The toxin associated with the foodborne disease botulism is a protein. To avoid botulism, home canners are advised to heat preserved foods to boiling for at least 12 minutes. How does this help?

Protein denaturation

Explanation:

Proteins are large and complex molecules. Its primary structure is a chain of peptides formed by stable chemical bonds; but this chain is folded into three-dimensional structures whose stability depends on temperature, pH and other factors. Proteins are only functional when they are in their three-dimensional conformation.

By boiling food for 12 minutes, even if the protein that causes botulism was present, this protein would lose its conformation (it would become denatured), therefore it would lose its functioning, it could no longer cause us a problem.

The answer to the question above is explained below

Explanation:

Botulism is caused by botulinum toxins, which are highly potent neurotoxins formed during the growth of the spore-forming bacterium Clostridium botulinum. The neurotoxin can enter the body via the gastrointestinal tract or through the eyes or the respiratory tract. Botulism is a fatal illness caused by a toxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum.

Food-borne botulism is caused by eating foods that contain the botulinum neurotoxin. Food-borne botulism happens when a person consumes a food in which Clostridium botulinum has been able to grow and produce toxin. Clostridium botulinum is a  gram-positive bacillus that produce the neurotoxin botulinum.

Heating preserved foods to boiling for a few minutes is generally known to kill bacteria that survived the packaging process and storage. Spores are highly resistant to harsh environments, and they can remain viable even after several hours of normal boiling. A discolored, moldy, or bad smells, is an indicator of a food that has botulism. Therefore to kill the spores of Clostridium botulinum, a sterilization process of about 121°C for 3 min is required. The botulinum toxin itself is denatured rapidly when a temperature greater than 80°C  is applied. The spores however can be killed by very high temperatures.

Boiling can destroy both the vegetative, or non-spore, form of the bacterium, and the toxin it produces. The endospores can become activated in anaerobic environments, high moisture content, and in temperatures ranging from 4°C to 121°C.  In hostile environmental conditions, the heat-resistant spores enable spores to survive harsh environments, and they can remain viable even after several hours of normal boiling until conditions become more favorable. Botulinum neurotoxins are proteins, this makes it possible to neutralize the botulinium toxin by heat. However, the spores can be killed by very high temperatures, for instance, while boiling for 10 minutes can kill the toxin, to destroy the spore form requires heating to at least 120 degrees Celsius. To  preserve foods by heat, boiling for at least 12 minutes is recommended.

The disease begins with weakness, blurred vision, dry mouth, and slurred speech.

botulinum are heat-resistant, the toxin produced by bacteria growing out of the spores under anaerobic conditions is destroyed by boiling (for example, at internal temperature greater than 85 °C for 5 minutes or longer).

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step 1: nitrogen fixation- conversion of atmospheric no₂ into forms useful to plants by lightning, bacteria, and cyanobacteria.

step 2: nitrification-process of converting ammonia to nitrite or nitrate.

step 3: assimilation-plant roots absorb new form of nitrogen.

step 4: ammonification-conversion of organic nitrogen to ammonia by bacteria involved in decomposition.

step 5: denitrification-bacteria turns the decomposed matter back into n₂o, which is released into atmosphere; repeat cycle.