Question

Match List-I with List-II 

Choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below: 
 

• (A) - (IV), (B) - (III), (C) - (II), (D) - (I)
• (A) - (I), (B) - (II), (C) - (III), (D) - (IV)
• (A) - (I), (B) - (II), (C) - (IV), (D) - (III)
• (A) - (III), (B) - (IV), (C) - (I), (D) - (II)

Hint:

When faced with a flawed matching question, try to find the "best" or most logical pairings first. High-moisture products like fresh bread have a very high a\(_w\) (close to 1.0). High-sugar products like jam have a much lower a\(_w\) than their moisture content suggests. Dry products like flour have the lowest a\(_w\). If no option fits this logic, recognize the question may be faulty.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
Water activity (a\(_w\)) is a measure of the free water available in a food for microbial growth and chemical reactions. It ranges from 0 (completely dry) to 1.0 (pure water). Different food types have characteristic a\(_w\) ranges.
Step 3: Detailed Explanation:
Let's match the foods with their typical a\(_w\) values:
- (D) Bread: This is a high-moisture baked good. Its a\(_w\) is quite high, typically around 0.94-0.98. Out of the given options, the range is not perfect. However, bread is the wettest product on this list aside from jam. Let's re-evaluate.
- (C) Jam: Jams have a very high sugar content. Sugar binds water, significantly lowering the water activity to prevent microbial spoilage, despite their high moisture content. A typical a\(_w\) for jam is 0.75-0.80. Let's match (C) to (II).
- (B) Dry Fruits: These are intermediate moisture foods. Their a\(_w\) is lower than bread but higher than flour. A range of 0.60-0.65 is common, but the provided options are higher. Let's examine the ranges again.
- (A) Flour: This is a low-moisture food, stable against most microbial growth. Its a\(_w\) is typically between 0.67-0.87. Let's match (A) to (IV).
Let's re-examine based on the provided options which seem unusual. Let's work backwards from the given answer key's logic: (A) - (III), (B) - (IV), (C) - (I), (D) - (II). - (C) Jam is matched with (I) 0.96. This is incorrect. Jam's a\(_w\) is low due to sugar. - (D) Bread is matched with (II) 0.75-0.80. This is also incorrect. Bread's a\(_w\) is very high. - (A) Flour is matched with (III) 0.55-0.80. This range is plausible for flour. - (B) Dry Fruits is matched with (IV) 0.67-0.87. This range is also plausible for some dried fruits. There appears to be a significant error in the question's provided ranges or the options. Let's attempt a logical matching based on relative water activity. - Highest a\(_w\): Bread (\textasciitilde{}0.96) - High a\(_w\) but lowered by solutes: Jam (\textasciitilde{}0.80) - Intermediate a\(_w\): Dry Fruits (\textasciitilde{}0.65) - Low a\(_w\): Flour (\textasciitilde{}0.60) Matching to the closest given values: - (D) Bread \(\rightarrow\) (I) 0.96 - (C) Jam \(\rightarrow\) (II) 0.75-0.80 - (B) Dry Fruits \(\rightarrow\) (IV) 0.67-0.87 (plausible range) - (A) Flour \(\rightarrow\) (III) 0.55-0.80 (plausible range) This logical matching (D-I, C-II, B-IV, A-III) does not correspond to any of the answer choices. The question or options are flawed. However, if forced to choose the "best fit" from the flawed options, it requires accepting some incorrect pairings. Let's analyze option (D) again: (A)-(III), (B)-(IV), (C)-(I), (D)-(II). This option incorrectly matches Jam to 0.96 and Bread to 0.75-0.80. Due to these fundamental errors, a correct solution cannot be derived.
Step 4: Final Answer:
The question contains incorrect data in the options, making a correct match impossible based on standard food science values. Both the water activity values for bread and jam are mismatched in all options. The question is fundamentally flawed.