Question

Explain why this happens and suggest possible remedies.
(a) Qualitative wastage of food.
(b) The cooked rice is underdone.
(c) The wheat that was bought is a bit moist.
(d) The taste of yoghurt is too sour/slightly bitter.
(e) Cut fruits have turned black.

Answer 1

a. Wastage of food can either be qualitative or quantitative. Qualitative wastage of food is caused by:

• excessive use of preservatives
• over cooking of food
• washing vegetables after cutting them
• using wrong methods of protecting food
• mishandling of food products like fruits etc.

Qualitative wastage of food can be prevented by adopting steps like controlling the use of peservatives, taking care while cooking food to prevent it from being overcooked or undercooked, using proper methods of storage etc.

b. If the cooked rice is underdone, it can be used to make some foodstuff in which it can be reused. For example, underdone rice can be used to prepare kheer in which it can be cooked further with milk, or it can further be cooked to make papads or something else which would avoid its wastage.

c. If the wheat which was brought was little moist, it could be dried under the sun to remove this moisture. It is important to remove this moisture before grinding the wheat or storing it because it can act as a factor for the growth of microorganisms leading to its spoilage.

d. The taste of yoghurt could turn a little sour because it has undergone too much fermentation. The first thing would be to store this yoghurt in cold environment to stop further souring of the yoghurt. This yoghurt can then be used to make sweet lassi or some other delicacy like sindhi curry.

e. Cut fruits turn black due to oxidation. Small amount of lemon juice should be applied to the surface of cut fruits as it prevents the oxidation of the fruits.