ANC - 1

7th Part 

SELECTION OF FOOD ACCESSORIES 

Food accessories include those edible materials that are used to improve the flavor and appearance of our food. All spices and herbs, salt, vinegar, tamarind, lime, flavoring extracts like vanilla, orange essence, strawberry essence, chocolate essence, and all edible coloring agents comes under the category of food accessories.  

SELECTION OF BEVERAGES 

Q  Discuss the role of grades, brands, and labels while purchasing food items, giving suitable Examples                                         6

A   Labels - It gives us information about the product we are about to purchase. A good label should also give a description of the product. A good label should also have a grade on it and the stamp of the authority of the agency that has graded it, for example, 'AGMARK' and the stamp of the Indian Standards Institution (ISI) which specifies quality. The grading is, however voluntary for the domestic market.

Brands - A brand is a trading name under which a particular item is sold. Brand tells us about the manufacturer who has made the item. The effort of the producer is to establish his product as a standard benchmark. Forex Saffola

Grades: The grade is a classification of different units of a product having the same

qualities and value. Grade denotes a particular quality - superior or ordinary,"A" grade or "B" grade, and so on.

Fill in the blanks 

#  The two important constituents of tea are (tannins) and ( caffeine)

#  For making a strong cup of tea, one would use the (granular) ..type of tea leaves

#  (caffeol ) is responsible for the aroma -and flavor of coffee whereas ( caffeine ) provides the stimulating property of coffee

#  (Aerated soft drinks) are flavored water into which carbon dioxide is added under pressure.  

Q  Mention two functions of spices in food.

A    Preservation and flavor

Q  Name four herbs most commonly used in India.

A   Mint leaves, coriander leaves, curry leaves, soya leaves

Q  What are the four sources of salt in our country?

A   Rock, lake, underground springs, sea

True or False   

#  Powdered spices lose their aroma faster than whole spices. 

A    True

#  All vinegar in the market is made from sugar cane juice. (T/F)

A   False; in the markets mostly synthetic vinegar is available which is made from acetic acid

#  Ripe tamarind lasts longer if you remove the seeds(T/F)

A  True

#  Most food flavors in use today are synthetic. (True/False)

A  True

#  The carbohydrate present in a ripe banana is in the form of starch. (True/False)

A   False; the carbohydrate present in a ripe banana is in the form of sugar.

#  Full ripe oranges should be light, soft with no molded spots.

A   False; full-ripe oranges should be firm and heavy with no soft or moulded spots

#  While buying lime one should look for a yellow lime with thin and shiny skin.

A  True

#  One should buy custard apples which are 'light green in color with the crevices between the eyes just beginning to turn brown. (True/False)

A  False; while buying custard apples one should look for yellowish & green skin with the crevices between the eyes white in color.

#  Ripe papaya is a rich source of an enzyme, which digests protein.

A  False; unripe papaya is a rich source of papain (an enzyme) which digests protein. 

Q  Green leafy vegetables make a wry significant contribution in terms of which four

protective nutrients

A  Iron, calcium, vitamin C, and carotene.

5.  Briefly explain the three main causes of food spoilage. What measures would you adopt to minimize or avoid food spoilage?

Q  (a) Discuss any three major causes of food spoilage.  6

Q  (a) Elaborate on the common causes of food spoilage.      5

Q  Discuss the various causes of food spoilage. How can these be prevented ? 6

Q  Discuss the principles & methods used to prevent the microbial spoilage of food.  10

A.  The major causes of food spoilage are micro-organisms, natural enzymes, Insects, and rodents.                       

1.  Micro-organisms: Foods are normally contaminated with microorganisms like bacteria, yeast, moulds, algae, protozoans and others. Among these, bacteria, mould, and yeast is the major cause of food spoilage.

