Question

How does one determine whether a microbial change in a food product constitutes food spoilage or a beneficial food process?

• It depends on the taste preferences of the consumer
• Food spoilage occurs with pathogenic microbes
• Beneficial food processes have alcohol content above 4%
• Food spoilage can be controlled by refrigeration
• Spoilage causes food borne illness, but beneficial food changes do not

Answer 1

The correct answer will be :-

(e) Spoilage causes food borne illness, but beneficial food changes donot.

Food borne illness is resulted from the contamination of food, bacteria, fungus, virus that contaminate the food. Whereas some microorganisms can be used as beneficial food processes which donot cause food borne diseases.

Other options are incorrect since :-

? Spoilage doesn't depend on the taste preferences of the consumer. For all the spoiled food there is undesirable taste, unpleasant odour and change of colour.

? Spoilage of food not only occurs with pathogenic microbes. Non-pathogenic microbes and other factors such as moisture, temperature, light are responsible for spoilage.

?Option (c) which states that beneficial food processes have more than 4% alcohol is false as alcohol content is usually low in beneficial fod processes.

?Refrigeration can reduce the rate at which the food deteriorate as low temperature slow down the growth of microorganisms and rate of chemical changes in the food and thus food spoilage is minimised. So it will not help to determine whether a microbial change in a food product constitutes food spoilage or a beneficial food process.

Thus the correct answer is (e) Spoilage causes food borne illness but beneficial food processes don't.