Acid foods - Foods containing enough acid to result in a pH of 4.6 or lower. Includes most fruits (figs and Asian pears are exceptions), most tomatoes, fermented and pickled vegetables, relishes, jams, jellies, and marmalades. Acid foods may be processed in boiling water.

Antibacterial solution - A cleaning agent that contains an ingredient that kills bacteria.

Bacteria - A large group of microorganisms that includes Salmonella, E. coli, Campylobacter and many others. Bacteria reproduce by dividing into two.

Blancher - A six- to eight-quart, lidded pot designed with a fitted perforated basket to hold food in boiling water or with a fitted rack to steam foods. It's handy for loosening skins on fruits to be peeled, or for heating foods to be hot-packed.

Blanching - Placing raw foods in boiling water for a set period of time in order to stop enzyme deterioration.

Boiling-water canner - A large, standard-size lidded kettle with jar rack, designed to process seven quarts or eight to nine pints in boiling water.

Botulism - An illness caused by eating toxin produced by growth of Clostridium botulinum bacteria in moist, low-acid food, containing less than 2 percent oxygen, and stored between 40 ° and 120 ° F. Proper heat processing destroys this bacteria in canned food. Freezer temperatures inhibit its growth in frozen food. Low moisture controls its growth in dried food. High oxygen controls its growth in fresh foods.

Canning salt - Also called pickling salt. It is regular table salt without the anti-caking or iodine additives.

Canning - A method of preserving food in air-tight, vacuum-sealed containers, and heat processing sufficiently to enable storing the food at room temperatures.

Cold pack - Its best use means jars are filled with raw food. "Raw Pack" is a preferred term to describe this practice.

Critical Control Point - A procedure that will prevent, eliminate or reduce a food safety hazard. Examples include cooking, chilling, reheating, hot holding, sanitation, avoiding cross contamination and hygiene. Addition of acid or decreasing the moisture can also be critical control points.

Danger Zone - Temperatures at which bacteria will grow (40 to 140 ° F). The most rapid growth occurs between 70-100 ° F.

Disinfectant - A chemical that destroys disease-causing bacteria or inactivates viruses. A product cannot claim that it is a disinfectant unless it is registered with the Environmental Protection Agency. (Disinfecting solutions are stronger than sanitizing solutions and are usually used in health-care settings.)

Enzymes - Substances in food that accelerate many flavor, color, texture, and nutritional changes, especially when food is cut, sliced, crushed, bruised, and exposed to air. Proper blanching or hot packing practices destroy enzymes and improve food quality.

Fermentation - Changes in food caused by intentional growth of bacteria, yeast, or mold. Native bacteria ferment natural sugars to lactic acid, a major flavoring and preservative in sauerkraut and in naturally fermented dills. Alcohol, vinegar, and some dairy products are also fermented foods.

Food Handling - Anything that happens to food from the time it is harvested until it is eaten. This term is frequently used to refer to the processes used to prepare foods in foodservice or in the home.

Headspace - The unfilled space between food or liquid in jars and the lids. Headspace is needed for food expansion as jars are heated, and for forming vacuums as jars cool.

Heat processing - Treating jars with sufficient heat to enable storing foods at room temperatures.

Hermetic seal - An absolutely airtight container seal that prevents re-entry of air or microorganisms into packaged foods.

Hot pack - Heating raw food in boiling water or steam and filling hot into jars.

Hot packing - Filling jars with hot prepared foods.

Infection - Disease caused when a bacteria, parasite or virus multiplies within the body. Salmonella, Campylobacter and Hepatitis A virus are examples of infections that may be foodborne.

Low-acid foods - Foods that contain very little acid and have a pH above 4.6. The acidity in these foods is insufficient to prevent the growth of the bacterium Clostridium botulinum . Vegetables, some tomatoes, figs, Asian pears, all meats, fish, seafood, and some dairy foods are low acid. Jars of these foods must be heat processed in a pressure canner to control all risks of botulism or acidified to a pH of 4.6 or lower to enable heat processing of these foods in boiling water.

