If you are a manufacturer of food products, the preservation of raw materials for manufacturing them poses the most formidable challenge to you. You find preserving the perishable raw materials on the shelves for a prolonged duration challenging. Properly storing raw materials in the rack for an extended period is crucial for your survival as a manufacturer in the food industry. Although you seek consultation from specialists for this, you have always looked for the safest methods for preserving delicate raw materials. As the manufacturer of food products in the competitive market atmosphere, you always stay cautious about the health problems that might happen to the consumers of food products if you use stale raw materials. Besides this, preserving such delicate items for a more extended period carries equal importance.

Although, as a manufacturer, you could use chemicals to prevent the growth of microorganisms in the raw materials for the manufacturing of food products, you still have access to other methods for safely keeping food raw materials on the shelves.

Let’s know about some of the best methods available for the same purpose.

Store them in Cold Storage

Popularly known as refrigeration, cold storage is the most followed method for preserving food raw materials for extended periods.  The perishable raw materials risk rotting in the open air, those stay fresh and fit for further use inside the refrigerator. Manufacturers worldwide prefer refrigerators to other methods for storing perishable items like fruits, vegetables, fish, eggs, and meat. Such things stay fresh for longer at a temperature necessary for extended storage.

For different raw materials meant for manufacturing purposes of various food products, you could set temperatures at various degrees inside the refrigerator or cold storage. That ensures low respiration and keeps the raw materials fresh for more prolonged use. In addition, refrigeration does not allow microorganisms such as mould and bacteria for further growth.

Refrigeration enables the raw materials for prolonged use. The highly perishable items could get stored at various temperatures to keep them safe from food poisoning.

It keeps the items among the raw materials fresh. If preserved in plastic or sealed bags, or tight-fitted containers, those stay fresh and away from the accumulation of moisture.

Could you keep them in Sterilized Aseptic Cans?

The other most followed method is aseptic canning. The raw materials get packed in sterilized cans under sterilized conditions. The delicate items stay safe in sealed containers as those get fixed by applying heat.

The specialists ask to apply heat at different degrees for various products depending on their delicacy. Other raw materials for food products like vegetables, fish, and fruits are acidic by nature, and therefore those require aseptic canning.

Nowadays, expert services are available for aseptic food packaging as the technology reduces the risk of oxidation to a great extent.

Get complete safety from moisture by Dehydration.

Considered the oldest, Dehydration is another available method for removing moisture from food products. Generations have used it for centuries as this method could keep the raw materials for food products fresh for prolonged use.

Dehydration prevents the growth of microorganisms. Methods like hot-air Dehydration came into existence in the year 1795. This method is beneficial for the preservation of starch products. Such dehydrated food items could be shipped in larger quantities to distant places.

The North American Indians developed the delicate art of preserving meat by sun-drying beef into small pieces. This method of Dehydration is prevalent in many places.

Packaging in Air-tight Container is much safer.

When you want to preserve the most delicate items among the raw materials like grains, baking soda, milk or milk powder, keeping them in air-tight containers is the safest method. It helps the raw materials by completely keeping them away and safe from moisture. The accumulation of moisture forms microorganisms. Plastic and glass air-tight containers are the best options for the prolonged economic preservation of raw materials on the shelves.

Air-tight containers keep the outside flavours and odours away as those prevent the formation of moisture. The spices are the best items to get stored inside air-tight containers. Such containers prevent things from getting rancid. And that helps prevent bacterial growth as other outside substances come in contact with the delicate items that could lead to contamination.

Have you ever tried effective Non-thermal Food Processing?

Being another most scientific food preservation technique, it takes place by discharging high-voltage short-electric pulses into the raw material items. As it helps increase their shelf life, other methods like Ohmic heating, high-pressure processing, and pulsed electric field processing are way ahead in preparing raw materials for your manufacturing of food products.

Such technologies use mechanical, electromagnetic, light, or electric pulses to kill the growth of microorganisms. These technologies are breaking ground in the food industries worldwide as they do not require preservatives. Besides this, this method is pathogen-free, extending the shelf life of the items in raw materials.

Radiation- Another State-of-the art preservation technology

This method exposes the fragile and delicate raw materials to controlled radio waves. The familiar Gama-rays and X-rays are fruitful in slowing down the ripening and rotting of fruits and vegetables. Tremendously helpful in extending the shelf life of perishable raw materials, it could also successfully prevent the disinfection of grains and pulses.

All the mentioned preservation techniques are modern, and entrepreneurs worldwide in the food and beverage industries follow them to extend the shelf life of the precious raw materials for manufacturing food products. However, you need to take experts’ help before implementing them for your purpose. Every precaution is vital for adequately preserving the raw material on the shelves. A wrong step could lead to a loss of credibility as a manufacturer, as it would harm the consumer’s health. 

Connect with our align food consultants to assist you increase food shelf life of food products.