Читать книгу Canning & Preserving For Dummies - Amelia Jeanroy - Страница 55

Mold, yeast, bacteria, and enzymes are the four spoilers. Microorganisms (mold, yeast, and bacteria) are independent organisms of microscopic size. Enzymes are proteins that exist in plants and animals. When one or more of these spoilers have a suitable environment, they grow rapidly and divide or reproduce every 10 to 30 minutes! With this high-speed development, it’s obvious how quickly food can spoil. Some of these create spoilage that can’t be seen with the naked eye (like botulism), while others (like mold) make their presence known visually.

Living microorganisms are all around — in your home, in the soil, and even in the air you breathe. Sometimes microorganisms are added to food to achieve a fermented product, like beer or bread (for leavening). They’re also important for making antibiotics. The point? Not all microorganisms are bad, just the ones that cause disease and food spoilage.