Non-thermal processing techniques for food preservation.

Food processing dates back to the prehistoric ages when crude processing
incorporated techniques such as fermenting, sun drying, preserving with salt, and
various types of cooking (such as roasting, smoking, steaming, and oven baking)
basically to extend the shelf-life and to improve organoleptic attributes. Such basic food
processing involved chemical enzymatic changes to the basic structure of food in its
natural form, as well served to build a barrier against surface microbial activity that
caused rapid decay.Processed foods are usually less susceptible to early spoilage than
fresh foods and are better suited for long distance transportation from the source to
the consumer. Processing can also reduce the incidence of food borne disease.