| | | | | micro-organisms in the food material. |
| If food is not fresh or is contaminated due to some | | | | Mild roasting of food items before storing is another |
| outside reasons it can cause us harm, even if it is | | | | way of preserving food. |
| nutritionally good.Health can be seriously affected if | | | | |
| we do not guard ourselves in this respect. | | | | Some chemicals also can reduce / eliminate |
| We need to follow cleanliness drive with respect to: | | | | undesirable activities. The addition of salt, acidic |
| purity of drinking water, personal cleanliness & | | | | substances like vinegar, oil and certain spices or use |
| kitchen garbage. | | | | of sugar syrup are other ways of keeping food from |
| Over time, all food stuffs change.Green fruits | | | | going bad and preserving for a long time. |
| become ripe, eggs go bad. Enzymes which are | | | | Heating kills and cold inactivates or freezes the |
| naturally present in the food stuff cause complex | | | | enzymes and micro-organisms. This is what happens |
| chemical changes in the food stuff that lead to | | | | in a refrigerator in which fruits, milk, vegetables etc |
| ripening and then rotting. | | | | can be kept for a fairly long time. |
| Quite often very tiny forms of plant life called | | | | For meat & fish even lower temperatures, |
| microorganisms present in the food stuff naturally | | | | below freezing are required. All foods which are kept |
| bring about these changes. | | | | at lower temperatures are subjected to spoilage and |
| These are three types in nature -- Bacteria, yeasts | | | | rotting once they are taken out of refrigerator. |
| & moulds. The changes can be both -- desirable | | | | If food is affected by bacteria & |
| and undesirable for our health & wellness. | | | | micro-organisms, it is better to discard that food. |
| Some facts about moulds & bacteria: | | | | Such a food can be harmful to your body. |
| 1 Change of milk to curds due to bacteria | | | | Infectious diseases are transferable and hence are |
| 2 Fermentation of various types of flour due to | | | | more dangerous. Infectious diseases are caused by |
| bacteria ( yeast is added to the dough for bread | | | | micro-organisms like bacteria & viruses. These |
| making ) | | | | are carried by food, water and milk. |
| 3 Moulds that grow on wet leather shoes as greenish | | | | Food contaminations can be prevented with the use |
| or yellow spots. Moulds on food items are ugly to | | | | of cooking practices like -- drying, canning, pickling etc |
| look at but are not necessarily harmful. | | | | or devices like refrigerator etc. |
| 4 Anti-biotic penicillin is made by a certain kind of | | | | These are used to prevent or suppress undesirable |
| mould. | | | | changes in food. These procedures also destroy |
| 5 Moulds are present everywhere in the air; soil | | | | most of the undesirable changes in the food stuff. |
| & we can not eliminate them. | | | | Milk is a common food item one uses. It requires |
| How do we save our food from going bad / rotting? | | | | boiling to keep it sterile. Boiling also helps milk to last |
| Enzymes, bacteria, yeasts & moulds require air, | | | | longer. |
| moisture & temperature -- usually somewhere | | | | Pasteurised milk is sterile in theory but it is a good |
| near body temperature of about 37 degrees | | | | practice to boil this milk and use it, because of |
| centigrade to be active. | | | | various uncertainties. |
| If one of these three is absent undesirable effects | | | | Water is another common food item which needs |
| of bacteria, yeasts & moulds can be reduced or | | | | attention. Water should be boiled to ensure that it is |
| eliminated. | | | | devoid of any micro-organisms. One can use water |
| All microorganisms can be killed by heat sterilization. | | | | filter also. |
| This means we can kill microorganisms by boiling our | | | | But filters need to be cleaned / replaced after a |
| food at high enough temperatures or by deep or | | | | certain period. When away from home one can drink |
| shallow frying, roasting or baking. Milk can be sterilized | | | | bottled water or bottled soft drinks which are safe |
| by pasteurizing. | | | | to drink. |
| After such sterilisations food can be kept in air tight | | | | Keep yourself clean |
| containers or tin & then it can last for a long | | | | Washing your hands before starting cooking is a |
| time. | | | | good practice. Similarly it is better to wash hands |
| Certain water content is necessary for | | | | before eating. |
| microorganisms to be active. Drying in the sun is a | | | | A daily bath, change of clothes is good habits. A |
| simple way to reduce moisture content in the food. | | | | clean kitchen and utensils can prevent undesirable |
| This prevents activities of enzymes and | | | | effects on food items. |