Food chemistry

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
"Food Chemistry" redirects here. For the journal, see Food Chemistry (journal).

Food chemistry is the study of

browning on the surface of freshly cut apples using lemon juice or other acidulated water
.

History of food chemistry

The scientific approach to food and

J. G. Wallerius, Humphry Davy, and others. For example, Davy published Elements of Agricultural Chemistry, in a Course of Lectures for the Board of Agriculture (1813) in the United Kingdom which would serve as a foundation for the profession worldwide, going into a fifth edition. Earlier work included that by Carl Wilhelm Scheele, who isolated malic acid
from apples in 1785.

Some of the findings of

Eben Horsford in Lowell Massachusetts in 1848.[3]

In 1874 the Society of Public Analysts was formed, with the aim of applying analytical methods to the benefit of the public.[4] Its early experiments were based on bread, milk, and wine.

It was also out of concern for the quality of the food supply, mainly food

United States Food and Drug Administration in 1906. The American Chemical Society established its Agricultural and Food Chemistry Division in 1908 while the Institute of Food Technologists
established its Food Chemistry Division in 1995.

Food chemistry concepts are often drawn from

glass transitions and freezing/disordered or noncrystalline solids, and thus has Food Physical Chemistry as a foundation area.[5][6]

Water in food systems

Main article: Water

A major component of food is water, which can encompass anywhere from 50% in

dehydration, freezing, and refrigeration[7][8][9][10] This field encompasses the "physiochemical principles of the reactions and conversions that occur during the manufacture, handling, and storage of foods".[11]

Carbohydrates

Main article: Carbohydrate
Sucrose: ordinary table sugar and probably the most familiar carbohydrate

Comprising 75% of the biological world and 80% of all food intake for human consumption, the most common known human carbohydrate is sucrose[citation needed]. The simplest version of a carbohydrate is a monosaccharide which contains carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen in a 1:2:1 ratio under a general formula of CnH2nOn where n is a minimum of 3. Glucose and fructose are examples of monosaccharides. When combined in the way that the image to the right depicts, sucrose, one of the more common sugar products found in plants, is formed.

A chain of monosaccharides form to make a

xanthan.[12] Some of these carbohydrate polysaccharides are accessible for digestion by human enzymes and mainly absorbed in the small intestine, whereas dietary fiber passes to the large intestine where some of these polysaccharides are fermented by the gastrointestinal microbiota.[13]

Sugar content is commonly measured in degrees brix.

Lipids

Main article: Lipid

The term lipid comprises a diverse range of

aromatic
, while others are not. Some are flexible, while others are rigid.

Most lipids have some

hydroxyl
or alcohol).

Lipids in food include the oils of such grains as corn, soybean, from animal fats, and are parts of many foods such as milk, cheese, and meat. They also act as vitamin carriers.

Food proteins

Main article: Protein (nutrient)

Proteins comprise over 50% of the dry weight of an average living cell[citation needed][clarification needed] and are very complex macromolecules. They also play a fundamental role in the structure and function of cells.[14] Consisting mainly of carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen, and some sulfur, they also may contain iron, copper, phosphorus, or zinc.

In food, proteins are essential for growth and survival, and requirements vary depending upon a person's age and

eggs, milk, and meat. Nuts, grains and legumes provide vegetable sources of protein, and protein combining of vegetable sources is used to achieve complete protein
nutritional quotas from vegetables.

Protein sensitivity as food allergy is detected with the ELISA test.

Enzymes

Main article: Enzyme

Enzymes are biochemical

catalysts used in converting processes from one substance to another. They are also involved in reducing the amount of time and energy required to complete a chemical process. Many aspects of the food industry use catalysts, including baking, brewing, dairy, and fruit juices, to make cheese, beer, and bread
.

Vitamins

Main article: Vitamin
Riboflavin (vitamin B2), water-soluble

Vitamins are

beriberi, anemia, and scurvy while an overdose of vitamins can produce nausea and vomiting
or even death.

