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NATURAL SCIENCES GRADE 8 TERM 1 CONTENT

PHOTOSYNTHESIS AND RESPIRATION [WEEKS 1 & 2]

ENERGY SUSTAINS LIFE

1. All life on earth depends on energy to sustain the 7 life

processes.
2. The sun is the source of energy (producing radiant energy).
3. Plants use the light energy from the sun to photosynthesise.
4. There are 2 important processes involved in transferring the Sun's
energy to our bodies namely photosynthesis and respiration.

PHOTOSYNTHESIS

❖ Photo means “light,” and synthesis means “putting

together/make.”
❖ Photosynthesis: process by which plants use sunlight, water,
and Carbon dioxide to create Energy in the form of sugar
(Glucose).

HOW PHOTOSYNTHESIS TAKES PLACE?

1. Photosynthesis takes place in small structures called

chloroplasts, inside the cells of the leaves & stems of green
plants.
2. Inside the chloroplasts are green pigments called chlorophyll
that traps/ capture radiant energy from the sun.
3. Radiant energy is transferred/ converted into chemical
potential energy (stored energy) for other organisms to use.
4. This energy causes water absorbed from the soil to split into
molecules of hydrogen and oxygen.
5. In a series of chemical reactions, the hydrogen combines with
carbon dioxide from the air which enters the leaf (plant)
through openings called stomata forming a simple sugar called
Glucose, which is stored in the form of Starch.
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 6. Oxygen from the water molecules is given off/ released in the
process.
➢ The process of photosynthesis can be presented in the form of
an equation:

Carbon dioxide + water + (chlorophyll and sunlight) → glucose +

oxygen

GLUCOSE STORAGE AND USE

1. Glucose is soluble in water, can be transported by the plant in

water to where it is needed elsewhere in the plant.
2. The glucose is produced continuously during the day when the
Sun is out and is not all used at once by the plant. The plant.
cannot have large amounts of glucose accumulating as this
affects the water potential within the leaves, and so some is
converted to starch to be stored until it is needed.
3. Plants also convert glucose into cellulose (used to support and
strengthen plants).

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 TEST FOR THE PRESENCE OF STARCH

❖ There are tests that can be done to determine whether food

has glucose or starch.
i Glucose tastes sweet but starch does not taste sweet at all.
ii Glucose will dissolve in water while starch will not dissolve in
water.
iii Iodine (brownish-orange) is an indicator used to test for the
presence of starch in food.
iv If the iodine changes from brownish-orange to
dark blue-black that indicates that the leaf or
food contains starch.

RESPIRATION
HOW RESPIRATION OCCURS?

1. The cows eat the grass containing starch & inhale oxygen.
2. The starch (complex sugar) is broken down into glucose
(simplest sugar) inside the cow through Digestion.
3. The glucose molecules move to the bloodstream where they
are transferred to the cells.
4. In the cells (Mitochondrion), Glucose from the food you ate
combines with oxygen in a series of chemical reactions to
release the energy in the form of ATP (adenosine
triphosphate). This process is called Respiration
5. The cow uses this energy to move to the next patch of grass.
6. Respiration does not only produce energy, it also produces
water and carbon dioxide as by-products.
7. Carbon dioxide produced in the body of an organism during
respiration needs to be removed by means of breathing out.
8. We can write an equation for respiration as follows:
Glucose + oxygen → carbon dioxide + water + energy

a) During respiration: oxygen in the air is exchanged with the

carbon dioxide in the blood.
b) Breathing helps to obtain oxygen that is transported from the
lungs to the heart and blood.

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c) The carbon dioxide formed during respiration moves from
the blood and heart to the lungs where breathing helps to
remove it to the exterior.

TEST FOR THE PRODUCTS OF RESPIRATION

1. We can test for the products of respiration like carbon

dioxide using our own breath.
2. Carbon dioxide is a colourless gas, so we cannot see it
directly, to test for it’s presence, we use clear limewater,
known as calcium hydroxide, Ca(OH)2
3. Bubble the gas through limewater. If the clear limewater
turns milky/ cloudy white, then the gas contains carbon
dioxide.
4. This means our breath contains carbon dioxide from
respiration.

