Hermetic storage

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Hermetic storage is a form of storage where contact between the stored material and the external atmosphere is prevented. Canned foods and sterile packs are every day examples. Hermetic storage of grains and dried food commodities is one of the oldest food preservation techniques other than drying. Underground sealed pits for grain storage have been found in North Africa and in the Middle East dating back more than 10,000 years[1].

Hermetic storage of dry food commodities works by physical exclusion of pests (if none were originally present) along with a progressive change in the composition of the enclosed atmosphere caused by respiration of any enclosed pests and the stored commodity. If the commodity is very dry its contribution will be small. The scientific parameters of hermetic storage have much in common with controlled atmosphere and modified atmosphere.