It is safe to say that everything is best in moderation—including preservatives in food. Microbes and oxidation are the main reasons foods become spoiled. Thanks to preservatives, our foods end up having a longer shelf life. But what affect do preservatives have on our bodies?

Concepts

food preservation, food storage, oxidation, bacteria, acidity, microbes, nitrates, digestion, enzymes

Show More Show Less

Additional Tags

health

Show More Show Less

Instructional Ideas

• Bring in random food packaging to discover the types of preservatives in different foods
• Flip the lesson and have learners view the video and take the quiz outside of school, saving class time for discussion and extended research of the topic

Classroom Considerations

• Video best fits in a chemistry or nutrition class

Pros

• Provides visual demonstrations of how different preservatives work in foods
• Comes with the video, links for research, a quiz to check for understanding, and disscussion questions

Cons

• None