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Characteristic Photosynthesis Respiration
Requirements/ Carbon dioxide, Glucose and oxygen
reactants sunlight energy &
water
End products/what Glucose & oxygen Energy, carbon
the process produces dioxide and water
Organisms in which Green plants All living organisms
this process takes
place
When this process During the All the time organisms
takes place daytime/when
continuously respire
there is sunlight

INTERDEPENDENCE WITHIN THE ENVIRONMENT: [5 WEEKS]

Core concepts: ecology; ecosystems; feeding relationships, energy flow.
ECOLOGY

1) Ecology: is the scientific study of the way in which living

organisms interact with each other and their environment.
➢ Organisms depend on their environment for protection and a
place to stay.
➢ The ecological interactions is classified into 4 levels:
populations, communities, ecosystems & biosphere.

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 a) Population: refers to all the animals of the same
species living in the same area at the same time
where they can interbreed with each other. Example is group
of fish in a dam is a population.
b) Community: refers to all different populations of organisms
that interact in a certain area (eg zebra, elephant, lions,
springbok, different trees and grasses in the same area).

ECOSYSTEM

1) Ecosystem: refers to the geographic area where different

living things interact with the non-living things.
2) An ecosystem consists of the abiotic (non-living) environment
and the biotic (living) organisms.
▪ Living organisms (biotic) interact with the non-living (abiotic
environment) for example
i. The trees and grass are rooted in the soil so that they do not
blow over and they can get water and use sunlight and carbon
dioxide to make food.

DIFFERENT ECOSYSTEMS

1. DESERT ECOSYSTEMS

a) Desert: may seem like a barren land devoid of life forms,

life does exist in this harsh environment .
b) Extreme temperature makes it difficult for life forms to
survive in the deserts, unless they adapt to this harsh
climate.
c) Animals found here are Gila monster, chuckwallas, desert
tortoise, rattlesnakes, hawks, ostriches, bobcat, kangaroo
rats, mountain lions.
d) Most of these desert animals are nocturnal, i.e. active
during the night.

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 2. RIVER ECOSYSTEM

a) A river ecosystem: provides a home for animals as freshwater

fish, frogs, salamanders, turtles & various insects live in rivers.

3. MOUNTAIN ECOSYSTEMS

a) At higher altitudes harsh environmental conditions generally

prevail, and a treeless alpine vegetation, upon which the
present account is focused, is supported.
b) At even lower levels mountain lands grade into other types of
landform and vegetation—e.g., tropical or temperate forest,
savanna, scrubland, desert, or tundra.

4. SEA ECOSYSTEMS

a) Oceans cover approximately 70% of the earth’s surface with

an average depth of 3,800 meters.
b) There are 4 major ocean basins: Atlantic, Pacific, Indian and
Arctic oceans.
c) Marine habitats are the home to seaweeds, or marine algae
(brown, green, red), sea grasses.

5. ROCKY SHORE ECOSYSTEMS

a) A rocky shore consists of rocky ledges with pools of salty

water, boulders and pebbles.
b) Living in this habitat are hardy plants and animals.

6. POND ECOSYSTEMS

a) A pond ecosystem: pond is a shallow water body around 10

to 15 feet deep.
b) Pond ecosystem animals are microorganisms, insects, beetles,
fishes, ducks, snakes, snails, & Fresh water mussel.

7. GRASSLAND ECOSYSTEMS

8. FOREST ECOSYSTEM

a) Forests rarely burn, mainly due to the high humidity - under

extremely hot and dry (berg wind) conditions fires may occur
and destroy the forest structure.

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 ECOSYSTEM SIZE

❖ The size of a real ecosystem is defined in terms of the

interactions that occur inside it (can be as small as a river
bank or as large as the Kruger National Park).
❖ Types of interactions:

We can classify the interactions between organisms as follows:

1. Competition: when 2 species in an ecosystem need to share

a valuable and often limited resource such as food or water,
they are in competition with each other.

Hyenas and vultures compete for the same food.

SYMBIOSIS

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1. Symbiosis: the way in which 2 different species living
together in the same community, interact with each other
over a long period time.
2. This can occur in the form of parasitism, mutualism &
commensalism.
a) Parasitism: is when the one species benefits or gains
something from the relationship and the other
species is harmed in some way. The host may die in
some interactions. Example: Ticks are parasites and
feed off the blood of many animals like dogs, cows,
buck and humans
b) Mutualism: occurs between any 2 species where
both of the individuals benefit from the
interaction/ gain something from the other.
▪ Example: Pollination is an example of mutualism
as the bee gets food (nectar) from the flower and
the flower is pollinated by the bee so that it can
reproduce.
c) Commensalism: interactions between individuals from
different species, the one species benefits, while the other
one is unaffected by the relationship (not harmed).
➢ Example the Shark with remora fish: the remora fish get
scraps of food that fall out of the shark's mouth & the
shark is unaffected.