Minerals

Main article:
Dietary mineral

Dietary minerals in foods are large and diverse with many required to function while other trace elements can be hazardous if consumed in excessive amounts. Bulk minerals with a Reference Daily Intake (RDI, formerly Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA)) of more than 200 mg/day are calcium, magnesium, and potassium while important trace minerals (RDI less than 200 mg/day) are copper, iron, and zinc. These are found in many foods, but can also be taken in dietary supplements.

Colour

Main article:
Food colouring

Food colouring is added to change the colour of any food substance. It is mainly for sensory analysis purposes. It can be used to simulate the natural colour of a product as perceived by the customer, such as red dye (like FD&C Red No.40 Allura Red AC) to ketchup or to add unnatural colours to a product like Kellogg's Froot Loops. Caramel is a natural food dye; the industrial form, caramel colouring, is the most widely used food colouring and is found in foods from soft drinks to soy sauce, bread, and pickles.

Flavours

Main article: Taste

Flavour in food is important in how food

smells and tastes to the consumer, especially in sensory analysis. Some of these products occur naturally like salt and sugar, but flavour chemists (called a "flavourist") develop many of these flavours for food products. Such artificial flavours include methyl salicylate which creates the wintergreen
odor and lactic acid which gives milk a tart taste.

Food additives

Main article: Food additive

Food additives are substances added to food for preserving flavours, or improving taste, look, smell and freshness. The processes are as old as adding

GRAS ("generally recognized as safe") by the United States Food and Drug Administration
.

See also

References

  1. ^ John M. de Man.1999. Principles of Food Chemistry (Food Science Text Series), Springer Science, Third Edition
  2. ^ John M. de Man. 2009. Food process engineering and technology, Academic Press, Elsevier: London and New York, 1st edn.
  3. Eben Horsford (editor) (1848) Liebig's Researches on the Chemistry of Food and the Motion of the Juices in the Animal Body
    , Lowell Massachusetts
  4. ^ Proc. Soc. Analyt. Chem p. 234
  5. ^ Pieter Walstra. 2003. Physical Chemistry Of Foods. Marcel Dekker, Inc.: New York, 873 pages
  6. ^ Physical Chemistry Of Food Processes: Fundamental Aspects.1992.van Nostrand-Reinhold vol.1., 1st Edition,
  7. ^ Pieter Walstra. 2003. Physical Chemistry Of Foods. Marcel Dekker, Inc.: New York, 873 pages
  8. ^ Physical Chemistry Of Food Processes: Fundamental Aspects.1992.van Nostrand-Reinhold vol.1., 1st Edition,
  9. ^ Henry G. Schwartzberg, Richard W. Hartel. 1992. Physical Chemistry of Foods. IFT Basic Symposium Series, Marcel Dekker, Inc.:New York, 793 pages
  10. ^ Physical Chemistry of Food Processes, Advanced Techniques, Structures and Applications.1994. van Nostrand-Reinhold vols.1-2., 1st Edition, 998 pages; 3rd edn. Minuteman Press, 2010; vols. 2-3, fifth edition (in press)
  11. ^ Pieter Walstra. 2003. Physical Chemistry Of Foods. Marcel Dekker, Inc.: New York, 873 pages
  12. S2CID 247866305
    .
  13. S2CID 49211123
    .
  14. Institute of Medicine (2005) Dietary Reference Intakes for Protein and Amino Acids, page 685, from National Academies Press

Bibliography

  • Fennema, O.R., Ed. (1985). Food Chemistry - Second Edition, Revised and Expanded. New York: Marcel Dekker, Inc.
  • Francis, F.J. (2000). "Harvey W. Wiley: Pioneer in Food Science and Quality." In A Century of Food Science. Chicago: Institute of Food Technologists. pp. 13–14.
  • Potter, N.N. and J.H. Hotchkiss. (1995). Food Science, Fifth Edition. New York: Champman & Hall. pp. 24–68.
  • U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (1993). Everything Added to Food in the United States. Boca Raton, Florida: C.K. Smoley (c/o CRC press, Inc.).

External links
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