Which substance, banned in India, was misused for the artificial ripening of fruits such as mangoes?
- A.Ethylene
- B.Calcium carbide
- C.Sodium chloride
- D.Ascorbic acid
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, calcium carbide. Lumps of calcium carbide hidden in a crate of mangoes react with the moisture in the air and release acetylene gas, which forces the fruit to colour quickly, though the pulp inside stays unripe and tasteless. Industrial grade calcium carbide also carries traces of arsenic and phosphorus, and handling it causes burns, so its use on food is prohibited in India. Option A is wrong because ethylene is the fruit's own natural ripening hormone, and controlled ripening in chambers with a small measured dose of ethylene gas is the legal and safe alternative to carbide. Option C is wrong because sodium chloride, common salt, is a Class I preservative and has no ripening action. Option D is wrong because ascorbic acid, vitamin C, is used as an antioxidant to stop cut fruit from browning and fat from turning rancid, not to ripen fruit.
Read the full article: Food Preservation, Adulteration and Food Safety Notes
Practice Questions
View allFruits stored in a cold chamber exhibit longer storage life because
- A.exposure to sunlight is prevented
- B.concentration of carbon dioxide in the environment is increased
- C.rate of respiration is decreased
- D.there is an increase in humidity
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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.
Read the full explanation →The adulteration of mustard oil with argemone oil causes which disease?
- A.Lathyrism
- B.Epidemic dropsy
- C.Fluorosis
- D.Minamata disease
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Argemone mexicana, the prickly poppy known in India as satyanashi, has seeds that look very like mustard seeds, so its oil is a classic adulterant of mustard oil.
Read the full explanation →Lathyrism in human beings is caused by the prolonged consumption of which of the following?
- A.Khesari dal
- B.Argemone seeds
- C.Metanil yellow
- D.Chicory
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Khesari dal, botanically Lathyrus sativus and also called grass pea, is a hardy pulse that survives drought and is therefore sometimes mixed with arhar dal or besan.
Read the full explanation →In the high-temperature short-time (HTST) method of pasteurisation, milk is heated to about:
- A.63 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes
- B.72 degrees Celsius for 15 seconds
- C.100 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes
- D.150 degrees Celsius for 2 seconds
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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.
Read the full explanation →Lyophilisation, used to make instant coffee and to preserve vaccines, is the technical name for which process?
- A.Pasteurisation
- B.Freeze-drying
- C.Canning
- D.Irradiation
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In lyophilisation the material is first frozen and then placed under a strong vacuum, so that the ice changes directly into vapour without passing through the liquid state.
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