Anass Ribeiro
Lab Prelab
Background: Pickling is the process of preserving food by anaerobic fermentation in brine (a solution of salt in water) to produce lactic acid, or marinating and storing it in an acid solution, usually vinegar (acetic acid). This process is used in order to preserve perishing foods for long periods of time and is also intended to add a more salty and sour taste to the food. The dills are covered in certain acids which are used to help preserve the food for months. The many varieties of pickled and fermented foods are classified by ingredients and its method of preparation. Regular dill pickles and sauerkraut are fermented and cured for about 3 weeks. Refrigerator dills are fermented for about 1 week. During curing, colors and flavors change and acidity increases. Fresh-pack or quick-process pickles are not fermented; some are brined several hours or overnight, then drained and covered with vinegar and seasonings. Fruit pickles usually are prepared by heating fruit in seasoned syrup acidified with either lemon juice or vinegar. Relishes are made from chopped fruits and vegetables that are cooked with seasonings and vinegar. Other methods of food preservation that involve using acids to preserve foods are canning foods and sealing food, refrigerating, and also boiling as well. There are many safety precautions that are very important when it comes to food processing. The process of pickling involves working with different acids at different levels which proposes many safety features. Since the level of acidity in a food is very important you shouldn’t change or alter the proportions in a recipe or use an acid with an unknown acidity. Another safety feature would be to maintain a minimum, uniformed level of acid throughout the product to prevent a too high level of acidity and also any growth of bacteria. Some acids that are suitable for food preservation are vinegar, sorbic acid, benzoic acid, and propionic acid. These are suitable acid because they impair the growth of bacteria on food. The optimal pH is
Safety: wear goggles, no horseplay, and no open-toed shoes.
Prediction: If you use the pickling process to preserve a food then it will help preserve the food for a long period of time if in the right conditions.

http://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/pickles/pickling.html http://www.scienceclarified.com/Ex-Ga/Food-Preservation.html Chemistry: “Don’t Let Good Food Go Bad.” Ed. Anthony Wilbraham et al. Chemistry: Prentice-Hall
, 2002. 548-9