Question Bank • QB_DFE_EXP_054 NAT • 2 Marks

Section 7: Dairy and Food Engineering

Preservation of Food

Subtopic: Kinetics of microbial death – pasteurization and sterilization of milk and other liquid foods

Question Statement:

Thermal destruction of a target microorganism follows first-order reaction kinetics $\frac{dN}{dt} = -k N$. If the reaction rate constant $k = 0.4605\text{ min}^{-1}$, the decimal reduction time ($D = \frac{\ln 10}{k}$) in minutes is ________ (answer in integer).

Answer Key:

5

Step-by-Step Solution & Explanation

Relationship between first order rate constant $k$ and $D$-value: $D = \frac{\ln 10}{k} = \frac{2.302585}{0.4605} = 5.0\text{ minutes}$
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