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Food Safety & Regulation

Preservative

A substance that prevents or retards microbial spoilage. Class I preservatives are traditional substances such as salt, sugar and vinegar; Class II are chemical preservatives such as benzoates and sorbates.

Real-life application

Listed on food labels as INS numbers, like INS 211 or INS 282; the reason bread, sauces and pickles last weeks instead of days.

Related terms

Hurdle technology

Processing & Preservation

Combining several mild preservation factors — pH, aw, temperature, preservatives, redox potential — so that their combined effect prevents microbial growth where none alone would suffice.

Water activity

Food Chemistry

The ratio of the vapour pressure of water in a food to the vapour pressure of pure water at the same temperature. It measures how much water is available for microbial growth and chemical reactions — not how much water is present.

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