Processed Food and its Effect on the Environment - Essay Sample

Introduction

Preservatives are natural or synthetic substances that are added to fruits, vegetables, and prepared foods to maintain the natural characteristics of food, increase their shelf life, and inhibit natural aging and discoloration that can occur during food preparations, for example, the enzymatic browning reaction in apples after they are cut. In particular, preservatives act by inhibiting, arresting or retarding food fermentation, acidification, microbial contamination, and decomposition. Today, many food manufacturers use modern methods of preservatives, which mainly include chemical or synthetic preservatives. The hazards of preservatives, flavors, colors, and processing agents that are being added in food are deemed necessary to be discussed because although they are crucial for food storage, they pose a risk to both consumers and the environment. The present paper seeks to analyze the effects of preservatives on the environment and recommend ways to make these foods more sustainable on the environment.

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Preservatives Used in Processed Foods

When food is to be stored for a prolonged period, the use of additives and preservatives is crucial to maintaining its quality and flavor. Their use prevents spoiling of the food because of the growth of bacteria and fungi. In addition, they maintain the quality and consistency of the foods. Alongside its palatability and wholesomeness, preservatives also maintain food's nutritional value, control appropriate pH and enhance its flavor. Preservatives are categorized into antimicrobials, anti-oxidants, and anti-enzymatic.

For example, Sodium benzoate, Benzoic acid, Sodium sorbate, Potassium sorbate, and Sodium nitrite are used as antimicrobial agents to inhibit the growth of bacteria, molds and other microorganisms. Similarly, Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and Sodium edetate act as antioxidants to slow or stop the breakdown of fats and oils in food that happens in the presence of oxygen leading to rancidity (Anand and Sati 2497). Finally, preservatives such as Sodium benzoate are anti-enzymatic and they block the enzymatic processes like ripening that occurs in foodstuffs after harvest. For example, they stop the brown coloration of fruits such as apples when cut.

Effect of Food Preservatives on the Environment

Food processing industries are a part of the environment and are often major generators of wastes. Industrial waste is a major source of environmental pollution that affects the geology, soil, and ecology of an area. The degree to which the pollutants affect the physical environment depends upon their quantitative and qualitative attributes and the receiving media. This is because some pollutants are readily biodegradable, while others persist for a long time and may not even decompose. Additionally, some pollutants have low toxicity, whereas others are highly toxic and carcinogenic even in trace quantities.

The release of chemical preservatives into aquatic ecosystems, which mainly comprises of dissolved organic matter, boosts the increase of decomposers in the water. A problem arises when this activity rises to the point at which the decomposers consume all the available oxygen in the water as they oxidize the organic matter (Poddar and Sahu 465). In the extreme, large amounts of organic matter result in a near-absolute depletion of oxygen in a given body of water. Consequently, life becomes impossible for the species that require oxygen such as fish and zooplankton. However, low oxygen levels lead to a rise in anaerobic species that lead to the production of foul-smelling toxic end-products of anaerobic respiration and putrefaction, for example, methane, ammonia, and hydrogen sulphide (Poddar and Sahu 464). These gases pollute the air. Further, anaerobic respiration and putrefaction lead to the degradation of the aesthetic qualities of streams. In addition, the presence of chemical oxidants adversely affects nutrient fixation in the soil, which results in a reduced rate of nutrient availability to plants (Poddar and Sahu 464). Likewise, chemical oxidation leads to rapid development of rust.

Similarly, dumping of solid waste on plant vegetation leads to discoloration, a reduction in transpiration, and a decline in photosynthetic areas. Such waste also fills land that would otherwise be used for agriculture or settlement. In addition, such landfills destroy the aesthetic qualities of the environment. Moreover, no vegetation can grow on solid waste.

Recommendations

Since the existing environment within which food-processing industries operate is the only one that we have, there is a need to ensure its preservation is as natural and ecologically balanced a state as possible for the use of all. Hence, the food industries should be aware of the contents of the wastes they generate with the view to making them environmentally friendly ((Neves et al. 348). Additionally, food industries should treat their organic wastes to reduce the waste's oxygen demand by a set of processes or treatments. These treatments ensure that the wastes do not affect the amount of dissolved oxygen in water bodies, and thus, maintain environmental quality along the water bodies that are employed for waste disposal. Consequently, the waste becomes more sustainable on the water, soil, and the environment.

This paper recommends two forms of treatments that food industries can use to aerate the wastewater they release to water bodies. First, primary treatment involves the settling of suspended mineral and organic solids. The settled waste must then be disposed appropriately. The second method is secondary treatment, which involves a biologic form of processing in a trickling filter. It involves spraying wastewater onto columns of crushed stone. The water flows in thin films over biologic growths covering the substrate. The organisms that include bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and insects absorb and disintegrate the dissolved organic substances in the wastewater.

Further, this paper recommends that food-processing industries should design manufacturing processes to maximize the recycling potential and reduce the generation of residuals. In addition, they should implement mitigation measures and management options like the use of the best available technology and institutionalization of adequate abatement measures (Neves et al. 345). This can protect the environment from the adverse effects of food processing industries.

The final recommendation is for food-processing companies to adopt natural substances or extracts obtained from plants, animals or minerals to preserve foods in place of artificial preservatives. An example of alternative preservatives includes algin, which is extracted from seaweed and can extend the shelf life of food products. Similarly, grapefruit seed extract is a natural broad spectrum preservative used to kill or inhibit the growth of bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other microbes. It should be used with other broad-spectrum preservatives to be effective. In addition, rosemary extract is an anti-oxidant that slows down the oxidation of natural materials (Anand and Sati 2499). The adoption of natural preservatives will rid the environment of any toxic chemicals. Moreover, natural preservatives are degradable and safe for plants and animals in the surrounding environment.

Conclusion

To conclude, food preservatives are chemical substances that cause adverse effects on the environment. Pollution of environmental elements resulting from unrestrained activities of the food-preserving industries has impacted negatively on land capability for man, aquatic life, flora, and fauna. Hence, in addition to adopting mitigation measures, management options, and recycling, these industries should adopt the use of natural preservatives as they offer safer alternatives over artificial preservatives.

Work Cited

Anand, S. P., and N. Sati. "Artificial preservatives and their harmful effects: looking toward nature for safer alternatives." International journal of pharmaceutical sciences and research4.7 (2013): 2496.

Neves, Tainan, et al. "Sustainable operations management: practices and measures in the food industry." International Journal of Advanced Operations Management 6.4 (2014): 335-352.

Poddar, Pradeep Kumar, and Omprakash Sahu. "Quality and management of wastewater in sugar industry." Applied Water Science 7.1 (2017): 461-468.