Hello,

Below are the causes of spoilage of food:

Causes of Spoilage

The food and water may be infected by germs. Flies carry germs. When they sit on our food, they pass on these germs to our food. There are various factors which are responsible for food spoilage such as bacteria, mold, yeast, moisture, light, temperature, and chemical reaction.

Bacteria

• They are the most abundant microorganisms found on the earth. They are tiny in size and vary in shape. Some bacteria are useful also. They help to convert milk into curd.

Protozoa

• They are single-celled microorganisms that cause disease like food poisoning etc.

Molds

• They are found in damp and warm places and grow on the dead and rotting matter.

Temperature

• Temperature is one of the major factors which is responsible for food spoilage.

Below are the methods to preserve food:

Food Preservation

Food preservation involves preventing food from being spoilt. Preservation of food is the process by which food is stored by special methods. Cooked or uncooked food can be preserved in different ways to be used later. Some methods of preservation are:

Freezing

• Food kept in a refrigerator remains fresh for some days. Germs do not grow easily in cool places. We preserve food items, like milk fruit, vegetables, and cooked food by keeping them in a refrigerator.

Boiling

• By this method, we can preserve food for a short period of time. Germs in milk are killed by pasteurization. It is done by boiling milk for sometimes and then cooling it quickly.

Salting

• We can add salt to preserve pickles and fish.

Sweetening

• Excess sugar in food also acts as a preservative. We store food for a long time in the form of jams, jellies by adding sugar.

Dehydration

• In this method, the food items are dried in sun to stop the growth of bacteria in them. Certain foods, like raw mangoes, fishes, potato chips and papads are preserved by this method.

Hope this helps and all the best to you!