Why and how does the food get spoiled?
There are several causes of food spoilage. These include:
- Growth of Microorganisms, such as bacteria, molds and yeasts, which can spoil food very fast.
- Action of Enzymes, present in all raw food, promotes chemical changes affecting especially the food texture and flavor.
- Atmospheric oxygen can react with some food components, which may cause rancidity or color changes (oxidative reaction).
- Damage due to pests (insects, rodents etc), which account for huge losses in food stocks (Infestations).
- Others: moisture, light, time, temperature (heat and cold), mechanical damage, etc.
At any one time, many forms of spoilage may take place depending upon the food and environmental conditions. Food processing involves the development of preservation techniques to slow down or stop the food spoilage caused by the above factors and finally result in the preservation of food.