Question

Which of the following food items are stored in cold storage?
A. Cereals
B. Fruits
C. Vegetables
D. Both B and C

Answer 1

Hint: As the name suggests, cold storage is simply keeping anything in a cold place such as a refrigerator. It is mainly done for the purpose of preservation. Generally, the substances which are readily perishable are kept in cold storage to increase their shelf life. Let us know more about it to find the correct answer.

Complete answer:
Let us first know the basics of food spoilage.
Spoilage of food products refers to any phenomenon which renders them unsuitable for human consumption. There are many reasons for the spoilage of food products. Some of them are-
Presence and proliferation of microbes
Some indigenous enzymatic activity leading to deterioration of food product quality
Physical injury due to radiation, burning, pressure, etc
Chemical changes which are not induced by physical damage or microbial growth such as oxidative rancidity of oils and fats.
Presence of a suitable environment for the growth and survival of microbes inside and on the food product.
The perishability of food products also depend a lot on their water content. Since fruits and vegetables have a very high water content, they tend to spoil very quickly and thus are kept in refrigerators for increasing their shelf-life and preservation.
Cold storage halts the growth of pathogenic microbes responsible for the spoilage of food products. This ensures that the spoilage is contained at a minimum level.
Contact freezing and Air-blast freezing are the two types of common freezing techniques.

Thus, based on the above discussion, it is clear that the correct answer is (D)- Both B and C.

Note:
Cold storage for fruits and vegetables is one tricky technique as the cold storage conditions need to be customized according to the product to be kept. This is particularly because favourable and optimum conditions tend to vary with age and origin of products to be stored.
Whole-grain cereals can be packed in tight containers or sealed plastic bags and then, they can be kept in cold storage. This helps to keep the cereals fresh for a longer time as compared to when kept at room temperature.