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Preventing food spoilage using microorganisms
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| How is salting used to prevent food spoilage by microorganisms? | Putting salt on food decreases the water potential around the microorganisms, causing water to osmose out through the plasma membranes of microorganisms. So that they shrin and die. |
| How is sugar used to prevent food spoilage by microorganisms? | Basically in the same way as salt is used. The high conc. of solutes outside of microorganisms will cause the water potential to equilibrate, so that lots of water osmoses out of microorganisms = cell dies. |
| How is drying used to prevent food spoilage by microorganisms? | Again this decreases the water potential outside of the microorganisms by evaporating water molecules, causing water to osmose out of the microorganisms down the water potential gradient. |