a. Bacteria - They play a major role in spoilage of meat, poultry, dairy, and fish products. Bacteria do not thrive on foods that are acidic or alkaline in nature. They develop rapidly on foods that are neutral or near-neutral in the reaction such as vegetables, milk, eggs, meat, and fish.

b. Yeast : Yeast represents another category of micro-organisms. Yeast causes food to ferment. The extent to which fermentation can harm the food is dependent upon the amount of alcohol produced in the food. The more the alcohol produced, the more is the extent of spoilage. Fruits especially, the cooked fruit juices which have only a small amount of sugar, ferment easily, leading to spoilage.

c. Moulds: Moulds are the minute plants. They grow on all kinds of foods and prefer warm, damp, and dark places. For example, the black hairy growth of moulds on bread or the grey fuzzy growth on cheese. If the growth of the mould is heavy, it leads to the complete change of food flavor and texture.

2. Natural food enzymes - Natural food enzymes are responsible for the self decomposition of food. Enzymes continue to remain active even after the plant has been harvested or the animal slaughtered. The processes of ripening of food due to enzyme action will continue. Some of the processes are desirable to a certain degree, for example, the ripening of papaya, custard apple (shareefa), mangoes and, tomatoes after harvesting. Ripening beyond a certain point leads to deterioration or lowering of quality. The over-ripe bananas and papayas, the over matured tasteless corn, and peas in the market are examples of deterioration due to enzymes. Most of the deterioration (spoilage) of food that occurs in the field or in transport or in the markets is due to such enzyme action.

3.  Insects and rodents: They are particularly destructive to cereals grains and to fruits and vegetables. Worms, bugs, and moths damage the food items both in the field, as well as, during storage at home. In addition to eating away the food, they damage it and thereby expose it to bacterial, yeast, and mould infections. The problem with rodents is they not only consume the food but also they contaminate the food with filth. Rodent urine and droppings causes different kinds of diseases that infect human beings. Of the almost 10 percent losses in grains at the farm level in our country insects, rodents and birds are responsible for almost 6 percent.

          For food preservation we either destroy micro-organisms and natural enzymes or keep their activity and growth under control.

Prevention or Delay of Decomposition of food

a)High temperature - Most bacteria are killed in the range of 82*-93*C while we need higher temperatures under pressure to destroy bacterial spores.

b) Low temperature - Below 1O°C (5O*F) the growth of most micro-organisms is slow and becomes slower as the temperature gets colder and colder. This is the reason why most foods stay in the refrigerator for longer than they do at room temperatures without getting spoilt. This is also the reason why one can keep certain food items safe for months by freezing them.

c) Drying - Removing-water from certain food items will also draw out water from the bacterial cells, bringing bacterial growth to a stop. Drying, therefore, protects food from spoilage by micro-organisms.

d) Acids - The acid acts as a preservative as Micro-organisms are sensitive to acid. Acids like citric acid & phosphoric acid added directly to foods inhibit the growth of micro-organisms. Several foods such as tomatoes, citrus juices, and apples contain natural acids. All of them have varying degrees of preservative power.

e) Sugar and salt in high concentrations - High concentration of sugar or salt also act as a preservative. It interferes with the growth and multiplication of the microorganism by drawing out water from inside the cell. Dry salting is used in India for preserving many foods like tamarind, lime, amla, fish, and meat. Our pickles are also preserved by adding large amounts of salt. Large amounts of sugar have used that act as a preservative in making jams and jellies.

f) Smoke - Smoke contains a preservative chemical called formaldehyde which inhibits the growth of micro-organisms. It is also the heat associated with the smoke which kills the micro-organisms and at the time dries out the food, further contributing to the preservation.

g) Air - Certain micro-organisms require air for growth (aerobes). By wax coating of cheese or by wrapping the food in skin-tight plastic sheets inside which air (oxygen) cannot enter, it is another process to stop the growth of micro-organisms.

h) Chemicals - Chemicals like Sodium benzoate, potassium metabisulphite, sorbic acid, and calcium propionate inhibits the growth of moulds and is used in preserving jams and jellies.

i) Radiation - X-rays, microwaves, ultraviolet light radiations, and ionizing radiations are different kinds that have been used to preserve food.

