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š¬ Think about it
Leave a slice of bread or a lemon out for a few days and a fuzzy growth appears. No one put it there. So where did it come from, and how is it connected to us? Let's find out.
How are microbes connected to our food?
Do microbes help food or spoil it?
Microbes and food
They can help or harm
They help us
Ferment milk and dough
Example:
Curd
Bread
Cake
Idli
Dosa
Bhatura
They spoil food
Grow on food left out
Example:
Rotting lemon
Rotting tomato
Rotting orange
Bread mould
- Microbes are found everywhere, including on food.
- They can grow on food and make it rot.
- That is why fruit left out gets a powdery or cotton-like growth.
Why don't pickles and murabbas get spoiled easily?
Salt
Sugar
Added in large amounts to pickles.
Added in large amounts to murabbas.
Acts as a preservative.
Acts as a preservative.
Microbes cannot grow in it.
Microbes cannot grow in it.
- They contain a lot of salt or sugar.
- High salt or sugar stops microbes from growing.
- So these foods are preserved for a long time.
Example:
A salty pickle stays good for months without rotting.
Important Definitions
- Microbe — Another name for a microorganism.
š NCERT Question 6 — Design an experiment to test
Design an experiment to test that microorganisms need optimal temperature, air, and moisture for their growth.
View Answer →
