Traditional Chinese Packaged food freshness preservatives — Homemade Recipe, Ratios & Small-Batch Production Guide

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Packaged food freshness retaining agentOxygen in the air often interacts with unsaturated fatty acids in fish, meat, butter and other foods, decomposing sour products, affecting the aroma and taste of the food. At the same time, oxygen also encourages the growth and reproduction of yeast, mold and other aerobic bacteria, causing food to spoil. In recent years, in order to maintain the freshness of packaged foods, oxygen absorbers are often sealed in packages or containers to absorb oxygen through redox reactions and prevent spoilage caused by the action of oxygen. However, this method can only prevent the oxidation and discoloration of food and inhibit the activity of aerobic bacteria, but it is powerless to deal with anaerobic bacteria.In order to maintain the freshness of packaged foods more perfectly, a Japanese chemical company recently produced a novel food freshness-preserving agent that can both absorb oxygen and release carbon dioxide. This agent is mainly composed of (1) oxygen absorbent, (2) hygroscopic substances or deliquescent substances that react with water to become acidic, and (3) carbonates or bicarbonates. When using, seal the freshness preserving agent and food together in the package or container. When the oxygen absorber as the first component absorbs oxygen in the package or container, the hygroscopic or deliquescent substance as the second component also interacts with the moisture emitted from the food to generate acidic substances. When they come into contact with carbonate or bicarbonate as the third component, they release carbon dioxide. This jointly prevents food spoilage caused by oxygen. Carbon dioxide not only inhibits bacterial reproduction, but also inhibits the biological activity of fruits and vegetables to maintain their freshness. By appropriately selecting the proportions of the above three ingredients, the amount of oxygen absorbed and carbon dioxide released can be freely controlled. If the food emits very little water and releases carbon dioxide slowly, another fourth component soaked in water can be placed in the package or container to promote the generation of carbon dioxide.The first ingredient usually used as a freshness retaining agent is mainly a substance that can absorb oxygen through its own oxidation. Such as reduced iron powder, electrolytic iron powder, iron-based substances such as ferrous oxide and ferric oxide, as well as organic substances such as catechol, resorcinol and pyrogallol. Especially for iron-based substances, the interaction between them and the second or third component can increase the absorption capacity of oxygen. The reaction product is non-toxic, so it is more ideal.The second component is mainly anhydrous phosphoric acid (phosphorus pentoxide), anhydrous sulfuric acid (sulfur trioxide) and other substances. They react with water vapor to produce acid. In addition, many metal salts of inorganic or organic acids can be used. Carbonates or bicarbonates of alkali metals and alkaline earth metals, or carbonates of transition metals, are commonly used third ingredients.The above ingredients have good mixability and mutual dispersibility, so fillers that are difficult to dissolve in water, such as activated carbon, diatomite and activated clay, can be added to them. For foods with low water evaporation, these fillers can be soaked in water as the fourth ingredient.The freshness retaining agent prepared in this way may be a powdery mixture, or may be formed into a sheet, granular or rod form. When using, in order to avoid contaminating food, they can first be placed in bags made of breathable materials such as cellophane, synthetic resin film or ordinary paper, and then sealed together with the food in the package.In practical applications, the effect of these freshness-preserving agents is extremely obvious. For example, there is a fish cake made by grinding fish meat into a paste. When sealed in a package with a freshness retaining agent, it can be stored at room temperature for six days without changing its appearance. …

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