3. Food Microbiology and Safety

Spoilage Mechanisms — Quiz

Test your understanding of spoilage mechanisms with 5 practice questions.

Practice Questions

Question 1

Which intrinsic factor most directly influences the rate of enzymatic browning in apple slices?

Question 2

A food scientist measures headspace water vapor pressure in dried fruit packaging as 12.5 mbar when the saturation vapor pressure at storage temperature is 25 mbar. What is the water activity $a_w$ of the fruit?

Question 3

Which chemical indicator is most commonly used to quantify primary lipid oxidation in fats and oils?

Question 4

To minimize polyphenol oxidase activity in fresh-cut potatoes, which treatment is most effective?

Question 5

A batch of meat stored at 4 °C initially has 10³ CFU/g of spoilage bacteria. After 24 h, bacterial count is 10⁶ CFU/g. Assuming exponential growth, what is the generation time $g$ in hours? Use formula $N=N_0\times2^{t/g}$.