Strategies for ensuring the safety of milk. Collection and Processing of milk Low Temperature Preservation of Foods Cold storage of foods can slow or stop the growth and activity of microorganisms. Lowering temperature slows down most microbes' metabolic rate so that they do not reproduce as rapidly as at higher temperatures. Growth of psychrotrophic microbes in refrigerated food can result spoilage and food-borne illness.
Refrigeration slows down chemical reactions and enzyme activities.
But, changes in foods can still occur during refrigerated storage. Refrigeration greatly improved the preservation of foodstuffs. However, refrigeration is only a short-term preservation technology. Refrigeration is one of the most widely used preservation techniques in the industrialized world. Refrigeration requires electricity which means this preservation technology is not available to much of the world's population.