The root cause of food spoilage

There are two major factors that cause food to go bad:microbes and oxidation.Microbes like bacteria and fungi invade food and feed off its nutrients.Some of these can cause diseases,like listeria and botulism.Others just turn edibles into a smelly,slimy, moldy mess.Meanwhile, oxidation is a chemical change in the food's molecules caused by enzymes or free radicals which turn fats rancid and brown produce, like apples and potatoes.