To what extend to preservatives affect the quality of your food? I have a few good recipes for some skhug (Yemenite pepper spread) and hummus that I was considering tinkering around with on a test audience to see if it could be something worth while. However, I've never used a preservative in my life for food preparation... at least not the kind you intentionally add to the recipe to make it last longer. I've eaten them, but, it's hard to tell what the same product would be like without preservatives inside.