You probably think you know what is in the food you are eating. You may be surprised, however, when you see your food under a microscope. Microscopes allow us to see things up close and look at them in a different way. Under the microscope, we can see the tiny parts that foods are made of. We can learn why foods change when we cook them or when they spoil.
Sharing your food
The microscope also shows us that you may not be the only one eating your food! In the refrigerator or on the kitchen counter, tiny organisms (living things) may also be munching away.
Microorganisms and microbes
Organisms too small to see are called microorganisms. They range from tiny animals that you could find with a magnifying glass to living things so small you could fit thousands of them on a grain of salt. Microorganisms that are not animals are often called microbes. Some of these make our food rot. Others make us sick if we eat them. Other microbes actually make food healthy or give it a good taste.
Food up close
Let’s take a look at your food under the microscope and discover what you are really eating. By looking first at two everyday foods—bread and milk—we’re going to learn about two important kinds of microorganisms with which we share our food and our world.
Micro-Monster
The flour mite could live in your kitchen cabinet in a package of flour. In real life, this mite is 0.3 to 0.5 of a millimeter long, so you could see it with a magnifying glass. This is what it looks like when it is magnified 200 times.
