Food Safety and Quality Exam 2
Question and answers verified to pass
2025/2026
Chapter 4: Reasons for Foodborne Illness - correct answer ✔Economic
burden of a pathogen depends, to a large extent, on the number of deaths it
causes per year
1. Salmonella
2. Toxoplasma Gondii
3. Listeria
4. Campylobacter
Share of foodborne illness cases - correct answer ✔Norovirus 61%
Share of economic burden - correct answer ✔Salmonella 24%
Toxoplasma Gondii 21%
Listeria Monocytogenes 18%
97% of all cases result from what - correct answer ✔Improper food handling
- 79% from food prepared in commercial or institutional establishments
- 21% from food prepared at home
Most common causes of foodborne illness - correct answer ✔- Leaving
prepared food at temps that allow bacterial growth
- Inadequate cooking or reheating
- Cross-contamination
- Infection in food handlers
,Foodborne illness - correct answer ✔An illness transmitted to humans by
food
Causes:
- Related to food itself: spoilage and contamination
- Non-food factors: factors that contribute to foodborne illness
Food Spoilage - correct answer ✔Characterized by a decline in eating
quality, resulting in food that is less acceptable to the consumer in
appearance, taste, texture, or odor.
- WHO estimates that about 20% of all food is lost to food spoilage, average
North American family discards about 25%
Food Susceptibility - correct answer ✔- Perishable: contain high
concentrations of protein and/or water. This accelerates the microbial and
chemical processes of decomposition. EX: Seafood, meat, eggs, dairy, watery
fruits and vegetables
- Semi-perishable: Contain less water. EX: potatoes
- Non-perishable: Contain very little water: nuts
Food Spoilage vs Food Contamination - correct answer ✔Spoilage: Obvious
and detectable. Doesn't necessarily have the potential to cause foodborne
illness.
Contamination: Undetectable. Any biological, chemical , or physical material
unintentionally added to food that may compromise its safety or suitability for
consumption. Has the potential to cause illness, can also occur with spoilage
Reasons for Food Spoilage - correct answer ✔1. Air and oxygen
2. Light
,3. Temperature
4. Moisture
5. Microorganisms
6. Natural food enzymes
Air and Oxygen - correct answer ✔- Enhance the growth of microorganisms
- Cause damage to foods with the help of oxidizing enzymes
- Cause oxidation: chief cause of quality loss in fats and fatty portions of food,
creates undesirable and unacceptable odors and flavors
EX: Chips sealed with nitrogen
Light - correct answer ✔Photo degradation of food constituents, such as:
fats, proteins, vitamins, and pigments result in discoloration, off-flavor, and
vitamin losses.
- In solid foods, the light only penetrates the outer layer, causing degradation
of the surface layer
- In liquid foods, the light penetrates deeper, which causes more constituents
to be degraded.
Effect of light on cooked ham: Nitrosomyoglobin
Effect of dark storage on lipid oxidation: TBA test determines the amount of
malondialdehyde (MDA) a byproduct of lipid oxidation (secondary oxidation
step)
Also TBARS and sensory evaluation of oxidized flavors have been well-
documented
, Temperature - correct answer ✔Excessive heat will increase the rate of
natural food enzyme reactions and other chemical reactions of food
constituents
EX: protein denaturation, vitamin loss, dryness, etc. Every 18 F, the rate of
chemical reaction is doubled
Uncontrolled cold temperature will cause physical spoilage
Danger Zone - correct answer ✔FDA/National Restaurant Association: 41-
135F
USDA: 40-140F
Time-Termperature relationships - correct answer ✔- Cook food to safe
internal temp
- Keep hot foods hot (140 or above)
- Reheat cooked food to 165F
- Keep cold foods cold (store 40F/below or freeze 0/below)
- Don't leave food at room temp for more than 2 hours
Internal Temps - correct answer ✔Beef 160F
Chicken 165F
Fish flakes with fork
Moisture - correct answer ✔- Relative humidity of the environment affects the
quality of food: moisture loss or gain create physical changes
- Microorganisms need water to dissolve the food, which allows yeast and
mold to use it for energy and growth, which allows waste products to escape
from the cells.
