January 23, 2010

Microbial Activity

Microbial Activity
Foods are normally contaminated with microbes (or microorganisms). They are so small that we need a microscope to see them.

Microbes include bacteria, yeast, mold, algae, and protozoan.

However the organisms that normally contaminate and spoil foods are the bacterium with yeast and molds of secondary importance.

Under normal conditions, microbes feed on the food in which they live and reproduce.

During their life cycles, that cause a variety of changes in foods, most of which result in a loss of the food’s quality.

In some cases, the controlled growth of specific microbes can produce desirable changes, such as the change that results in the formation of sauerkraut from cabbage and wine from grapes.

Microorganisms function through a wide variety of enzymes that they produce, and the changes in foods attributed to microorganism are actually brought about by the chemical action of these enzymes.
Microbial Activity

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