Final answer:
The statement regarding NSF certification being applicable to food contact equipment is True. NSF certification ensures sanitary design and materials for equipment used in food industries. Additionally, sanitization doesn't leave an object completely free of microbes, and moist-heat sterilization requires higher temperatures and longer time than dry-heat sterilization.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that NSF certification is applicable to food contact equipment that is of appropriate sanitary design and materials is True. NSF International (formerly the National Sanitation Foundation) develops public health standards and certification programs that help protect food, water, consumer products, and the environment. NSF certification ensures that the equipment meets strict standards for sanitation and safety. This is crucial in the food industry to prevent foodborne illnesses and to guarantee that food contact surfaces are safe and will not contaminate food with harmful substances.
On related notes of sanitization and sterilization, it is False that sanitization leaves an object free of microbes. Sanitization significantly reduces the number of microbes to safe levels but does not necessarily eliminate all microorganisms. In contrast, sterilization aims to eliminate all forms of microbial life, including bacterial spores. Ionizing radiation can indeed penetrate surfaces to sterilize products; this is why it's effective for certain types of medical devices and food products. However, nonionizing radiation, like UV light, does not penetrate surfaces deeply, thus limiting its sterilization capabilities.
As for sterilization techniques, it is True that moist-heat sterilization protocols require the use of higher temperatures for longer periods of time than do dry-heat protocols. Moist heat, such as steam under pressure, is more effective at killing microorganisms than dry heat because it penetrates materials better and is more lethal to proteins.