Question

Given below are two statements, one is labelled as Assertion (A) and other one labelled as Reason (R).

Assertion (A): Process of blanching minimises discolouration of food during dehydration.

Reason (R): Blanching cleans raw material and reduces surface bacterial load of the produce.

In light of the above statements, choose the correct answer from the options given below.

• A. Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
• B. Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) is NOT the correct explanation of (A).
• C. (A) is true but (R) is false.
• D. (A) is false but (R) is true.

Hint:

Ask which specific effect of blanching, enzyme inactivation or surface cleaning, is actually responsible for preventing browning.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Separate what blanching does into its different effects before judging the statements.

Effect one, heat exposure denatures the oxidative enzymes in the produce, mainly polyphenol oxidase and peroxidase. These enzymes are what turn a peeled apple or a drying vegetable brown once its cells are damaged and exposed to oxygen. Stopping them is the actual reason blanched produce keeps its colour through dehydration. That supports Assertion (A) being true.

Effect two, the hot water or steam bath also washes away surface soil and kills a large share of the surface bacteria sitting on the produce. That is a genuine benefit of blanching, so Reason (R) is also a true statement on its own.

The catch is that effect two, cleaning and reducing bacteria, is not what stops browning. Even a spotless, low microbial sample would still discolour during drying if its enzymes were untouched. So (R) sits alongside (A) as a true fact about blanching, but it does not cause or explain the colour protection described in (A).

That makes both statements true with no causal link between them.

\[\boxed{\text{Option 2: Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) is NOT the correct explanation of (A)}}\]