Food chemistry

“Food Chemistry” redirects here. For the journal, see Food and Drug Administration in 1906. The American
Food Chemistry (journal). Chemical Society would establish their Agricultural and
Food Chemistry Division in 1908 while the Institute of
Food chemistry is the study of chemical processes and Food Technologists would establish their Food Chemistry
Division in 1995.
interactions of all biological and non-biological compo-
[1][2]
nents of foods. The biological substances include Food chemistry concepts are often drawn from rheology,
such items as meat, poultry, lettuce, beer, and milk as theories of transport phenomena, physical and chemical
examples. It is similar to biochemistry in its main com- thermodynamics, chemical bonds and interaction forces,
ponents such as carbohydrates, lipids, and protein, but quantum mechanics and reaction kinetics, biopolymer
it also includes areas such as water, vitamins, minerals, science, colloidal interactions, nucleation, glass transi-
enzymes, food additives, flavors, and colors. This disci- tions and freezing/disordered or noncrystalline solids,
pline also encompasses how products change under cer- and thus has Food Physical Chemistry as a foundation
tain food processing techniques and ways either to en- area.[4][5]
hance or to prevent them from happening. An example
of enhancing a process would be to encourage fermen-
tation of dairy products with microorganisms that con-
vert lactose to lactic acid; an example of preventing a
2 Water in food systems
process would be stopping the browning on the surface
of freshly cut Red Delicious apples using lemon juice or Main article: Water
other acidulated water.
A major component of food is water, which can encom-
pass anywhere from 50% in meat products to 95% in
lettuce, cabbage, and tomato products. It is also an ex-
1 History of food chemistry cellent place for bacterial growth and food spoilage if it is
not properly processed. One way this is measured in food
The scientific approach to food and nutrition arose with is by water activity which is very important in the shelf life
attention to agricultural chemistry in the works of J. G. of many foods during processing. One of the keys to food
Wallerius, Humphry Davy, and others. For example, preservation in most instances is reduce the amount of
Davy published Elements of Agricultural Chemistry, in a water or alter the water’s characteristics to enhance shelf-
Course of Lectures for the Board of Agriculture (1813) in life. Such methods include dehydration, freezing, and
the United Kingdom which would serve as a foundation refrigeration[6][7][8][9] This field encompasses the “physio-
for the profession worldwide, going into a fifth edition. chemical principles of the reactions and conversions that
Earlier work included that by Carl Wilhelm Scheele who occur during the manufacture, handling, and storage of
isolated malic acid from apples in 1785. foods” [10] .
In 1874 the Society of Public Analysts was formed, with
the aim of applying analytical methods to the benefit of
the public.[3] Its early experiments were based on bread, 3 Carbohydrates
milk and wine.
It was also out of concern for the quality of the food sup- Main article: Carbohydrate
ply, mainly food adulteration and contamination issues Comprising 75% of the biological world and 80% of all
that would first stem from intentional contamination to food intake for human consumption, the most common
later with chemical food additives by the 1950s. The de- known human carbohydrate is Sucrose. The simplest ver-
velopment of colleges and universities worldwide, most sion of a carbohydrate is a monosaccharide which pos-
notably in the United States, would expand food chem- sesses the properties of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen in
istry as well with research of the dietary substances, most a 1:2:1 ratio under a general formula of C H₂ O where n
notably the Single-grain experiment during 1907-11. Ad- is a minimum of 3. Glucose is an example of a monosac-
ditional research by Harvey W. Wiley at the United States charide as is fructose. Combine them in the picture
Department of Agriculture during the late 19th century shown to the right and you have sucrose, one of the more
would play a key factor in the creation of the United States common sugar products around.

1
2 7 VITAMINS

function of cells. Consisting mainly of carbon, nitrogen,

CH2OH hydrogen, oxygen, and some sulfur, they also may contain
CH2OH
H O H O H
iron, copper, phosphorus, or zinc.
H In food, proteins are essential for growth and survival and
OH H O H HO vary depending upon a person’s age and physiology (e.g.,
HO CH2OH pregnancy). Protein is commonly obtained from animal
sources: eggs, milk, and meat. Nuts, grains and legumes
H OH OH H provide vegetable sources of protein, and protein com-
bining of vegetable sources is used to achieve complete
Sucrose: ordinary table sugar and probably the most familiar protein nutritional quotas from vegetables.
carbohydrate. Protein sensitivity as food allergy is detected with the
ELISA test.
A chain of monosaccharides form to make a
polysaccharide. Such polysaccharides include pectin,
dextran, agar, and xanthan. 6 Enzymes
Sugar content is commonly measured in degrees brix.
Main article: Enzyme

