Temperature for Food Preservation

Temperature factors

1. Refrigeration (0 ~ 4 °C): Slows down the metabolism and reproduction. Ideal for short term storage of perishables (easily decaying) (e.g. diary, meat, vegatables).

2. Freezing (-18 ~ 0 °C): Stops microbial growth by turning water into ice that microbes can't use. It halts (stops) the activity of microbes but does not kill them. Ideal for long term storage ( e.g. meat, vegetables, and premade meal).

3. Pasteurization (65 ~ 80 °C): Apply heat for a short duration to kill most harmful bacterias without significantly affecting the taste & nutrient of the food, then immediately refrigerated to slow down the growth of heat-resisting microbes (thermophiles and hyperthermophiles)

4. Canning (Cooking) (100 ~ 121 °C): Kill harmful microbes and denatures enzyme. Ideal for long-term storage.