Subreddit: r/FoodScience
User: u/Spare-Active4018
Original Post:
Preservatives
I'm not sure if this is the right group to ask, but how are certain packaged foods preserved when their ingredients don't list any preservatives? For example, I’m looking at Kozy Shack rice pudding, which needs to be refrigerated but can last up to 70 days in the fridge. In contrast, homemade rice pudding with similar ingredients only lasts about 5 days, up to 10 with airtight storage.
My Response:
Products like that are hot filled or retorted in a sealed container to reduce the number of microorganisms down to 0.001% or more of the original level. You can't do the same with food you make at home, since it's very easy to contaminate the food product from spores in the air or through contact with contaminated surfaces such as spoons, containers, etc. Even pure grain rice itself contains spores that are heat resistant and require very careful heat control to destroy.
But it's not much different from canning, except you're controlling the time and temperature in a way to reduce flavor and texture damage to the product. Plus, these processes are typically validated with microbial lab testing to ensure the heat treatment processes have been successful. You have to meet certain thresholds in order to sell through major retailers. Since the microbial numbers are so low, it will take several weeks or months for them to create any flavor or texture issues that are noticeable in the rice pudding through fermentation.
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