Food preservation is must to prevent spoilage brought about by any change in physical, chemical or biological properties of food and also to maintain its texture, colour and appearance and increase its shelf life and productivity.

The preservation has been done since ancient times using various techniques like sating, curing, preserving with extra sugar or under oil layer. But with the increasing demand and supply of processed, packaged and canned foods, the addition of preservatives and chemical to the food is increased largely to support the shelf life of the processed products.

Most of these preservatives or additives added to the food are in the amounts prescribed and approved by FDA. But with the increasing popularity and convenience served with packaged foods, they are consumed in excess, which expose the body to various ill effects.

The four most common packaged food available in Indian market, which are loaded with preservatives/ additives, high level of sodium, refined flours, excess sugar, are biscuits, muesli, ready-to-eat meals and packaged soups.

Preservative/ chemicals which are harmful to the system
Artificial sweeteners and high fructose corn syrup are usually added in canned fruit juices, soda, candy, sweetened yogurt, salad dressing etc and excessively consumed by today’s young generation. They are loaded with both glucose and fructose and this additional form of unnatural fructose gets converted to and stored as fat in the body leading to obesity, high insulin levels and makes one prone to diabetes.

Monosodium glutamate is the most common flavour enhancer, added to most Chinese food, canned vegetables and soups, processed meats and chips etc. It is composed of a sodium salt of glutamate which is toxic to the body if consumed in excess amounts. On excess MSG consumption, one may face symptoms like headache, over-stimulation of nervous system, stomach upset, weakness of arms or legs etc.

BHA and BHT preservatives are found in cereal, baked goods like cookies, biscuits, animal feeds, packaging, cosmetics, snack foods, chewing gum, meats, butter, dehydrated potatoes, and beer. These are the foodstuffs which are most commonly consumed by people on regular basis. 

BHA is generally used to keep fats from becoming rancid. It is also used as a yeast de-foaming agent. BHT also prevents oxidative rancidity of fats. It is used to preserve food odour, colour and flavour. The metabolites of these are usually proven to pose carcinogenic effect in the body and therefore should be avoided.

Natural preservatives
Synthetic preservatives like ascorbic acid, citric acid, sodium benzoate, calcium propionate, sodium erythorbate, sodium nitrite, calcium sorbate, potassium sorbate, BHA, BHT can be replaced with natural preservative like basil, cardamom, clove, cumin, garlic, fennel, green tea, mint, onion, rosemary, peppers, cinnamon, thyme, sage. These natural preservatives also possess same characteristics of anti-microbial anti-bacterial and anti-fungal and anti-oxidant properties.

Also all the artificial dyes/colours added to the food to enhance its colour and appearance can be replaced with extracts from algae, rosemary, monk fruit, purple sweet potatoes, black carrots and purple carrots etc. One can choose and opt for more of natural, fresh and organic foods over the packaged and processed foods.

Preservatives and pesticides present in packaged fruits and vegetables can be washed off well with water rinsing and cleaning it well before consumption.