The importance of refrigeration in food
Most of the foodstuffs consumed daily nowadays need to be refrigerated because they are perishable (meat, fish, fruit, vegetables, etc.). For this reason, it is essential to guarantee their safety for as long as possible, thus avoiding possible health problems.
What is the importance of refrigerating food?
It has been proven that refrigeration of food at an optimum temperature plays a fundamental role in maintaining food safety. In many cases it is necessary to control and maintain the storage temperature, which will be different for each type of product.
In addition, if we lower the storage temperature of perishable foods, we will be able to significantly reduce the reproduction speed of the vast majority of microorganisms. These are the cause of decomposition, favouring the loss of product quality and generating possible illnesses in consumers.
Refrigeration slows down the metabolism of organic matter to a near standstill at -18°C (the international standard for most frozen products). At this temperature, the partial or total inhibition of altering processes in food, such as certain enzymatic reactions or the metabolic degradation of proteins, is achieved. This slows down the decomposition and spoilage of these foods, as well as preventing possible health problems after consumption.
Food preservation processes.
Over the years, a number of processes have been known to achieve food preservation, using different methods. These processes try to slow down the growth of micro-organisms and therefore the properties of the food, although this is not always possible. The two most common ways of preserving food today are:
- Refrigeration: This consists of keeping food at a temperature, between 0 °C and 8 °C, close to freezing point. It is usually used for fresh food to slow down microbial growth.
- Freezing: This involves lowering the temperature of the food to below freezing point, usually between -18 °C and -35 °C. Depending on the type of product, thus making bacterial growth impossible.
