There is a lot someone should know about the basic concept of perishable, non-perishable, semi-perishable, and highly perishable food items. The word perishability is new for some, but is commonly associated with foods that are likely to decay or spoil. It shows how long the foods can be stored safely and uncontaminated. Those foods that show spoilage, decay, and become unsafe for human consumption if not kept in the refrigerator at 40F or frozen at 0F or less. These foods are refrigerated to stop bacterial growth and for safety purposes.

• Bananas ripen faster with other produce due to ethylene gas.
• Vacuum sealing extends shelf life by reducing oxygen exposure.
• Freezing cooked food soon preserves more nutrients than refrigeration.
• “Best by” dates often indicate quality, not safety.
• Canned foods can last indefinitely if stored properly.
• Potatoes spoil quickly when exposed to light and moisture.
• Fermented foods like sauerkraut provide probiotics and long shelf life.

Compared to these, Non-Perishable foods do not spoil over the years and can be stored for a long time. 

Semi-perishable foods do not require immediate refrigeration and have a shorter shelf life of a few weeks or even months. These foods usually lie between the two extremes of perishable and non-perishable foods. 

This article will show the various quality attributes of perishable, non-perishable, and semi-perishable foods. 

Shelf life is commonly used to indicate how long the food can be safely stored and consumed. There are foods with varying shelf lives. Some offer short shelf life and spoil faster, like perishable foods requiring immediate refrigeration for safety. 

Some foods spoil slower and do not require immediate refrigeration like semi-perishable foods. So these foods have a longer shelf life than perishable ones. 

Above all, non-perishable foods do not require refrigeration or freezing and can be stored safely for years, offering infinite shelf life. 

 The prime purpose in foods and quality control industries is always to increase the shelf life of foods. Because the limited shelf life of foods shows rapid deterioration, the shorter shelf life increases the chances of bacterial growth on food, which causes spoilage. 

There are two types of bacteria commonly found in food. 

The first one is ‘pathogenic bacteria, which causes foodborne illness. The other is ‘Spoilage bacteria, which causes the food to deteriorate rapidly and develop unpleasant color, odor, texture, and taste in it.

Fish of all kinds is the essential element of perishable foods. Fish, including salmon, is the reddish tender form of Fish with a delicious buttery flavor and ensures plenty of health benefits. 

The use of this kind is every day not only in America but also worldwide. Being a key component of perishable foods, salmon requires refrigeration immediately to delay spoilage and offers a wide range of benefits to human health. 

Some of these include;

It is packed with essential nutrients like protein, vitamin B12, potassium, iron, and vitamin D. Salmon and all kinds of fish are low in saturated fats, which are disastrous for human health. 

Only a serving of salmon gives about 200 calories. Thus, the Use of salmon gives a boost to human health in multiple ways.

Semi-perishable foods mainly comprise vegetables, especially potatoes and onions. These are a significant part of staple foods consumed on a large scale. 

These are low in calories and rich in nutrients, thus ensuring multiple health benefits, and are advised to consume almost daily.

Using vegetables ensures good eye health because they have a high concentration of minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants in their composition. 

Carrots are rich in vitamin A content and thus promise optimal eye health.

As a significant part of semi-perishable foods, vegetables offer the best digestive health. Because vegetables are a wonderful source of fiber, vegetables ensure optimal digestive health and help in the absorption of vitamins and minerals. 

Thus, it provides a good energy profile to the body.

Vegetables are an excellent source of vitamin K, reducing the plaque buildup of calcium in the heart arteries. This prevents heart damage.

Being high in fiber content and low in glycemic index, vegetables maintain the sugar balance and don’t allow the sugar levels to rise quickly after the meal. 

So, it helps significantly with reduced chances of getting Diabetes.

Being potassium-rich, vegetables eliminate the sodium from the body effectively and help more with treating blood pressure.

Besides these, ginger is a vital part of semi-perishable foods; thus, it gives the best anti-inflammatory and anti-viral effects. Ginger remarkably gives healing effects and helps the body fight against the disease efficiently. 

Moreover, biscuits provide high carbohydrate content, thus helping to keep hunger away.

Good Human health is an essential aspect for which everyone should look. All three food groups contain food items that give good nutrients to the human body and keep it away from disease occurrence and prevalence. 

The critical element should be the required quantity and advised concentrations to maintain good health. 

A person should be vigilant about the required dosage every time before choosing any food items with the respective group.