Food Quality Management

Polymorphism is the ability of a substance to crystallize into different forms with varying physical properties, commonly observed in pharmaceuticals.

Gumminess is a texture attribute in food products and is calculated as the product of hardness and cohesiveness.

Amylose content increases the final viscosity of starch paste, as amylose contributes to gel formation and higher viscosity due to its linear structure.

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
Candling is a non-destructive method used in the egg industry to assess the internal quality of an egg. It involves shining a bright light through the egg to illuminate its contents.
Step 3: Detailed Explanation:
During candling, several quality factors can be observed:
- Air cell size: A smaller air cell indicates a fresher egg.
- Yolk condition: The yolk should be centered and its outline indistinct.
- Albumen (white) condition: The white should be clear and firm.
- Defects: The light reveals abnormalities such as cracks in the shell, and internal defects like blood spots (from a ruptured blood vessel during ovulation) or meat spots (tissue from the oviduct).
The other options are less accurate:
- (B) "Hazards" is too general. A blood spot could be considered a quality hazard, but it's not a safety hazard.
- (C) The vitelline membrane (which encloses the yolk) is a normal part of every egg; candling assesses its integrity, not its mere presence.
- (D) Microorganisms are too small to be seen by candling, although spoilage caused by them (e.g., a "black rot") might be visible.
Step 4: Final Answer:
Candling is an effective method for detecting internal defects, the most common of which is a blood spot. Therefore, option (A) is the correct answer.