Preservatives Vs. Fresh Foods

Most fresh foods sold in typical supermarket Contain preservatives to extend their shelf life from point of origin to final destination in the consumer's kitchen. Preservatives help to maintain the appearance and safety of fresh foods and prevent spoilage. The Food and Drug Administration approves the safety of preservatives, but some of these chemicals still may cause negative health effects. Fresh, preservative-free foods do not pose these health risks but present risks for food-borne illness caused by microorganisms

Fresh Food

Fresh foods have a shorter shelf life and must be consumed more quickly than food treated with preservatives. Compared to the markets of the 1970s, today's stores carry many more perishable fresh foods. Consumer demand for fresh foods has forced the food industry to develop new methods of food processing and packaging to ensure food in stores is both fresh and safe.

Types of Preservatives

There are two broad categories of preservatives: natural and chemical. Natural preservatives include salt, sugar, vinegar and alcohol. Suphites, nitrites, nitrates, benzoates and sorbates are types of chemical preservatives. Chemical preservatives keep foods fresh by targeting microorganisms, oxygen or enzymes in food. Antimicrobial agents are a type of chemical preservatives that inhibit the growth of bacteria and mold. Antioxidants are another type of chemical preservative. They prevent oxygen from reacting with the food and discoloring it. A third group of chemical preservatives called anti-browning agents slow the natural process of ripening and decay caused by enzymes that turn fresh foods brown.

Alternatives to Preservatives

Food-processing techniques may be able to replace chemical preservatives for some types of fresh foods. High-pressure processing, ohmic heating and pulsed electric field processing pasteurize foods using little or no heat to preserve the food's freshness. Intense, white light applied to fresh food kills microbes on the surface. Bacteriosins are a natural antimicrobial agent produced by some of the microorganisms in fresh foods to ward off competing microbes. Bacteriosins are harvested and used as a natural food preservative.

Health Risks

There are risks associated with eating both fresh food and preservatives. Fresh foods spoil more quickly than foods with added preservatives and can be infected with harmful bacteria or parasites. However, much of this risk can be eliminated without the use of preservatives if fresh foods are canned, frozen or dried. Some people develop allergies to certain preservatives, such as benzoates and sulphites. Other preservatives are linked to high blood pressure, liver problems and kidney ailments.

http://www.ehow.com/info_8334786_fresh-foods-vs-preservatives.html

Scientists Claim | Frozen Food | Healthier Than Fresh Produce

Frozen food could be just as healthy and nutritious as fresh produce, according to a new report.

In some cases fresh food can even have lower nutritional value, the study concluded.

Fresh food can lose nutrients and deteriorate along the supply chain, scientists say, and do not always offer "nutritional superiority".

They say that in some cases fresh food can even have lower nutritional value.

Researchers, from Sheffield Hallam University, investigated the nutritional needs of children and the current lunch options available.

They then compared what the nutritional content of "fresh" and frozen food was before, working out what impact using frozen could have.

Now experts say frozen food could be appropriate for school dinners because it creates less waste, is cheaper and more readily available.

Lead researcher Charlotte Harden, of the university's Centre for Food Innovation, said: "We must disregard the mistaken view that 'fresh' food is always better for us than frozen food.

"Frozen food can be nutritionally comparable or in some cases nutritionally superior.

"So we are not surprised by these results, as our findings correlate with many other recently published reports."

Brian Young, director-general of the British Frozen Food Federation, agreed.

"Fast and organised methods of harvest-to-freeze have evolved which minimise loss of nutrients," he said.

"In contrast, 'fresh' food can spend up to a month in the chain of producers, wholesalers and retailers before they reach customers.

"During this time we know that product deterioration takes place - to the extent that they can have lower nutritional value than frozen equivalents."

Beverley Baker, chairman of the Local Authority Caterers Association (LACA), welcomed the report.

"It supports our long held belief that there is no significant difference in nutritional quality between fresh and frozen produce," she said.

"We strongly believe that both have a place in the provision of healthy school meals.

"From a school catering perspective, a combination of both fresh and frozen presents advantages in terms of storage and preparation as well as optimum use of cooking facilities."

By Andrew Hough7:00AM BST 11 Sep 2009

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/6170232/Frozen-food-healthier-than-fresh-produce-scientists-claim.html