FEEDING RELATIONSHIPS

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❖ Feeding: different species in an ecosystem interact when one
species can use the other species as a food source. For
example, in predator-prey relationships, the one species
(predator) will hunt another species (prey).

Figure 1 lions & Zebras have predator-prey relationship

FEEDING TYPES

1) Living organisms need to feed to be able to perform the other

life processes.
2) Some organisms can produce their own food, such as
plants, while other organisms cannot do this and need to feed
on other organisms to obtain their energy.
3) We can identify different feeding types in an ecosystem, based
on how the organism obtains (gets) its food. There are
producers and consumers.

PRODUCERS

1) Producers: organisms that are able to produce their own

organic food during photosynthesis & for that Producers are
also called autotrophs.
2) Plants need water from the soil, carbon dioxide from the air,
and sunlight energy from the sun.

CONSUMERS

1) Consumers: organisms which cannot produce their own food

need to eat other organisms to get food. These organisms are
called consumers or heterotrophs.
2) The term heterotroph comes from the Greek words heteros
meaning 'different' and trophe meaning 'nourishing'. So
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 heterotroph means 'different-feeding' or feeding on different
things.
3) Consumers are classified into specific groups depending on
the food that they consume. These are:
a) Herbivores: is an animal which feeds on plant
material only. Examples are: elephant, duck, horse,
buffalo, squirrel, grasshopper, rhino, zebra, cow,
mouse, etc.
b) Carnivores: an animal which eats other animals
(living or dead). Examples are lion, jackal, dolphin,
crocodile, shark, leopard, mosquito, vulture, crab,
seal, etc.
▪ There are different types of carnivores. Some
carnivores hunt other animals & are called
predators eg lion. The animals that they hunt are
called prey eg Buck, zebra, buffalo.
▪ Other types of carnivores are called scavengers as
they eat dead meat eg hyena, vulture, jackal, crab.
▪ There are animals that eat insects and other small
invertebrates. They are called insectivores.
c) Omnivores: animal which eats both plants and
other animals eg pig, mouse/rat, Humans.

d) Decomposers: Example are earthworms, bacteria (very

small decomposers), mushrooms (big decomposers), dung
beetles, moulds & millipedes.
1) Decomposers clean up the remains of dead plants and
animals by breaking them down into nutrients, which plants
can absorb again from the soil.
2) When fungi feed on dead matter they release chemicals, called
digestive enzymes, onto the dead materials that break down
the dead matter.
3) Decomposers are used to treat human sewage that contains
human waste. The decomposing bacteria break down sewage
into simpler substances to produce fertilisers.

ENERGY FLOW: FOOD CHAINS AND FOOF WEBS

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 1) The energy that flows in an ecosystem comes from the Sun.
2) Energy flows through an environment through a series of
feeding levels.
3) Each stage of feeding in a food chain is called a Trophic
Level.
4) The trophic levels form a food pyramid that shows how much
energy is available at each feeding level.

ii. Plants trap sunlight energy during photosynthesis and

convert it to chemical potential energy in food compounds.
(Plants trap 1% of the energy of the Sun).
iii. Herbivores get energy directly from plants, but carnivores and
omnivores eat animals for energy. This energy transfer is shown
by food chains as shown below:

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 a) The grass is the Producer,
b) Consumers are the grasshopper, the mouse and the
owl.
➢ The grasshopper is the herbivore and the mouse
and the owl are the carnivores.
➢ The rat eats seeds and other plants & is called an
omnivore.
❖ The arrows show the direction in which the
energy is transferred as one organism eats the
other one, always from the producers to the
consumers.
i. Animals that eat plants are primary consumers (Primary means
first.) eg grasshopper.
ii. Animals that eat primary consumers are called secondary
consumers eg rat.
iii. Animals that eat the secondary consumers (mostly predators)
are the tertiary consumers eg owl.
❖ Each of these levels in the food chain is called a
Trophic level.
❖ About 90% of its food energy is used to sustain
their own life processes (such as breathing,
moving, reproducing etc).
❖ About 10 % of the energy is made available to the
next trophic level.
❖ Since only 10% of the energy produced by the
consumers is passed on to the next level, the
primary consumers need to eat a large amount of
producers to get enough energy to live.

