What do you think of when you hear “Food Preservation?” Putting a lot of chemical preservative? Cook the milk in high temperature? Sure, food preservation is something about those things. However, we will be delivering a seminar about Food Preservation by Moisture Control. It aims to let you have a better understanding in how controlling moisture can preserve food.
Why control moisture?
Water is an important basic element in foods. The influence of food water content on perishability has been known since ancient times. Between 15,000 and 10,000 BC our ancestors began to preserve excess fish, meat and fruit by drying in the wind and sun. Water is essential for the growth and metabolic activity of microorganisms. But not all of the water present in food is in fact available for the biological activity of microorganisms or for other chemical and enzyme reactions. The effect of water on the stability of foods cannot be related solely to the quantitative water content. Bacterial growth correlated with water activity, not water content. Water activity is sometimes defined as “free”, “bound”, or “available water” in a system. Water activity is defined as the equilibrium relative humidity (ERH) divided by 100. Since yeast, molds and bacteria require a certain amount of available water to support growth, designing a product with an aw below 0.6 provides an effective control against food spoilage.
The seminar will help advance knowledge and understanding of the different types of food preservation method by controlling the moisture in the food. Moreover, the seminar will provide a unique platform for critical discussion and interdisciplinary exchange relating to the pros and cons of the different types of moisture controlling method.
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Dr. Chan Sook Wah is working as a lecturer of School of Bioscience in Taylor's University. She obtained her Ph.D in Food Technology inUniversity Putra Malaysia and B.Sc. (Hons) Food Science and Nutrition in UCSI University. She is also a member of Malaysian Institute of Food Technology. Her research Interest includes Physicochemical characterization of hydrocolloids and their applications in the food system, Application of spray drying technique for the encapsulation of bioactives and food ingredients, Controlled release study of microencapsulated products, and Study of antioxidant compounds in the natural plants. |
This seminar is free of charge and there will be a limited number of goodies bag to be given. If you would like any further details about participating in this seminar, kindly contact us.
For more information, you can go to our Facebook Page. :D
Organiser:
School of Bioscience
Taylor's University Lakeside Campus |
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