Lesson-4 Mangoes round the year

NOTES ON MICROBES & FOOD PRESERVATION

Microbes are tiny living organisms that cannot be seen with naked eyes. We need to use a
microscope to see them. They are found everywhere – in the air, water, soil, food and also in and
outside the bodies of animals. It is difficult to find a place where no microbes are present.
Microbes grow rapidly in places where they get proper food, moisture and oxygen.

Microbes are of many types:

1. Viruses
2. Bacteria
3. Protozoa
4. Fungi
5. Algae

Useful microbes: Some microbes which are useful to us.

1. Bacteria help us changing milk to curd and in making cheese etc.

2. They change the dead matter like leaves into useful substances to make the soil fertile.
3. They make the surroundings clean by breaking down waste materials into simple substances.
4. There are some useful fungi, like yeast which is used in baking bread and making wines.

Harmful microbes:

1. Some bacteria spoil food and make it unfit for eating.

2. Microbes also cause a number of diseases in plants and animals.
3. Some microbes are harmful to man, animals and plants. Disease causing microbes are called
germs. They are carried from a sick person to a healthy person through air, water, food, and
insects or by direct contact.

Some of the common diseases caused by microbes are-

a. Virus—Common cold, measles, flu, mumps, small pox, polio

b. Bacteria—Tuberculosis, typhoid, pneumonia, diphtheria
c. Protozoa—Amoebic dysentery, malaria
d. Fungi—Ringworm, athlete’s foot
e. Algae - Diarrhetic Shellfish poisoning
FOOD PRESERVATION: The method by which the food can last for longer period of time
without spoiling is called food preservation.

Food gets spoilt due to the action of:

i) Insects, rodents
ii) Bacteria, yeasts
iii) Moisture, temperature, air
iv) Improper storage

Food must also be protected and preserved. Food may be preserved and stored in different ways:
i) Storing food at low temperature (Refrigerating): Low temperatures preserve food because
bacteria and yeast which spoil it, cannot grow in low temperatures. E.g. milk, eggs, meat etc.

ii) Storing in air tight containers: These containers keep away moisture and help in preserving
food for a longer time. They also keep away insects and rodents. E.g. biscuits, dry fruits
iii) Boiling: Boiling is a common method of preserving food. It destroys germs which spoil food.
e.g. milk, water
iv) Keeping in sugar syrup: Sugar syrup drains out the water from bacterial cells and kills them.
Bacteria cannot live and grow in such solutions. E.g. jam, jellies
v) Drying. By drying or dehydrating the water completely, food can be preserved for many
days. e.g. milk, potatoes chips, red chilies, peas etc.
vi) Adding oil and Salt: Addition of salt and oil to the food do not allow the germs to grow. Salt
besides preserving food, gives taste to the food. E.g. pickle
vii) Adding preservatives: A preservative is a substance or a chemical that is added to food to
prevent decomposition by microbial growth like sodium benzoate which helps to preserve
food.

Food must be stored under hygienic conditions. It must not be cooked in impure water or
touched with dirty hands. We should store it properly away from dust and insects.

By following the above methods we can also check the wastage of food.