and fungus an environment suitable for their growth. Simply put, without water they die. Fruits, vegetables and meats can all be dehydrated to increase their storage life.
Another very useful technique that is widely used by food processing firms is sterilization. This is done by exposing the produce to radiation. It serves to increase shelf life by killing pests and bacteria. Fruits are also sterilized to reduce the ripening time. Hydrogenation is also common practice but it is surrounded with controversy. This is because it transforms fats and oils into trans fatty oils high in cholesterol. This is usually necessary in preserving fat since it becomes rancid really fast.
These methods are all aimed at reducing the rate of decay while still maintaining the color, flavor and texture of food. Extended shelf life gives us the opportunity to utilize a wide variety of meal plans without having to invest in expensive storage and refrigeration devices.
Different people require different type s of shelved meals depending on the occasion. As in the case of the office worker, a quick lunch of canned soup and dried cereal would provide the requisite amount of nutrients and energy needed to complete their work quickly without sacrificing time of leaving the workstation in search of a meal.
Households also keep a wide variety of preserved foods either for ease of preparation or as a contingency measure for scenarios where fresh food would not necessarily be available. This habit is widely common amongst doomsday preppers who foresee a global catastrophe as inevitable. Picnics and barbecues are also an ideal time to bring along preserved ready to eat meals.
These means of preservation however pose a risk to out health. Irradiation serves to alter the chemical makeup of fruits. It is not clear whether radiation has zero effect on produce as claimed by food companies, this may just be a ploy to keep them in business. The effect of hydrogenation is however clear since it increases the trans fat content in oils. This in effect spikes up the cholesterol levels in the food. Cholesterol is a well known villain for it causes a wide range of vascular complications.
In conclusion, whether or not an individual decides to eat shelf stabilized foods, the decision should be made from an informed point of view.
A varied number of ways by which these products are made exist thanks to technological advancements. These could include simply dehydrating the foodstuffs or opting to apply more technical methods such as ionization and hydrogenation.
Dehydration entails reducing the amount of water in a product. This works to prevent food spoilage by depriving bacteria and fungus an environment suitable for their growth. Simply put, without water they die. Fruits, vegetables and meats can all be dehydrated to increase their storage life.
Another very useful technique that is widely used by food processing firms is sterilization. This is done by exposing the produce to radiation. It serves to increase shelf life by killing pests and bacteria. Fruits are also sterilized to reduce the ripening time. Hydrogenation is also common practice but it is surrounded with controversy. This is because it transforms fats and oils into trans fatty oils high in cholesterol. This is usually necessary in preserving fat since it becomes rancid really fast.
These methods are all aimed at reducing the rate of decay while still maintaining the color, flavor and texture of food. Extended shelf life gives us the opportunity to utilize a wide variety of meal plans without having to invest in expensive storage and refrigeration devices.
Different people require different type s of shelved meals depending on the occasion. As in the case of the office worker, a quick lunch of canned soup and dried cereal would provide the requisite amount of nutrients and energy needed to complete their work quickly without sacrificing time of leaving the workstation in search of a meal.
Households also keep a wide variety of preserved foods either for ease of preparation or as a contingency measure for scenarios where fresh food would not necessarily be available. This habit is widely common amongst doomsday preppers who foresee a global catastrophe as inevitable. Picnics and barbecues are also an ideal time to bring along preserved ready to eat meals.
These means of preservation however pose a risk to out health. Irradiation serves to alter the chemical makeup of fruits. It is not clear whether radiation has zero effect on produce as claimed by food companies, this may just be a ploy to keep them in business. The effect of hydrogenation is however clear since it increases the trans fat content in oils. This in effect spikes up the cholesterol levels in the food. Cholesterol is a well known villain for it causes a wide range of vascular complications.
In conclusion, whether or not an individual decides to eat shelf stabilized foods, the decision should be made from an informed point of view.
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