Food preservation

Name: Food preservation
Brand: Éditions Quae
SKU: 9782759240777
Price: 17.0 EUR
Availability: InStock
ISBN: 978-2-7592-4077-7

Towards greater sustainability and naturalness

by Alain Kondjoyan (writer), Catherine Renard (writer), Patrice Dole (writer), Laurence Fournaison (writer), Hong-Minh Hoang-Le (writer), Yves Le Loir (writer), Caroline Pénicaud (writer), Monique Zagorec (writer), François Zuber (writer)

Collection: Enjeux sciences

august 2025

Book 120 x 190 format 170 pages In stock	17,00 €
eBook [PDF] 170 pages Download after purchase	0,00 € (free)

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Summary

Products of plant or animal origin evolve under the action of biochemical and microbial reactions. To limit their deterioration, preservation methods have been developed since prehistoric times, and their principles are still the basis of techniques used in the food industry today.

These processes are indispensable, but Western consumers tend to question them for various reasons: sustainability of the processes, naturalness of the preservatives and impact on our health.

Based on current knowledge in the field of food science, this book provides an insight into the contribution of preservation processes to healthy, sustainable and available food. It presents their modes of action, the questions they raise and the answers provided by research.

The use of cold or heat, fermentation or biopreservation, the role and sustainability of packaging, food formulation and life-cycle analyses are all topics addressed through the prism of current agri-food resources. The authors also highlight more recent processes and explore the idea of combining different methods to meet tomorrow's food challenges.

This book is part of a wider reflection on the evolution of our food. It is aimed at all those — consumers, teachers, students, decision-makers — who want to better understand how today's technological choices can influence the future of our food, and therefore that of our health and our environment.

Introduction

Why and how is food traditionally preserved?

Phenomena behind the evolution of food

Development of preservation processes throughout history

Why are preservation processes being called into question?

The notions of “sustainability” and “naturalness”

Consumers suspicious of processed foods

Consequences of suspicion towards processed foods on the sustainability of food chains

Reformulating for greater “naturalness”?

Microbiological stability of the product

Stability of product texture

Fermentation and biopreservation: how to combine sustainability and naturalness?

History of research and evolution of methods

Omic tools for breakthrough innovations

Fermented foods

Development of biopreservation

Food microbiota: new species linked to food spoilage or preservation

Bacterial activities to be controlled

Fermentation, a source of innovation and breakthrough

Is it possible to imagine more sustainable thermal processes?

Optimizing heat in sterilization and pasteurization

Can we move towards more sustainable refrigeration?

Athermal decontamination and barrier technologies: a safer, more sustainable combination?

Presentation of athermal technologies

Benefits and limits of athermal technologies

The concept of barrier technologies

What role for packaging?

New regulations to reduce plastic pollution

Biosourced packaging: a more virtuous solution?

What if all packaging was (bio)degradable?

What if all packaging was reusable?

Packaging of the future: what are the health risks?

The right packaging functionality: a question of pairing

Preservation at the heart of the food transition?

The upstream-downstream link and the impact of agroecological practices

Developing new combinations of processes and packaging in line with consumer behavior

Assessing the environmental impact of processing-preservation practices at different territorial scales

Artificial intelligence and decision support tools for system sustainability

Conclusion

Appendix

Glossary

Bibliography

List of authors

Press

France Culture - Le 20 août 2025
"Peut-on faire confiance à l’alimentation industrielle ?"avec Catherine Renard.
>> Écouter le podcast

Large public

Scientists and professionals