FOOD WEBS

1. A food web is a group of food chains that are connected.

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2. Food chains are interlinked when organisms eat more than
one species, which in turn are eaten by other organisms.
3. Two (2) simple food chains and how they are connected to
form a food web.
a) Leaves → worm → chameleon → hawk
b) Rose → aphid → beetle → chameleon → hawk

Chameleon Hawk
Beetle

Worm
Aphid

Leaves
Rose

BALANCE IN AN ECOSYSTEM

1) An ecosystem provides resources such as food, water, light and

shelter, to living organisms.
2) When an ecosystem provides enough resources for all the
organisms living in it, there is a balance.
3) Resources limit and regulate the number of organisms in an
ecosystem.
4) The Carrying capacity of an ecosystem: is the number of
individuals of a population that an ecosystem can sustain
without damaging the environment.
5) Natural and human disturbances can cause a disruption in
the balance of an ecosystem.
➢ Natural Factors: Fires, Floods, Droughts, Extreme changes in
temperature, unusual events such as volcanic activity or a
tsunami.
➢ Human Factors: Poaching and hunting, Water, air and soil
pollution, Farming, Deforestation and Mining.

WAYS TO CONSERVE ECOSYSTEM

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▪ We share the planet with animals and plants. We must
conserve ecosystems by:
1) Saving water: by closing taps properly, when we brush our
teeth, fixing leaking taps and taking short showers.
2) Recycling: Materials, such as plastic and paper, can be
recycled. Containers can be reused and we can reduce the waste
that we create.
3) Safely disposing of human waste and household waste,
4) Reducing energy consumption: we reduce the harmful gases
that are released into the air, when coal is burned to generate
electricity.
5) Planting trees: Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas. Trees use
the carbon dioxide in the air during photosynthesis.
a. When we overgraze land or remove plants, we expose the

topsoil, which can be washed away by water or blown away

by wind. Without topsoil plants cannot grow.

POPULATION GROWTH

1. The main goal of any species is to reproduce and ensure the

survival of the species.
2. Factors beyond the control of the species often influence this
and limit the growth of the population. These factors that
disrupt a balanced ecosystem can be grouped as: natural
factors; and human factors.

1. NATURAL FACTORS

1. Natural disasters like floods or hurricanes, climate change

and global warming cause severe disruptions to ecosystems.

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 Sudden natural disaster like flooding, can disrupt an ecosystem.

HUMAN FACTORS

1) Modern men have huge effect on nature eg we clear land to

build cities, roads and farms, pollute the environment and
produce waste & litter, poach endangered animals and over-
harvest marine animals, causing lasting damage to ecosystems.
2) There are different types of pollution:
a) Land pollution: In spite of recycling, much rubbish
still goes to landfill sites, where chemicals seep
into soil water and poison food chains.
b) Water pollution: Can be caused by car oil, people
washing in rivers or using rivers as Toilets. Some
municipalities allow raw sewage into rivers / sea,
others treat sewage first but still spill chemicals into
rivers. Farmers spray crops to kill pests, but this
also washes into rivers and damages ecosystems.
c) Air pollution: Comes from chemicals burnt by factories,
coal stoves, car exhausts, insecticide sprays and
burning old tyres, etc.

ADAPATATION

1) Adaptation: is a gradual change in the characteristics of an

organism, enabling them to improve in order to survive in an
environment.
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2) The types of adaptation are:
a) Structural adaptation: Giraffes have to compete with
elephants for the leaves of trees. Therefore, their necks have
grown longer over many years, enabling them to reach the
high leaves that elephants cannot reach.
b) Functional adaptation: Both penguins and birds have wings
but birds use their wings to fly and penguins have adapted
their wings to swim.
c) Behavioural adaptation: Many desert animals go
underground during the day to avoid the hot sun. During the
night they come out to feed.

➢ Predators: use their eyes in front of their heads to focus on a

prey and estimate the distance to the prey.
➢ Prey have better sense organs so that they can detect
predators early enough
➢ Water plants are flat so that they can float on the water and
have breathing pores on top of their leaves so that they can
photosynthesise.
➢ Desert plants (succulents) store their water in their leaves
and stems, which then become thick and fleshy.

ADAPTATION STRATEGIES

a) Mimicry: harmless animal takes on the characteristics of a

dangerous animal to scare off predators.
b) Camouflage: means the ability to blend in with the
surroundings.

BIOSPHERE

▪ Biosphere: is a collection of all the water ecosystems and

land ecosystems.
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 ▪ At the biosphere level, we study how the living and non-living
things interact on a much larger scale (includes climate
changes, how the movement of planet earth affects different
ecosystems, wind patterns as well as rock and soil formation).

