Question

To preserve food items, we flush them with nitrogen or keep them in the refrigerator. Why?

Answer 1

• The process in which fats and oils in the food get reacts with oxygen in the air and change food by unpleasant smell and taste is called rancidity.

Use of Nitrogen:

• To avoid rancidity, both nitrogen gas and the refrigerator are used.
• By filling unreactive nitrogen gas into the packed items with fats and oils, rancidity is avoided.
• Because of the absence of oxygen, there is no oxidation.

Use of refrigerator:

• By keeping food items at low temperatures, the oxidation of fats and oils gets slowed down. So rancidity because of oxidation is avoided.

Effective one

• For long-term storage, the refrigerator is very effective because, under unreactive Nitrogen gas, bacteria and fungi may damage the food.
• So, the refrigerator is a very useful way to preserve food.