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Understanding Food Spoilage & Safety

Food can spoil through three main causes: moisture loss, enzyme action, and microbial contamination. Moisture loss affects fruits and vegetables after harvesting. Enzymes cause foods to ripen and decay over time. Microbes like yeast, mold, and bacteria grow in foods at optimal temperatures and produce toxins or spoilage. Bacterial food poisoning can be toxic or infectious depending on if bacteria produce toxins inside or outside the body. High risk foods for contamination include meat, dairy, eggs, and reheated dishes.

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57 views12 pages

Understanding Food Spoilage & Safety

Food can spoil through three main causes: moisture loss, enzyme action, and microbial contamination. Moisture loss affects fruits and vegetables after harvesting. Enzymes cause foods to ripen and decay over time. Microbes like yeast, mold, and bacteria grow in foods at optimal temperatures and produce toxins or spoilage. Bacterial food poisoning can be toxic or infectious depending on if bacteria produce toxins inside or outside the body. High risk foods for contamination include meat, dairy, eggs, and reheated dishes.

Uploaded by

ayanakhter149209
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

FOOD SPOILAGE

(c)PDST Home Economics


CAUSES OF FOOD SPOILAGE

• 1. Moisture loss
• 2. Enzyme action
• 3. Microbial contamination
1. SPOILAGE BY MOISTURE
LOSS

• Mainly affects fruit and vegetables.


• After harvesting they can no longer get water from the
soil.
• Moisture is lost through skins and leaves.
• Causes wrinkling, shrinkage and limpness.
2. ENZYME ACTION

• Ripening
Enzymes cause food to ripen, then become over-ripe and
eventually decay. Starch changes to sugar, colour changes
and texture softens.

• Browning
When certain foods are cut and the surface exposed to air,
enzymes cause them to turn brown. e.g. apples,

• Enzymatic rotting
Enzymes in fish cause deterioration even at low
temperatures.
CONTROLLING ENZYMATIC
SPOILAGE
• Inactivated by heating - cooking, canning.

• Cold temp slows action - cool storage.

• Enzymes in vegetables work at low temperatures so


they must be blanched before freezing.

• Acid inactivates enzymes - lemon juice used to stop


browning.

• Sulphur dioxide stops enzymatic spoilage.


3. MICROBIAL
CONTAMINATION

• Yeast, mould and bacteria are the microbes that


cause food spoilage.
• Food at the optimum temperature is the ideal place
for microbes to grow.
• Yeast and mould spoil the outside of food and can be
seen.
• If the food is eaten it will probably be harmless,
unless they make mycotoxins.
• Bacteria cause spoilage by making toxins in food - not
visible.
• Souring bacteria spoil milk, yoghurt & cream.
FOOD POISONING

3 types

• 1.Chemical –Caused by pesticides, antibiotics, metals.


• 2.Biological – Caused by toxins naturally present in
food e.g. red kidney beans, green potatoes.
• 3.Bacterial - Caused by pathogenic bacteria in food
SYMPTOMS

• Abdominal cramps
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhoea
• Fever
• Loss of appetite

Don’t eat for 24 hours. Drink cooled boiled water.


BACTERIAL FOOD
POISONING
2 types

• 1. Toxic
• 2. Infectious
(H) 1. TOXIC BACTERIAL FOOD
POISONING

• Caused by eating food containing toxins.

• Exotoxins are made by bacteria in the food before and after


it’s eaten.

• Exotoxins are difficult to destroy - must be boiled for


30minutes.

• Symptoms develop quickly - within a few hours of eating the


food.

• Exotoxins are made by Staphylococci, Clostridium botulinum.


(H) 2. INFECTIOUS BACTERIAL
FOOD POISONING

• Caused by eating food containing large numbers of pathogenic


bacteria that produce endotoxins.

• The endotoxins are released when the bacteria die in your


intestine.

• Endotoxins are easily destroyed by normal cooking/heating of


food.

• Symptoms take longer to occur - over 12 hours.

• Salmonella and listeria cause infectious food poisoning.


(H) HIGH RISK FOODS

• Liquid protein foods.


• Milk, cream, eggs.
• Meat, poultry, fish.
• Meat dishes e.g. pies, gravies.
• Soups and stocks.
• Egg dishes e.g. custard, mayonnaise.
• Reheated dishes.

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