To George Bailey:  I strongly recommend not trying to conserve food unless
you're going to keep it in a freezer and never take it out.  Recently I
spent time working with a collection that the donor had left some foodstuffs
in the packaging.  Some objects were infested with insects and had to be
returned to the donor.  Some others I cleaned the food out as best I could
without damaging the objects.  Food can cause other problems besides insect
damage.  Some objects were damaged with mold and some with rust.  These
objects dated from the 1920s through the 1990s.  Collections need care.  The
objects with mold are isolated from the rest of the collection.  The rust
has been given a small amount of treatment to prevent further deterioration.
Retaining foodstuffs seems needlessly harmful.  I didn't have much luck with
literature searches either but would welcome any information your student
turns up.