All the ecosystems on Earth make up the biosphere.

MICRO-ORGANISMS: [2 WEEKS]
Core concepts: types of micro-organisms, harmful micro-organisms &
useful micro-organisms.

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 1. Microorganisms: are small living things (We cannot measure
the size of a micro-organism in cm or mm, but in
micrometres (µm). There are 1000 micrometres in a
millimeter).
2. Some are so small that can only be seen by microscope for
example yeast, others are large enough for us to see without a
microscope, like mushrooms and bread mould.
3. Some microorganisms can be harmful to humans and
cause diseases & illnesses which may result in death.
Microorganisms that cause diseases are called Pathogens.
4. They can grow very fast in good conditions (can double their
mass in just half an hour- do not need a male and a female).

TYPES OF MICRO-ORGANISMS

1. There is a variety of microorganisms which include viruses,

bacteria, protists and fungi.
NO Type of micro-
Explanation
organism
1 Virus Very small and consist of one cell
2 Bacteria One cell in the shape of a rod, spiral or sphere
3 Protista One cell with complex structure
4 Fungi Web of tiny threats

1. VIRUSES

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1) Viruses: are the smallest micro-organisms and can only be
seen with an electron microscope.
2) They are considered non-living because the only life process
that they can perform is reproduction. On their own, they
cannot do anything until they enter a living cell.
3) They are Parasites that rely on other organisms, called Host
cells, for food and shelter.
4) They cause disease that include chicken pox, measles, flu and
polio and eventually destroy the host cell.

2. BACTERIA

1. Bacteria are tiny, but bigger than a virus, and consist of one
cell only.
2. They are considered neither a plant nor an animal.
3. They multiply quickly in warm and moist conditions and can
double in number every half an hour.

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4. Bacteria can have various shapes, such as rods, spheres
(circles) and spirals.
5. They feed on dead material and substances in living
organisms.
6. Bacteria are responsible for TB, cholera and food poisoning

3. PROTISTA

1) Protista are complex single-cell micro-organisms that are

found in environments with water.
2) They are Plant-like and animal-like and swim in water.
3) In one drop of dam water there can be hundreds of Protista.
They form small, invisible communities.
4) Protista, such as malaria, live in the bodies of animals and
humans. Other examples of Protista include the amoeba and
algae (can produce their own food by photosynthesis).

4. FUNGI
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1) Examples are Fungi are mushrooms, toadstools, mildew and
mould.
2) Fungi can take on different sizes and shapes, but all share a
structure that is a web of tiny threads.
3) Fungi are useful decomposers that feed on dead plants.
4) They simply grow on their food.

USEFUL MICRO-ORGANISMS
1) Many decomposers are microorganisms which break down
dead plant and animal matter & return the nutrients to the
soil so that they are recycled.
2) For processing foods, such as when brewing beer, making
wine, baking bread and pickling food.
3) Used in the fermentation process:
➢ Decomposers complete the feeding cycle in an ecosystem,
they produce nutrients in the soil when they feed on the dead
plant and animal matter. The plants can use these nutrients.
➢ Yeast is a bacterium that cannot make its own food. It feeds
on the sugars in food and produces alcohol, acids and carbon
dioxide: Yeast + sugar in grape juice → alcohol + carbon
dioxide.
➢ When yeast releases carbon dioxide in bread, the bread rises.
➢ The bread rise when we leave the dough in a warm place,
because the yeast in the bread releases carbon dioxide
bubbles that let the dough rise.

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2. A vaccine contains a small amount of a bacteria or virus in a
harmless form.
➢ When it is injected, the body makes antibodies (protein made
by white blood cells) that protect us when an unwanted
substances like bacteria or viruses enter the body in-order to
eliminate them from your system.
➢ Penicillin is able to kill bacteria and is used as a natural
antibiotic.
3. In biotechnology research, microorganisms are being used to
produce alternative, renewable energy, for example, biogas
and biofuels.

DISEASES CAUSED BY HARMFUL MICRO-ORGANISMS

1) AIDS is a disease that attacks the immune system of a person

and is caused by the virus HIV (Human Immunodeficiency
Virus).
➢ A person with AIDS dies of diseases, such as pneumonia,
because his or her immune system cannot defend the body.
➢ Antiretroviral (ARV) medication can stop the reproduction of
the HIV virus but AIDS cannot be cured.
➢ The HIV virus is contracted through bodily fluids when people
have unprotected sex;
➢ HIV positive mothers breast feed babies; and when people come
into contact with needles that are contaminated with blood
containing the HIV virus.
4. The TB (tuberculosis) is a disease that is caused by a
bacterium that attacks and damages the lung cells.

