8.5  Food spoilage

Food spoilage is the process of change in the physical and chemical properties of the food so that it becomes unfit for consumption. Food spoilage is any undesirable change in food. Most natural foods have a limited life: for example, fish, meat, milk and bread are perishable foods, which means they have a short storage life and they easily spoil. Other foods also decompose eventually, even though they keep for a considerably longer time. The main cause of food spoilage is invasion by microorganisms such as fungi and bacteria.