UPMSP Class 12 Food & Fruit Preservation - Code 202 key terms

Any change that makes a food unfit or unacceptable to eat, caused by microorganisms, enzymes, insects, or physical and chemical reactions such as oxidation or moisture gain.

A food that spoils quickly, usually within days without preservation, because it holds high moisture and nutrients; milk, fresh fruit, and meat are typical examples.

A food that keeps for weeks to a few months under ordinary storage because its moisture or acidity is moderate; potatoes, onions, and nuts are common examples.

The amount of water in a food that is free and available to microorganisms, expressed on a scale from 0 to 1; lower values slow or stop microbial growth.

Anaerobic breakdown of proteins by microorganisms, producing foul-smelling compounds such as ammonia, hydrogen sulphide, and amines; it is a common type of spoilage in meat and fish.

Development of unpleasant flavours and odours in fats and oils through oxidation or enzyme action, often noticed as a stale or paint-like smell in stored ghee or fried snacks.

Darkening of cut fruit and vegetables when the enzyme polyphenol oxidase acts on phenolic compounds in the presence of oxygen; blanching or adding ascorbic acid prevents it.

Brief heating of fruit or vegetables in hot water or steam, followed by cooling, to inactivate enzymes, fix colour, and remove air before further processing such as drying or freezing.

The practice of keeping food free from microorganisms by working in clean conditions, using sterile equipment and containers, and excluding contamination during handling and filling.

The condition in which a canned or bottled food has been heated enough to destroy harmful microorganisms and those that would spoil it during normal storage, though some heat-resistant spores may survive.

A heat treatment of at least 12 decimal reductions of Clostridium botulinum spores, achieved by heating low-acid canned food at 121 degrees Celsius for about three minutes at the coldest point.

Grouping foods by acidity: low-acid foods above pH 4.6 need pressure canning, while acid foods at pH 4.6 or below can be safely processed in boiling water.

A heavy pressure vessel used for commercial canning in which sealed cans or pouches are heated with steam or water under pressure to sterilise the food inside.

Removing air from the headspace of a can or jar before sealing, usually by heating or mechanical means, so that a vacuum forms on cooling and helps protect the food.

The empty space between the food surface and the lid inside a can or jar; it must be controlled because too much air causes oxidation, corrosion, and poor vacuum.

Spoilage of canned low-acid food by heat-loving bacteria that produce acid without gas, leaving cans flat but the contents sour; it results from undercooling after retorting or warm storage.

The lowering of a food's freezing temperature caused by dissolved sugars and salts; this is why fruit pulp and ice cream freeze well below zero degrees Celsius.

Dry, discoloured patches on frozen food caused by moisture loss from its surface through sublimation when packaging is loose or storage temperature fluctuates.

A substance such as sugar or glycerol added to a frozen food to reduce ice crystal damage and keep texture smooth, commonly used in frozen fruit pulp and ice cream.

A microbe that thrives in foods with high sugar concentration and low water activity, such as honey and fruit preserves; it can spoil sweets that seem too sugary to spoil.

Movement of water across a cell membrane from a dilute solution to a more concentrated one; in preservation, heavy sugar or salt syrup draws water out of microbial cells and stops their growth.

Preserving meat or fish by adding salt, nitrate or nitrite, and often sugar, which lowers water activity, inhibits microbes, and develops characteristic colour and flavour.

A preservative regarded as natural and safe in ordinary amounts, such as salt, sugar, vinegar, honey, or edible oil, listed under Indian food law as generally permitted.

A chemical preservative such as benzoic acid, sulphur dioxide, or sorbic acid that is permitted only within stated limits in specified foods under food safety regulations.

Adding sulphur dioxide or sulphite salts to fruit products to inhibit enzymes and microbes and to preserve colour, as in dried apricots and fruit pulp; the residue is legally limited.

A substance that slows oxidation in food, protecting fats from rancidity and cut fruit from browning; examples include ascorbic acid, tocopherols, and BHA.

Controlled breakdown of sugars or other compounds by microorganisms or enzymes to make products such as curd, pickle, wine, or idli, while also helping to preserve the food.

A selected preparation of microorganisms added deliberately to begin a controlled fermentation, giving consistent flavour and acidity and outcompeting unwanted microbes.

Deliberately lowering a food's pH, for example by adding citric or lactic acid or by fermentation, so that heat-resistant pathogens cannot grow and milder heat processing becomes safe.

Removing water from a food by natural means such as sun or air, lowering water activity so that microorganisms cannot grow and the product keeps much longer.

Artificial removal of water from food under controlled conditions of temperature, humidity, and airflow, giving faster, more uniform, and more hygienic drying than sun drying.

A defect in which the outer layer of a drying food dries too fast and hardens, trapping moisture inside and causing slow drying and possible mould growth later.

The weight of water absorbed by a dried food compared with its own dry weight when soaked; it is a quality measure showing how well the product will reconstitute.

Sealing food in a pack from which air has been removed, reducing oxygen so that aerobic spoilage and oxidation slow down; it must be combined with chilling or other preservation.

Packing food in a gas mixture adjusted to slow respiration and microbial growth, typically lowered oxygen and raised carbon dioxide, used widely for fresh-cut produce and snacks.

A systematic food safety system that identifies biological, chemical, and physical hazards, sets control points with limits, and monitors them so problems are prevented rather than tested afterwards.

The set of documented rules on premises, equipment, personnel hygiene, and process control that a food unit must follow so that products are made consistently and safely.

Cleaning and disinfecting of surfaces, utensils, and equipment to reduce microorganisms to safe levels, forming a basic daily practice in every food processing unit.

The registration or licence required under Indian food safety law before starting manufacture, storage, or sale of food, issued by the food safety authority according to turnover and scale.