Which of the following factors does sugar decrease to prevent the growth of bacteria that contaminate food?

Sugar is a common food preservative that reduces the moisture content of food and inhibits the growth of bacteria that can spoil or contaminate it. By reducing the amount of available water in a food product, sugar makes it more difficult for bacteria to grow and multiply. While salt and acidic levels can also be used to preserve food, they do not directly decrease moisture content in the same way that sugar does. PH level can affect bacterial growth, but sugar primarily inhibits growth by reducing moisture.

During sugar preservation, osmosis (movement of water from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration through a semi-permeable membrane, such as the cell walls of bacteria) plays an important role in inhibiting the growth of bacteria and preventing spoilage of food.