Eli5 how do chips become stale when exposed to air for a period of time but are still “ok” to eat, however other foods will spoil and are not safe?

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Eli5 how do chips become stale when exposed to air for a period of time but are still “ok” to eat, however other foods will spoil and are not safe?

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Anonymous 0 Comments

“Stale” and “spoiled” are two different processes.

Things go stale when they’re exposed to air, and allowed to absorb/lose moisture or oxidize until they’re ruined. It’s not good eating anymore, but this process doesn’t produce anything dangerous either.

Things spoil when decomposing bacteria and fungi move in and start eating it – they produce poisonous waste products and the food quickly becomes dangerous to eat.

Anonymous 0 Comments

“Stale” and “spoiled” are two different processes.

Things go stale when they’re exposed to air, and allowed to absorb/lose moisture or oxidize until they’re ruined. It’s not good eating anymore, but this process doesn’t produce anything dangerous either.

Things spoil when decomposing bacteria and fungi move in and start eating it – they produce poisonous waste products and the food quickly becomes dangerous to eat.

Anonymous 0 Comments

It has to do with the kind of bacteria that are able to propagate in said food. Chips are fried/baked from the factory, reducing the possible amount of bacteria still alive when in the package. Something like meat, however, is a breeding ground for potential bacteria growth that’s just waiting for the right environment to spread like wildfire.

Anonymous 0 Comments

It has to do with the kind of bacteria that are able to propagate in said food. Chips are fried/baked from the factory, reducing the possible amount of bacteria still alive when in the package. Something like meat, however, is a breeding ground for potential bacteria growth that’s just waiting for the right environment to spread like wildfire.

Anonymous 0 Comments

Chips are a pretty hostile environment for bacteria. They have been fried or baked until crisp, which both kills any bacteria that were living in the original materials and drives out any water that could play host to new bacteria. On top of this, they are typically coated in salt, which is the original food preservative because it is so effective at killing bacteria. Kept sealed in a cool, dry environment, they can go essentially forever without spoiling, but if exposed to moisture, the corn/potato will rehydrate and eventually become moldy.

Anonymous 0 Comments

Chips are a pretty hostile environment for bacteria. They have been fried or baked until crisp, which both kills any bacteria that were living in the original materials and drives out any water that could play host to new bacteria. On top of this, they are typically coated in salt, which is the original food preservative because it is so effective at killing bacteria. Kept sealed in a cool, dry environment, they can go essentially forever without spoiling, but if exposed to moisture, the corn/potato will rehydrate and eventually become moldy.

Anonymous 0 Comments

How food go bad is in large part a question of water content. Bacteria need water to survive so they can grow in food that contains it and make it dangerous to eat.

Quite dry food like chips will loo any water they contain before bacteria can reach dangerous levels.

If you look at food at the supermarket the produce that is not refrigerated and lasts a long time even if you open the packet is very dry. Nonrefrigerated food that contains water will be in tight containers like cans or jars where the manufacturing process kills all microorganisms and no news can get in. If you look at the packaging they tend to say store refrigerated when opened and might not last long when opened.

Meat exists as both. Fresh meat with lots of water will go back quickly if not refrigerated but beef jerky does no, it simply does not have enough water,

Put chips on a plate with some water they can absorb and you likely see them go bad quite quickly, that is if the salt content is not to high

Oils and even honey are dry as in do not contain practically any water. You can also stop bacteria grow in another ways like high salt content like soy sauce

Anonymous 0 Comments

How food go bad is in large part a question of water content. Bacteria need water to survive so they can grow in food that contains it and make it dangerous to eat.

Quite dry food like chips will loo any water they contain before bacteria can reach dangerous levels.

If you look at food at the supermarket the produce that is not refrigerated and lasts a long time even if you open the packet is very dry. Nonrefrigerated food that contains water will be in tight containers like cans or jars where the manufacturing process kills all microorganisms and no news can get in. If you look at the packaging they tend to say store refrigerated when opened and might not last long when opened.

Meat exists as both. Fresh meat with lots of water will go back quickly if not refrigerated but beef jerky does no, it simply does not have enough water,

Put chips on a plate with some water they can absorb and you likely see them go bad quite quickly, that is if the salt content is not to high

Oils and even honey are dry as in do not contain practically any water. You can also stop bacteria grow in another ways like high salt content like soy sauce