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Bacteria and Refridgeration
Name: Hayle G.
Status: Student
Age: 9
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: N/A
Question:
How does refridgeration work for
keeping food from spoiling?
Replies:
Most bacteria grow fast at temperatures between 25-37
degrees Centigrade, and slow at temperatures below 7
degrees. There are a few examples (like bacteria that
grow only at temperatures above 40 degrees) but they
do not grow on food. So by lowering the temperature,
you slow down bacterial growth, and hence you slow
down spoiling. But it does not stop completely, so if
you wait long enough you would still have your milk go
sour, your bread mold, and your cheese go green. It
just takes longer.
Trudy Wassenaar
Curator of the Virtual Museum of Bacteria
www.bacteriamuseum.org
Refrigeration slows the growth of bacteria, molds, and other
micro-organisms. In addition, refrigeration slows other chemical reactions,
for example enzyme reactions, that are associated with the spoilage of food.
Vince Calder
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Update: June 2012
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