Question

Explain the following:
(a) Disinfectants
(b) Food preservatives
(c) Tranquilizers

Answer 1

(a) Disinfectants:
They are applied to non living objects to kill the micro-organisms. They are used in public health sanitation, floors, to sterlise instruments, etc. Examples include chlorine, sulphur dioxide, phenol, dettol etc.
(b) Food preservatives:
They are added to food to inhibit, retard or arrest the process of fermentation, acidification or other decomposition of food by growth of microbes. Examples of food preservatives include sugar, salt, vinegar, sodium benzoate, salts of sorbic acid and propionic acid etc.
(c) Tranquilizers:
They relieve or rduce the stress and anxiety which leads to calmness. They affect the transferring of message mechanism from nerve to receptor. Examples of tranquilizers include equanil, valium, chlordiazepoxide, veronal, meprobamate and serotonin.