In my last blog, I discussed the classification of food on the base of present moisture level in them. The amount of moisture present in food will simply define the shelf life of food. Foods having high moisture level will spoil fast than the foods having less moisture content. Today I am describing the second classification of food that is based on the amount of acid present in food.

We can get two things from this classification. First, we will know which food has high acid value and should be avoided in acidity or which food will help in digestion. As acidic foods will help in the digestion process. The other thing is the shelf life of food. Which food have the longer shelf life? Foods having acidic characteristics will have the longer shelf life because microbes cannot work on acidic food well. Only a few varieties of microbes can work on such foods and can spoil them.

Classes of Food on the Base of Acidity

On the base of acid concentration in the food, there are following classes of food:

High Acid Foods

High acid foods are the foods which have pH 3.7 or lower than that. It means they have high acid value in them. This group contains all citrus family, berries, and sauerkraut. These have the longer shelf life due to high acid value. But due to severe climatic conditions and high value of water, it spoiled fast.

Acid Foods

This group has pH between 3.7 to 4.5. these have relatively low acid value in them. Pineapple, pear, tomatoes are some food items included in this group. These foods have a relatively low shelf life because the variety of microorganisms which can attack these foods are great.

Medium Acid Foods

Medium acid foods are the foods having pH between 4.3 to 5.3. Beets, asparagus, and pumpkin etc. are included in this group of foods. These foods have very less acid value in them.

Low Acid Foods

Low acid value foods are of the category which has 5.3 or more. That means they will provide very less acid to the body. These are mostly vegetables. Corn, peas, lima beans are some common examples of low acid foods.

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By: J.A. Awan

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