Question

Which of the following two factors are responsible for food spoilage?
A. Natural decay
B. Contamination by microorganisms
C. Crop pattern
D. Both A and B

Answer 1

Food spoilage makes food unfit to eat and if infected by pathogenic microbes, the spoiled food causes diseases. Food kept in inappropriate temperature or humidity conditions get spoiled after some time. Also, food serves as a perfect breeding ground for various microbes.

Complete answer: Food is the primary energy source for all living organisms. Food ranges from vegetables to flesh of other animals and all food products are perishable or have great potential to get spoiled. Food spoilage refers to the deterioration or change in the quality of food products. This change can be a result of various factors. The various types of food products contain different types of enzymes and chemicals that tend to react according to environmental conditions. This leads to variations in colour, taste, quality, and appearance of food products.
a) Natural decay is a process of denaturation of inherent enzymes or chemicals contained in food products due to their reactions to various environmental factors. This natural decay in food products can be a result of moisture loss from the food or unwanted enzyme action. Fruits and vegetables contain large amounts of water inherently. But with time, the water level drops due to moisture loss by evaporation. The water retained in cells of food product dries up after harvesting. This causes the vegetable or fruits to shrink or become wrinkled. The other natural decay cause is enzymes. Enzymes are certain chemicals present in cells of food products that cause chemical changes. These chemical changes may lead to unwanted odour, bad flavour, discolouration, deterioration of the texture of the food products.
b) Contamination by microorganisms is the most common phenomenon observed in everyday life. Microorganisms like bacteria, yeasts, moulds, etc. contaminate food particles. They prefer moist conditions of food products and multiply rapidly. Moulds are the most invasive microbes that spoil the food by making a mat-like structure oven them. They infect all types of foods including meat, cheese, bread, etc. bacterial spoilage is harmful to humans as they cause disease.
c) Crop pattern is a technique used by farmers to decide in which pattern the crops should be grown to get higher yields. These patterns are affected by seasonal changes. This has no connection with food spoilage.
Therefore, the correct answer is option D.

Note: To prevent food spoilage, food products should be preserved carefully. Proper sanitary conditions should be followed at food manufacturing units. Food should be examined carefully before being ingested to check the presence of any bacterial spoilage.