Background
About 9,100 deaths occur annually because of unsafe food. The worst part of this problem is that it is preventable, yet it still is neglected as substances to be reckoned with. Food preservation is defined as the process of treating and handling food to stop or greatly slow down spoilage. A food preservative is a naturally occurring or synthetically produced substance that is added or applied to food in order to keep it fresh and make it last longer. Preventing spoilage means that the food will not contain any bacteria, fungi, or any other micro-organisms. There are two types of preservatives: class one and class two. Class one preservatives consist of common items found in someone's kitchen such as salt, sugar, vinegar, rosemary, or honey. Class two preservatives are not as common because they are usually chemically manufactured, and they are based from benzoic acid and sodium diacetate.