Microorganism - Small living creature that is too small to be seen without magnification.
• Bacteria, mold, and yeast are types of microorganisms that can be in food.
•  Mold and yeast will cause food spoilage, but usually not illness.
•  Bacteria cause illness and may also cause food spoilage.
•  Molds, yeasts and/or bacteria are also essential for the production of many foods including cheeses, yogurt, soy sauce, vinegar, beer, wine, yeast breads, and sauerkraut.

Mold - A fungus type microorganism whose growth on food is usually visible and colorful. Molds may grow on many foods, including acid foods like jams and jellies and canned fruits.

Mycotoxins - Toxins produced by the growth of some molds on foods.

Open-kettle canning - Food is heat processed in a covered kettle and then filled hot and sealed in sterile jars. Open-kettle canning is not recommended because foods canned this way have low vacuum or too much air, which permits quick quality losses in foods. Moreover, these foods often become recontaminated while the jars are being filled and the food spoils.

Parasite - A plant or animal that lives upon or within another living organism. The animal parasites that can be contracted from food or water belong to three categories: protozoa, flatworms and roundworms. These parasites do not proliferate in foods and are larger in size than bacteria. Another significant way in which some animal parasites differ from bacteria is that they require more than one animal host in which to carry out their life cycle. Protozoan parasites include Giardia, Toxoplasma and Cryptosporidium. Some parasites in fish are flatworms. Roundworms include Trichella (associated with pork and other meats) and Anisakis (found in fish and other marine animals) .

Pasteurization - Heating food to reduce numbers of pathogens in food to a safe level. The time needed to pasteurize food is related to temperature. At 130°F, it would take several hours to pasteurize foods. Following are some of the time and temperatures used for pasteurizing milk:
•  145 ° F = 30 minutes
•  161 ° F = 15 minutes
•  191 ° F = 1 second

Pathogen - A microorganism in food or water that causes illness in humans. Foodborne pathogens include bacteria, viruses and parasites.

Perishable foods - Will spoil rapidly unless preservation or storage methods are used to prolong shelf life. Examples include meat, poultry, fish, milk, eggs, most fresh fruits and vegetables.

pH - A measure of acidity or alkalinity. Values range from 0 to 14. A food is neutral when its pH is 7.0; lower values are increasingly more acid; higher values are increasingly more alkaline.

Pickling - The practice of adding enough vinegar or lemon juice to a low-acid food to lower its pH to 4.6 or lower. Properly pickled foods are safely heat-processed in boiling water.

Raw packing - Filling jars with raw prepared, but unheated foods.

Raw pack - Putting raw, unheated food into jars. Raw pack is an acceptable practice for canning low-acid foods, but allows more rapid quality losses in acid foods processed in boiling water.

Sanitize - Cleaning in a manner that reduces the number of bacteria to safe levels and makes a surface safe for contact with food.

Sanitizing solution - A solution that reduces the number of bacteria to safe levels. Sanitizing solutions are usually used for foods and food surfaces.

Semi-perishable - When properly handled and stored, will remain edible for months. Examples include apples, winter squash, and nutmeats.

Shelf life - The length of time a food remains palatable - that is, the food does not taste, look, or smell spoiled. The shelf life of a food depends on the initial number of bacteria, the storage temperature, and handling practices. Thus, any listing of shelf life for categories of food products is only an estimation.

Shelf-stable - Nonperishable foods which do not spoil unless handled carelessly. Examples include sugar, flour, dry beans, pasta, dry mixes.

Style of pack - Form of canned food, such as whole, sliced, pieces, juice, or sauce. The term may also be used to indicate whether the food is filled raw or hot into jars.

Toxin - A poison produced by a living organism.
•  Some bacteria produce toxins when they multiply in foods, including Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium botulinum and Bacillus cereus.
•  Some molds produce toxins. These toxins are called mycotoxins. One type of mycotoxin is aflatoxin, which can be present in moldy foods.

Vacuum - The state of negative pressure. It reflects how thoroughly air is removed from within a jar of processed food. The higher the vacuum, the less air left in the jar.

Viruses - Very small agents that must infect a living cell to reproduce. When a person gets a viral infection from food, it indicates that human feces have contaminated the food. Examples of foodborne viruses are hepatitis A and Norwalk virus.

Yeast - A group of microorganisms that reproduces by budding. Some are used in fermenting foods, others in breadmaking.