- Water allows chemical reactions to occur between components in the food
Question and answers verified to pass
2025/2026
Chapter 4: Reasons for Foodborne Illness - correct answer ✔Economic
burden of a pathogen depends, to a large extent, on the number of deaths it
causes per year
1. Salmonella
2. Toxoplasma Gondii
3. Listeria
4. Campylobacter
Share of foodborne illness cases - correct answer ✔Norovirus 61%
Share of economic burden - correct answer ✔Salmonella 24%
Toxoplasma Gondii 21%
Listeria Monocytogenes 18%
97% of all cases result from what - correct answer ✔Improper food handling
- 79% from food prepared in commercial or institutional establishments
- 21% from food prepared at home
Most common causes of foodborne illness - correct answer ✔- Leaving
prepared food at temps that allow bacterial growth
- Inadequate cooking or reheating
- Cross-contamination
- Infection in food handlers
,Foodborne illness - correct answer ✔An illness transmitted to humans by
food
Causes:
- Related to food itself: spoilage and contamination
- Non-food factors: factors that contribute to foodborne illness
Food Spoilage - correct answer ✔Characterized by a decline in eating
quality, resulting in food that is less acceptable to the consumer in
appearance, taste, texture, or odor.
- WHO estimates that about 20% of all food is lost to food spoilage, average
North American family discards about 25%
Food Susceptibility - correct answer ✔- Perishable: contain high
concentrations of protein and/or water. This accelerates the microbial and
chemical processes of decomposition. EX: Seafood, meat, eggs, dairy, watery
fruits and vegetables
- Semi-perishable: Contain less water. EX: potatoes
- Non-perishable: Contain very little water: nuts
Food Spoilage vs Food Contamination - correct answer ✔Spoilage: Obvious
and detectable. Doesn't necessarily have the potential to cause foodborne
illness.
Contamination: Undetectable. Any biological, chemical , or physical material
unintentionally added to food that may compromise its safety or suitability for
consumption. Has the potential to cause illness, can also occur with spoilage
Reasons for Food Spoilage - correct answer ✔1. Air and oxygen
2. Light
,3. Temperature
4. Moisture
5. Microorganisms
6. Natural food enzymes
Air and Oxygen - correct answer ✔- Enhance the growth of microorganisms
- Cause damage to foods with the help of oxidizing enzymes
- Cause oxidation: chief cause of quality loss in fats and fatty portions of food,
creates undesirable and unacceptable odors and flavors
EX: Chips sealed with nitrogen
Light - correct answer ✔Photo degradation of food constituents, such as:
fats, proteins, vitamins, and pigments result in discoloration, off-flavor, and
vitamin losses.
- In solid foods, the light only penetrates the outer layer, causing degradation
of the surface layer
- In liquid foods, the light penetrates deeper, which causes more constituents
to be degraded.
Effect of light on cooked ham: Nitrosomyoglobin
Effect of dark storage on lipid oxidation: TBA test determines the amount of
malondialdehyde (MDA) a byproduct of lipid oxidation (secondary oxidation
step)
Also TBARS and sensory evaluation of oxidized flavors have been well-
documented
, Temperature - correct answer ✔Excessive heat will increase the rate of
natural food enzyme reactions and other chemical reactions of food
constituents
EX: protein denaturation, vitamin loss, dryness, etc. Every 18 F, the rate of
chemical reaction is doubled
Uncontrolled cold temperature will cause physical spoilage
Danger Zone - correct answer ✔FDA/National Restaurant Association: 41-
135F
USDA: 40-140F
Time-Termperature relationships - correct answer ✔- Cook food to safe
internal temp
- Keep hot foods hot (140 or above)
- Reheat cooked food to 165F
- Keep cold foods cold (store 40F/below or freeze 0/below)
- Don't leave food at room temp for more than 2 hours
Internal Temps - correct answer ✔Beef 160F
Chicken 165F
Fish flakes with fork
Moisture - correct answer ✔- Relative humidity of the environment affects the
quality of food: moisture loss or gain create physical changes
- Microorganisms need water to dissolve the food, which allows yeast and
mold to use it for energy and growth, which allows waste products to escape
from the cells.
- Water allows chemical reactions to occur between components in the food
