Question

Aluminium foils are used to wrap food items.
a.) True
b.) False

Answer 1

Hint: The most important thing to keep in mind while making a wrap for food items is that the material used should be inert, i.e. it should not react with the food material and more importantly, it shouldn’t be toxic.

Complete step by step answer:
Food wrapping is very important for packing foods and keeping it without degrading its quality for a longer time. Aluminium foils have been used for this purpose for a very long time. It is mainly because –
Aluminium is less reactive. Therefore, it does not react with components of food and hence does not bring any chemical or physical change and keeps the texture and aroma of the food preserved for a longer amount of time.
Malleable nature of aluminium. Aluminium occurs as a silvery-white, soft, malleable and ductile metal. Being very malleable in nature, without breaking, it can easily be converted into thin sheets, which makes it easier to use in packaging of food.
Therefore, the answer is – option (a) – The given statement is true.

Additional Information:
Aluminium is a p-block element, member of the Boron family. It has an atomic number = 13. It is a metalloid and the third most abundant element after oxygen and silicon.

Note: There are many materials that are being used as food wraps. Plastic polymers such as – PVC, PET are used to make plastic containers, polystyrene cups are used to pack yoghurt and ice-creams in small cups. Parchment paper is used for the primary packaging of chocolates, butter, etc. Breathable films are created from such polymers for vacuum packaging, etc.