There are tiny germs and bacteria present all around us. These germs do not normally affect us because our bodies have ways of filtering them out before they can come in. Or they are present in such small quantities that we are able to fight the bacteria and not fall sick.
What happens when you eat spoiled food?
However if you consume large quantities of spoiled food, it may overwhelm your immune system, the part responsible for fighting germs. Like humans, bacteria also need to be fed and they use the organic material in food to survive. They break down substances in food and make them useless or harmful to human beings. Some even produce their own substances, which is what makes rotten food smell so bad.
Bacteria multiplies at a very fast pace. Eating spoiled food means consuming large amounts of bacteria which your body is not able to fight off. That is why you must store food in conditions that are not suitable for germs and bacteria to survive.
How to avoid food spoilage
- Packaging- you can store food in air-tight containers to keep germs out.
- Drying- extremely dry foods do not provide germs with the moisture that they need to survive.
- Chilling- extreme temperatures like the inside a fridge make it too cold for the germs to live.
- Curing- germs cannot live in highly salty, sugary or acidic substances
This is a project you must carry on throughout your life. Make sure that all your food is stored properly in air-tight containers or in a fridge. This way, there’s no chance of bacteria.
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