Before processing, how should liquid ingredients be prepared to ensure safety?

• A. They should be used as purchased without processing.
• B. They should be heated to pasteurize.
• C. They should be kept at low temperature until use.
• D. They must be filtered to remove extraneous matter.

Answer: (D)

Removing extraneous matter from liquid ingredients before processing helps prevent physical contaminants from entering the product and from causing damage to equipment. Filtering directly targets those particulates, giving you a cleaner starting material for processing and reducing the risk of contamination and quality issues downstream. Heating to pasteurize can address microbiological safety, but it won’t remove physical debris that could be present in the liquid. Keeping liquids at a low temperature delays microbial growth but doesn’t eliminate contaminants either. Using liquids as purchased without any cleaning also risks introducing foreign matter, so filtering is the practical, safety-focused first step.