Question

check for understanding i - introduction
food fermentation
1 of 5
mark the following statements as true or false.
microorganisms can cause food to improve in some way by becoming more stable or easier to digest.
foodborne intoxication is caused by a microbe itself.
microorganisms in food will never produce a toxin which causes illness.

Explanation:

1. Statement: "Microorganisms can cause food to improve in some way by becoming more stable or easier to digest."

Fermentation (a process involving microorganisms like bacteria or yeasts) is used in food processing. For example, yogurt production uses bacteria to ferment milk, making it more digestible (lactose breakdown) and stable. So this statement is true.

Foodborne intoxication is caused by toxins produced by microbes (e.g., staphylococcal toxin from Staphylococcus aureus), not the microbe itself. Infections are caused by the microbe, intoxication by its toxin. So this is false.

Many microbes (e.g., Clostridium botulinum, Salmonella) produce toxins in food that cause illness. So the claim "never" is wrong, making this false.

Answer:

True (select the 'True' option for this statement)

2. Statement: "Foodborne intoxication is caused by a microbe itself."