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General ScienceMedium

The Codex Alimentarius Commission, which frames international food standards, was created jointly by:

  1. A.UNESCO and UNICEF
  2. B.FAO and WHO
  3. C.WTO and UNCTAD
  4. D.UNEP and FAO

Correct answer

B. FAO and WHO

Explanation

The correct answer is B, the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization. Codex Alimentarius is Latin for food code, and the Commission of that name draws up model standards, codes of practice, and limits for additives, contaminants and pesticide residues, which member countries use when writing their own food law and which serve as the reference in international food trade. Option A is wrong because UNESCO deals with education, science and culture and UNICEF with children's welfare; neither sets food standards. Option C is wrong because the World Trade Organization only recognises Codex standards as the benchmark in its agreement on sanitary and phytosanitary measures, and UNCTAD works on trade and development policy, so neither created the Commission. Option D is wrong because the United Nations Environment Programme handles environmental matters; the FAO in it is correct but the WHO, not UNEP, is the second parent body of Codex.

Read the full article: Food Preservation, Adulteration and Food Safety Notes

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Q1.General ScienceAsked in: UPSC Civil Services 2013Medium

Fruits stored in a cold chamber exhibit longer storage life because

  1. A.exposure to sunlight is prevented
  2. B.concentration of carbon dioxide in the environment is increased
  3. C.rate of respiration is decreased
  4. D.there is an increase in humidity
Show answer
Correct answer: C. rate of respiration is decreased

A harvested fruit is still a living tissue that keeps respiring, using up its own sugars and acids and giving off heat, carbon dioxide and ethylene.

Q4.General ScienceMedium

In the high-temperature short-time (HTST) method of pasteurisation, milk is heated to about:

  1. A.63 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes
  2. B.72 degrees Celsius for 15 seconds
  3. C.100 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes
  4. D.150 degrees Celsius for 2 seconds
Show answer
Correct answer: B. 72 degrees Celsius for 15 seconds

Pasteurisation is not sterilisation: it is a mild heating that kills disease-causing organisms such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Salmonella and Brucella and most spoilage bacteria, while leaving the taste and nutritive value of milk largely unchanged.