➢ TB bacterium is spread when mucous or saliva containing

the bacterium is coughed into the air and inhaled by others.
➢ TB can be treated with a long course of antibiotics.
5. Malaria: is a disease that is caused by a Protista parasite that
is carried by a female mosquito.

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 ➢ A person with malaria gets a high fever, headaches and
jaundice, because of a damaged liver.
➢ A treatment for malaria is anti-malaria medication that
contains quinine which interrupts the life cycle of the
parasite.
6. Harmful fungi can cause diseases, such as ringworm and
athlete's foot.

How
Disease Type of microorganism Cells attacked
contracted

Female
Malaria Protista parasite Blood cells
mosquito
TB Bacterium Inhale air that
Lung and other organ
contains
cells
bacteria
AIDS HIV virus Body fluids Immune cells (white
blood cells)

Ringworm Fungus Infected person Skin and nail cells

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 HARMFUL MICROOGANISMS

1) Harmful microorganisms causes disease like TB, HIV, malaria

and food poisoning (found almost everywhere - ATMs, handrails,
toilets).
2) Waterborne diseases such as cholera and dysentery cause
diarrhoea resulting in many childhood deaths.
3) Effective methods of preventing the spread of diseases caused
by microorganisms including washing hands, sterilising
equipment and utensils, don't leave food like meat and
chicken out / in areas where bacteria can grow, use
a condom during sex, have vaccinations.

TRANSMISSION OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES

1. In droplets from the air that we breathe: when an infected

person sneezes or coughs, the pathogen travels in the drops of
spit or mucus to another person. Airborne diseases such
as tuberculosis (TB) caused by a bacteria, and
influenza (flu) caused by a virus.
2. In untreated and contaminated water: the pathogen is
transmitted in contaminated water, especially if it has been in
contact with human sewage. These diseases are called
waterborne diseases, such as cholera and typhoid, and cause
diarrhoea.
3. In contaminated food: sometimes people prepare food without
washing and disinfecting their hands properly and the food
can become contaminated
4. Through cuts or wounds: many pathogens enter our bodies via
cuts or wounds. For example, tetanus bacteria live in the soil
and when someone hurts themselves on a piece of rusty metal,
this pathogen can infect the person.
5. Through bites from animals: some pathogens can spread via
bites from infected animals. For example, the rabies virus from
infected animals and malaria is transmitted to humans through
mosquitoes
❖ The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is one of the most
devastating viruses in our world today which causes Acquired
Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) in humans.

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 Fig 1: white blood cell infected with HI Virus (stained yellow)

CONDITIONS FOR THE GROWTH OF MICRO-ORGANISMS

a) Micro-organisms grow better when the conditions in the

environment are favourable which include warmth, moisture,
oxygen and food.
b) When we remove water, temperature, food and oxygen from a
growing area of micro-organisms, we can decrease their
growth.
c) Food is easily spoiled when left in a warm place.
d) Refrigerating or freezing food can reduce the growth of
harmful micro-organisms.
e) Moist areas, such as bathrooms and kitchens, are very
favourable for the growth of micro-organisms.
f) Food with a high water content also provides an excellent
environment for micro-organisms to grow.

WAYS TO PREVENT THE SPREADING OF DISEASES

a) Wash your hands with soap before eating food & after visiting
toilet (to avoid Cholera).
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b) Wash raw fruit and vegetables before eating it to avoid Food
poisoning.
c) Sterilise the water from streams before you drink to avoid
Cholera
d) When you have a cold, cover your mouth when you cough or
sneeze to avoid spread of Tuberculosis.
e) Do not have unprotected sex to avoid HIV which leads to AIDS.
f) Vaccinate against diseases to avoid Flu, chickenpox
g) Wear gloves when helping people who are bleeding. AIDS
h) Apply Pasteurisation method
➢ Named after Louis Pasteur (French chemist and micro-biologist) &
this process prevents the spread of diseases in food.
➢ This kills bacteria that spoil food & the process is called
Pasturisation.
➢ Pasturisation: process where the bacteria in milk are killed so
that the milk can last longer. The food is heated to a point
where the bacteria are completely killed.

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