Tackling Food Waste: Solutions for Extending Shelf Life

Food waste and climate change are more intricately connected than you might imagine. In fact, the United Nations has listed lowering the amount of food waste as one of its 17 Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, noting that approximately 17% to 33% of all food is wasted. This leads to more than landfill fodder. Decaying food produces methane, which contributes between 10% and 17% of the overall total of greenhouse gas emissions. Bell Chem recognizes the role food additives play in prolonging shelf life, which leads to less food wasted. Your food additive supplier has the following inventory to sustain our foods – and our planet.

How can oxygen be harmful?

Think about an old car left to the elements. Your brain probably immediately noted the rust on the car. Rust is the transformation of iron in the presence of oxygen, which produces iron oxide. Oxygen has this same negative effect on many food items as well. However, vitamins C and E, as well as beta carotene, are natural antioxidants that keep oxygen from discoloring and removing flavor from foods.

Meat and poultry are positively influenced by green tea extracts and rosemary, which enhance the appearance, quality, and taste of meats through their high percentage of phenolic compounds. These compounds double as powerful antioxidants.

Fermentation

Centuries of fermented foods have proven how well vinegar (acetic acid) maintains food’s shelf life. Acetic acid is inexpensive, well studied, and used worldwide.

Simple salts

Sodium chloride, or table salt, is more than a flavor enhancer. It acts as a preserver, changing the environment so drastically via a change in osmotic pressure that microbes lose water through their thin membranes until they are completely desiccated. 

Potassium chloride performs the same role, and these salts are often used concurrently as a brine solution. Salts are often added to meat where they preserve, improve the mouthfeel of the food, and lock in water. 

Organic acid salts

Organic acids, such as propionic acid, lactic acid, and acetic acid, inhibit microbe and pathogen growth by lowering the overall pH of food products. While foods can exist in this environment, pathogens cannot.  

Bell Chem is a food additive supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including CSANTM sanitation products. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff personalize all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message.