Kitchen hygiene and safety involves being careful while preparing and cooking food, in order to protect health and ensure safety.
7.2 Food spoilage
Food has a limited life. After a certain time it will go off or spoil. Food spoilage is caused by chemicals called enzymes in food, by air or by micro-organisms, e.g. moulds, yeast and bacteria, which are also called germs. Food spoilage occurs more quickly when food is: • not stored correctly • prepared in a dirty kitchen • handled by a person who is careless or unhygienic
Enzymes • Chemicals that are naturally present in fruit and vegetables. • Help food to ripen. • After food has been harvested, enzymes continue to ripen it, eventually causing it to become over-ripe and decay.
The stages of ripening in bananas
Micro-organisms • Micro-organisms are tiny living organisms called germs. They include bacteria, yeasts and moulds.
• They are all around us: in soil, air, water, humans and animals. • Most micro-organisms are harmless in small amounts, but in large amounts they are dangerous because they cause food poisoning.
