Jakarta (ANTARA) – Lecturer and Researcher at the Department of Food Science and Technology and SEAFAST Center, Bogor Agricultural Institute, Prof. Dr. Nugraha Edhi Suyatma, STP, DEA said that storing food in plastic containers can prevent contamination of food items that are stored together, especially in the refrigerator.
“If you store it in the refrigerator with other food ingredients, this prevents contamination of the mixture from other ingredients in the refrigerator, later the taste can change so the function of plastic is quite good at protecting pollution,” said Prof. Edhi in a discussion in Jakarta, Wednesday.
Edhi said storing food in the refrigerator can also slow down oxidation and growth of microbes that cause food spoilage because it is covered in plastic containers. The lower the storage temperature, the more it stops the growth of pathogenic microbes that can spoil food.
He said the storage period in the refrigerator or chiller For food, it can last up to 2 days, whereas if it is in the freezer or freezer it can last up to a year provided the temperature is stable at minus (-) 18 degrees Celsius and as long as there is no air contamination of the food.
“If you just keep it in chiller the shelf life is short, only 2 days, more than that there is a change in taste, microbes can grow because of it chiller “There is still a process of food spoilage, the condition is -18 (degrees Celsius) if above that it only lasts a few months,” he said.
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Using plastic containers, said Edhi, has many advantages. Apart from being cheap, plastic containers can also conduct cold temperatures better than other storage containers such as porcelain. Apart from that, plastic containers are also light and cheap and have minimal risk of breaking.
When choosing a plastic container to store food, Edhi suggests looking at the recycling code which is usually on the bottom of the plastic packaging.
Make sure to use plastic containers made from Poly Propylene because they are safe for storing food or food grade. Also pay attention to the spoon and fork symbols, and look at the snow or oven image code which means it can be used for cold or hot temperatures.
Edhi also added that for plastic materials, pay attention to the recycling code under the packaging, such as code 1, namely PET which is found in mineral water packaging, code 2 Poly Ethylene or often written HDPE (High Density Poly Ethylene) as in milk bottles. Code 3 is PVC plastic which is not safe for storing food, code 4 is Low Density Poly Etylene (LDPE) which is usually found on bottle caps and code 5 is Poly Propylene or PP which is safe and resistant to freezing and hot temperatures.
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“Code 6 polystyrene is usually found in styrofoam, code 7 other means the type of plastic is not specified. “Plastics made from Poly Propylene and HDPE have no health risks,” said Edhi.
Edhi also shared a trick if you want to store vegetables in plastic containers, make sure to pay attention to the types of vegetables that can be stored in the refrigerator and those that cannot. Storing vegetables that have been boiled or heated is a better method and will eliminate microbial contamination.
For fresh vegetables, they can be stored in plastic with holes in it so that there is access for vegetable respiration and does not cause the vegetables to become damp which invites microbial growth. Store in the refrigerator at 10 degrees Celsius.
Also pay attention to the use of plastic containers, if they are cloudy or have lots of scratches, replace them immediately to avoid bacterial growth on the packaging.
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2023-10-04 07:34:03
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