Q  What factors affect food spoilage. 6

(c) Causes of food spoilage

A  Same factors like temperature, moisture affect the growth of microorganisms, action of enzymes, and hence affect food spoilage.

Temperature - Each microorganism has an optimum temperature i.e. the temp. at which the growth of microorganisms is maximum through multiplication. Similarly, enzymes are active at an optimum temperature. Microbial growth/enzyme action growth may be prevented by either decreasing or increasing the optimum temperature. Both the Freezing process and high temperature kills the microorganisms and slows down the enzyme action.

Moisture and dryness: Excessive moisture or excessive dryness leads to the spoilage of stored foods. Certain foods that are in the best condition when moist deteriorate rapidly on drying. Similarly, some foods should be kept dry if they get moist, they get spoilt.

Air and oxygen: Vitamins, particularly A and C as well as food colors and flavors gets destroyed when exposed to air and oxygen. Oxygen also helps the growth of moulds. In packaged foods effort is made to remove oxygen by vacuum or by flushing the food containers with nitrogen or carbon dioxide, in order to prevent such deterioration.

Light: Some vitamins, particularly riboflavin, vitamin A and vitamin C, and many food colors are destroyed by light. Sensitive foods are often protected from light by using containers that keep light out, for example, dark-colored bottles.

Time: Any food is at its peak quality for a particular time period after it is harvested, slaughtered, or manufactured. This period is very short from just a few hours after harvest as in the.case of fresh peas to maybe a day or two for fresh corn. The longer the time the greater is the spoilage of food.

Q  Define Perishable food  6

Q  Classification of food based on perishability   5

A. Perishable foods: These are foods which spoil easily unless special methods are used to

prevent such spoilage. All animal foods like meat, fish, poultry, eggs, milk, and milk products, and most vegetables and fruits come in this category. The speed with which some of these foods spoil depends upon various factors like temperature, moisture and/or dryness of the environment; for example, while in the cold season milk can remain at room temperature for a whole day without spoiling, in the hot season it would not last more than 3 to 4 hours. Fresh eggs, meats, and fish spoil very fast in the hot weather unless refrigerated. As for vegetables and fruits. they spoil faster as the day progresses.

Semi-perishable foods: These are foods that can survive without any signs of spoilage for a couple of weeks or for a few months. Here again, the temperature and Moisture of the environment plays a big role in the spoilage of food. Examples of this category is all cereal and pulse products like wheat flour, refined wheat flour, semolina, broken wheat, Bengal gram flour, onions, potatoes, garlic, apples, citrus fruits, fats, and oils. if properly handled and stored these will remain unspoiled for a fairly long time.

Non-perishable foods: Cereals, pulses, sugar come in this category. They do not spoil unless handled and stored carelessly.  

Q  What are the methods of food storage.

A  Storage of non-perishable foods: Cereals, pulses, sugar, salt, and also tamarind, and some spices are often stored for a year by people in rural areas, generally from one harvest to another. In town and cities, this is not possible due to the paucity of space, funds, etc. Precautions while storing non-perishable foods like cereals and pulses:

#  You should carefully clean them to remove gravel, husk, and other foreign matter (if possible wash), and dry thoroughly in the sun.

#  Store them in clean containers that have tight-fitting lids. These containers can be of tin, aluminum, plastic, or glass. Clay pots or gunny bags also used in case of large quantities.

#  These containers should be put either in the storeroom or in the storage cupboard in your house.

#  It is better to have a storage space away from the kitchen because the temperatures in the kitchen are higher than what is ideal for storage.

Storage of semi-perishables: Some of the cereal products, roots, and tubers, nuts and oilseeds, and fruits come in this category. Let us discuss the storage of each one of these.

