The Science behind Food Spoilage.

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The process of food spoilage is a metabolic process that makes food undesirable and unacceptable for the consumption of humans. The process of food spoilage is not an immediate thing as it requires a gradual process. There are several factors that affects the process of food spoilage but there are two basic ones and they are:

[Image Source](https://www.toppr.com/guides/evs/mangoes-round-the-year/food-spoilage/) *The growth of microbes: There are several types of micro organisms but the specific one that causes the process of food spoilage is pathogenic microorganisms. It is possible for pathogenic microorganisms to stay active in food without any noticeable changes with the food involved. There is a microorganism called spoilage microorganism, this microorganism is made up of bacteria, yeast and mould as well.

[Image source](https://www.globalmeatnews.com/Article/2016/06/30/Food-safety-body-weighs-in-on-meat-spoilage) * The action of enzymes on food: Enzymes are well known to be products that speed up the rate of a chemical reaction. However, when it comes to food and food processing, enzymes are the ones responsible for the changes that occur in food products such as the process of ripening of fruits, the change in texture as well as colour is as a result of enzymes. The other factors that affect the spoilage of food are: * Light: The exposure of food to excess light could result to the loss of vitamins as well as colours. * Air: When air reacts with air components,it results into the process of oxidation. Oxidation process is a chemical process which in turn produces undesirable changes in nutrient, flavour and colour. * The presence of rodents and parasites: Rodents and parasites require food to survive which means they will always look for areas where they can get food items which includes farmlands and certain places where food are stored. Once rodents feed on a food item, the quality is destroyed and it becomes vulnerable to other undesirable changes. * Time: Microorganisms that cause food spoilage requires time to grow, when you leave a perishable item over a long period, it begins to get spoilt. * Temperature: Microorganisms grow and strive properly at room temperature. * Physical damage: A food item that is physically damaged will certainty give room for more destruction. The spoilage of food cannot be completely avoided but the life span of a food item can be elongated through the process of preservation. There are several methods of preserving food ranging from the local methods to the technically improved methods, here are some of the methods of food preservation: * The first and common process of food preservation, is the process of refrigerating. It is usually difficult for micro organisms to grow under low temperature. The life span of a food item can be elongated through the process of refrigerating. * The process of boiling, the life span of food can be elongated through boiling. * The method of salting. * The method of dehydrating. * The process of canning. As much as the process of food preservation helps us have more time to consume our food, there are also disadvantages attached to this process of food preservation. * Certain methods of food preservation sometimes results into loss of nutrients. * Excess salt and sugar is sometimes used in the process of food preservation which is not great for human consumption. Thanks for reading, I am @oluwatobiloba, stay healthy, eat healthy food and stay beautiful.
Originally posted here: https://steemit.com/hive-175254/@oluwatobiloba/the-science-behind-food-spoilage