CHAPTER I

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

I. Introduction

Food Spoilage and Microbiology does not have a precise beginning. In the

end, developments spanning several centuries led to an understanding of the

importance and function of microorganisms in food. Since the beginning of

the human race, food-borne illness and food spoilage have been a part of life.

Although the root cause of these issues would not be known for tens of

thousands of years, many early civilizations learned and used efficient

techniques to preserve and safeguard their food. Fermentation is proof that

the Babylonians produced beer around 7000 BC. About 3500 BC saw the

invention of wine. Beer and wine were much safer to consume than the local

water supply in early civilizations (and even now in underdeveloped nations

where modern sanitation is lacking), because the water was often

contaminated with intestinal microorganisms that caused cholera, dysentery

and other serious diseases. The earliest known mention of food spoilage in

history is from 6000 BC. Egyptians produced cheese (fermentation) and

butter (fermentation, low aw) as early as 3000 BC. Again, foods that had

undergone fermentation, like cheese and sour milk (yogurt), were less likely

to spoil and were safer to consume than their raw agricultural counterparts.
Around this time, many cultures discovered how to preserve meat and other

foods using salt. In 1000 BC, the Romans used snow to preserve shrimp (low

temperature), and there are also records of smoked and fermented meats.

Early human cultures learned how to effectively preserve food through

fermentation, salt, ice, drying, and smoking, but they were unaware of how

these techniques prevented food spoilage or food-borne illness. Their

ignorance was made worse by their conviction that living things emerge

naturally. Francesco Redi, an Italian physician, demonstrated in 1665 that

maggots on putrefying meat were not naturally occurring; rather, they were fly

larvae (put meat in a container and cover with fine gauze so that flies couldn't

access it to lay eggs). The doctrine of spontaneous generation was

abandoned with this action.

Through the use of a microscope, Dutchman Anton van Leeuwenhoek

studied and described bacteria in 1683. Around the same time, the Royal

Society was founded in England to disseminate and publish scientific

research, and Leeuwenhoek was invited to share his observations with them.

Up until his death in 1723, he did this for almost 50 years. Leeuwenhoek is

rightfully regarded as the person whose reports were widely disseminated

and led to this discovery. By proving that beef broth that had been boiled and

then sealed remained sterile, an Italian scientist by the name of Spallanzani

attempted to refute the theory of the spontaneous generation of life in 1765.

His work was disregarded by proponents of the theory because they thought,
which they believed to be essential to spontaneous generation, was not

included in his treatment. Louis Pasteur was the first to fully recognize and

comprehend the causal connection between the microorganisms in infusions

and the chemical changes that occurred in those infusions. Through his

experiments, Pasteur persuaded the scientific community that

microorganisms were responsible for all fermentative processes and that

particular types of fermentations (such as alcoholic, lactic, or butyric) were the

result of particular microorganisms. He demonstrated that microbes were

responsible for milk spoilage in 1857 and that heat rendered harmful

microbes in wine and beer inert. The latter method, known as pasteurization,

is now applied to a wide range of foods. Pasteur is regarded as the father of

both food microbiology and microbiological science because of the

significance of his contributions. He gave proof of that. Numerous food

industries in the United States held off on implementing industry-wide

microbiological standards until they felt financially threatened by the media

attention surrounding outbreaks of food-borne illness. The U.S. canning

industry finally adopted a very conservative heat treatment, known as the 12D

process, that lowers the likelihood that the most heat resistant C will survive,

as a result of several unpleasant outbreaks of botulism in the early 1920s.

spores of botulinum to one in a billion (10–12). The canning industry has

produced more than a trillion containers since 1925 with only 5–6 known

cases of botulism. This practice is still in use today. Instead of

underprocessing, the majority of these incidents involved faulty containers.

Conceptual Framework

Input

The experiment will be made at home using multiple foods to test out and to

use to maintain spoilage.

Process

The researcher will use 3 types of Foods. For Leafy Greens whenever you

store them you should have a absorbent (paper towel or bag) for the leaves

since the moisture of the leaves is where the microorganisms that cause food

spoilage is present. For Bananas, wrapping their stems is one thing to help

them to slow down the ripening state of bananas. Much of the ethylene gas

that increases the rate at which bananas ripen is released at the top of the

stem. For Bread, Freezing the Bread helps to extend the shelf life because it

slows down the growth of fungi.

Output

When the researcher is done with the 3 Foods, the researcher will compare

the Leafy Greens that are stored in the paper bag while the other would be on

plastic. Unwrapped and Wrapped plastic for the Bananas. And for the Bread it
would be placed on plastic while the other is placed on the freezer. The

timeframe of these observations are 2 weeks.