Cereal products:  Cereal products like different flours, semolina, broken wheat develop an off-flavor or are infested by insects very easily. They should be sieved and cleaned of all such contamination, exposed to the sun for a few hours, allowed to cool, and then stored in containers with tight-fitting lids.

Roots and Tubers: Especially onions and potatoes should be stored in a cool, dry, and airy place to prevent them from developing moulds or growing shoots. They are best hung up from the ceiling with the help of wires or plastic baskets, keeping them exposed to air circulation. Do not keep them in the kitchen as they need a cool place.

Nuts:  Nuts become rancid and infested with insects very easily. To protect them we should keep them in plastic bags inside a refrigerator. You can also freeze them to make them last for a year or even more.

Fruits:  Like apples, oranges and semi-ripe mangoes do last for a few weeks and should be put in a basket covered with paper to prevent them from drying up. Ready-to-eat oranges and mangoes are best kept in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. They need a cool environment to last long.  

Storage of perishables: Low temperatures slow down spoilage in perishable foods - both due to enzyme action as well as, that caused by microorganisms. Normally, a domestic refrigerator is used at home for the storage of perishable foods. The level of temperatures maintained inside a refrigerator which varies between 6" C and 10" C helps to protect the food only for a short time period. Foods can be kept for a longer time in the freezing unit than on the shelves.    

Meat, fish, poultry: For longer period storage, foods like meat, chicken, and fish need to be kept in a deep freeze at -6* temperature. These foods should not be kept at room temperature for more than an hour or two. They should be cooked immediately if you do not have refrigeration facilities.

Eggs: should not be kept at room temperature for more than two days or so even in cool weather. They are best kept in a refrigerator.

Milk: The practice of boiling milk destroys the microorganisms as well as the enzymes

present in it, and therefore boiled milk can be kept at room temperature for 6 to 12 hours. Giving it a second boil after 6 hours or so during hot weather makes it last longer.  

Vegetables:  Leafy vegetables deteriorate very quickly. They should be kept wrapped in a damp cloth or inside a plastic bag in the refrigerator. Even here they do not last for more than a day or two. All other vegetables keep well in a cool place with relatively high humidity - in a basket covered with a damp cloth. They last longer in a refrigerator but must be kept in plastic bags to prevent drying by evaporation.  

Household methods of pest control -  

Keeping the house clean, particularly the storeroom and the kitchen is the first step towards controlling pests. Keeping all containers tightly shut, and not allowing food items to spill and remain spilled in the storeroom or in the kitchen. Keeping a closed container for collecting kitchen garbage is essential. This garbage container should be lined with a plastic bag that can be thrown with the garbage thus keeping the container relatively clean. It should be emptied, if possible twice a day.

To prevent the entry of these pests into our house and into our food. Some of the following steps would be helpful:

i)  At the time of buying make sure the food item is not infested with any of the pests. The soft drink bottle cases generally have cockroaches in their crevices. Gunny bags from the shops often have insects in them.

ii)  Clean all the grain, pulses, and spices, expose them to the sun and cool them before storing them (note that rice should be put in the sun).

iii)  Clean the storage containers regularly, dry them in the sun, and cool them before filling up with food items. Containers should have tight-fitting lids.

iv)  Make sure all crevices and cracks in the walls and in the windows and doors are sealed. These are favorite places for the insects to breed and multiply.

Q  Discuss principles and methods of food preservation           8

 Give the principle of common methods of food preservation.   5

A  The basic principles of food preservation are to either kill or to inactivate or control

the growth of microorganisms and activation of natural enzymes. Some of the methods used for preservation are -

Answer is given above -  Preventition or Delay of Decomposition of food 

a)High temperature - Most bacteria are killed in the range of 82*-93*C while we need higher temperatures under pressure to destroy bacterial spores.

b) Low temperature - Below 1O°C (5O*F) the growth of most micro-organisms is slow and becomes slower as the temp……………