Statement of the Problem

The study focuses on what is the effective method to prevent everyday foods

from spoiling.

1. Is there a significant difference when the lettuce was placed on paper?

2. Is there a significant difference when the Banana stem is wrapped with

plastic?

3. Is there a significant difference when the Bread is placed in the freezer?

Hypothesis

4. There is a significant difference in the lettuce when it is placed in a paper

bag.
5. There is a significant difference in the Banana when its stem was wrapped

in plastic.

6. There is a significant difference in the Bread when it is placed in the

freezer.

Significance of the Study

The importance of this study is for the readers, future researchers/students

and community to be aware of preserving foods to avoid extra costs and extra

food waste.

The following are the benefits that people could get from the study.

Future Researchers/Students:

The importance of this study is for students to learn the effects and the living

environments of microorganisms in food and to have a broad idea of Food

Spoilage and Microorganisms present.

Community:

According to the Department of Science and Technology – Food and Nutrition

Research Institute (DOST-FNRI) 1,717 metric tons of food are wasted every

day in the Philippines and this wastage adds to the growing hunger in the

country. At this point people would use this to preserve food and avoid large

amounts of food waste.

Scope and Delimitations

The study aims to test the freshness of leafy greens, banana and bread after.

The study aims to test what factors help the preservation of everyday foods

we eat.

Definition of Terms

Food spoilage- is the process where a food product becomes unsuitable to

ingest by the consumer.

Louis Pasteur- was a French chemist and microbiologist renowned for his

discoveries of the principles of vaccination, microbial fermentation, and

pasteurization, the last of which was named after him. His research in

chemistry led to remarkable breakthroughs in the understanding of the

causes and preventions of diseases, which laid down the foundations of

hygiene, public health and much of modern medicine.

Fermentation- is used for preservation in a process that produces lactic acid

found in such sour foods as pickled cucumbers, kombucha, kimchi, and

yogurt

Botulism- is a rare but serious illness caused by a toxin that attacks the

body’s nerves and causes difficulty breathing, muscle paralysis, and even

death. This toxin is made by Clostridium botulinum and sometimes

Clostridium butyricum and Clostridium baratii bacteria.

Germ Theory– the theory that certain diseases are caused by the invasion of

the body by microorganisms, organisms too small to be seen except through

a microscope.

Salt Curing- was one of the primary forms of preservation for most foods

because it keeps microbes and bacteria from forming and adds flavor in the

process.

Microscope– is a laboratory instrument used to examine objects that are too

small to be seen by the naked eye.

Sanitation- refers to public health conditions related to clean drinking water

and treatment and disposal of human excreta and sewage.

Francesco Redi- was an Italian physician, naturalist, biologist, and poet. He is

referred to as the "founder of experimental biology", and as the "father of

modern parasitology".

Microorganism- or microbe, is an organism of microscopic size, which may

exist in its single-celled form or as a colony of cells.

Persuaded- to move by argument, entreaty, or expostulation to a belief,

position, or course of action.

Spontaneous generation theory- is an archaic scientific theory which stated

that living organisms could arise from nonliving matter and that such a

process was regular in nature.

Cholera- is an acute diarrheal illness caused by infection of the intestine with

Vibrio cholerae bacteria.

Foodborne illness- (food poisoning) is caused by consuming contaminated

food, beverages, or water and can be a variety of bacteria, parasites, viruses

and/or toxins.

Antonie Philips van Leeuwenhoek - was a Dutch microbiologist and

microscopist in the Golden Age of Dutch science and technology. A largely

self-taught man in science, he is commonly known as "the Father of

Microbiology", and one of the first microscopists and microbiologists.

12D Process- refers to thermal processing requirements designed to reduce

the probability of survival of the most heat resistant C. botulinum spores to

10-12.

FDA - (Food and Drug Administration) is responsible for protecting the public

health by ensuring the safety, efficacy, and security of human and veterinary

drugs, biological products, and medical devices; and by ensuring the safety of

our nation's food supply, cosmetics, and products that emit radiation.
 Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_spoilage

https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/common-ways-to-preserve-foo

d-/5076159.html#:~:text=You%20can%20preserve%20late%2Dsummer,

pickling%20and%20drying%20or%20dehydrating.&text=Freezing%20i

s%20the%20simplest%20way,grade%20bags%20or%20other%20conta

iners.

https://www.ipophil.gov.ph/socially-relevant-technologies-srt-project/s

ocially-relevant-technologies-srt-project-2022/#:~:text=According%20t

o%20the%20Department%20of,growing%20hunger%20in%20the%20c

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https://www.britannica.com/science/germ-theory

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Pasteur