4 Lipids Enzymes are biochemical catalysts used in converting

processes from one substance to another. They are
also involved in reducing the amount of time and en-
Main article: Lipid
ergy required to complete a chemical process. Many as-
pects of the food industry use catalysts, including baking,
The term lipid comprises a diverse range of molecules brewing, dairy, and fruit juices, to make cheese, beer, and
and to some extent is a catchall for relatively water- bread.
insoluble or nonpolar compounds of biological origin, in-
cluding waxes, fatty acids (including essential fatty acids),
fatty-acid derived phospholipids, sphingolipids, glycol- 7 Vitamins
ipids and terpenoids, such as retinoids and steroids. Some
lipids are linear aliphatic molecules, while others have
Main article: Vitamin
ring structures. Some are aromatic, while others are not.
Vitamins are nutrients required in small amounts for es-
Some are flexible, while others are rigid.
Most lipids have some polar character in addition to being
largely nonpolar. Generally, the bulk of their structure
is nonpolar or hydrophobic (“water-fearing”), meaning
that it does not interact well with polar solvents like wa-
ter. Another part of their structure is polar or hydrophilic
(“water-loving”) and will tend to associate with polar sol-
vents like water. This makes them amphiphilic molecules
(having both hydrophobic and hydrophilic portions). In
the case of cholesterol, the polar group is a mere -OH
(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 as well.

5 Food proteins
Riboflavin (Vitamin B2 ), water soluble.
Main article: Protein (nutrient)
sential metabolic reactions in the body. These are broken
Proteins compose over 50% of the dry weight of an av- down in nutrition as either water soluble (Vitamin C) or
erage living cell and are very complex macromolecules. fat soluble (Vitamin E). An adequate supply of vitamins
They also play a fundamental role in the structure and can prevent diseases such as beriberi, anemia, and scurvy
 3

while an overdose of vitamins can produce nausea and emulsifier for emulsion mixtures like mayonnaise. These
vomiting or even death. are generally listed by "E number" in the European Union
or GRAS ("generally recognized as safe") by the United
States Food and Drug Administration.
8 Minerals
Main article: Dietary mineral
12 See also
• Food physical chemistry
Dietary minerals in foods are large and diverse with many
required to function while other trace elements can be • Dietary supplement
hazardous if consumed in excessive amounts. Bulk min-
• Food and Bioprocess Technology (journal)
erals with a Reference Daily Intake (RDI, formerly Rec-
ommended Daily Allowance (RDA)) of more than 200 • Food Chemistry (journal)
mg/day are calcium, magnesium, and potassium while
important trace minerals (RDI less than 200 mg/day) are • Food composition
copper, iron, and zinc. These are found in many foods,
• Food engineering
but can also be taken in dietary supplements.
• Food fortification
• Food microbiology
9 Color
• Food packaging
main|Food coloring • Food preservation
Food coloring is added to change the color of any food
• Food rheology
substance. It is mainly for sensory analysis purposes. It
can be used to simulate the natural color of a product as • Food safety
perceived by the customer, such as red dye like FD&C
Red No.40 Allura Red AC to ketchup or to add unnatural • Food science
colors to a product like Kellogg company Kellogg’s Froot
• Food storage
Loops. Caramel is a natural food dye; the industrial form,
caramel coloring, is the most widely used food coloring • Food supplements
and is found in foods from soft drinks to soy sauce, bread,
and Pickling|pickles. • Food technology
• Nutraceutical

10 Flavors • Nutrification (also called food enrichment or fortifi-

cation)

Main article: Flavor

Food chemist also help extract color from food, which is
one of many jobs they have.
Flavor 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 fla- 13 References
vor chemists (called a "flavorist") develop many of these
flavors for food products. Such artificial flavors include [1] John M. de Man.1999. Principles of Food Chemistry
methyl salicylate which creates the wintergreen odor and (Food Science Text Series), Springer Science, Third Edi-
lactic acid which gives milk a tart taste. tion

[2] John M. de Man. 2009. Food process engineering and

technology, Academic Press, Elsevier: London and New
11 Food additives York, 1st edn.

[3] Proc. Soc. Analyt. Chem p. 234

Main article: Food additive
[4] Pieter Walstra. 2003. Physical Chemistry Of Foods. Mar-
cel Dekker, Inc.: New York, 873 pages
Food additives are substances added to food for preserv-
ing flavors, or improving taste or appearance. The pro- [5] Physical Chemistry Of Food Processes: Fundamental As-
cesses are as old as adding vinegar for pickling or as an pects.1992.van Nostrand-Reinhold vol.1., 1st Edition,
4 15 EXTERNAL LINKS

[6] Pieter Walstra. 2003. Physical Chemistry Of Foods. Mar-

cel Dekker, Inc.: New York, 873 pages

[7] Physical Chemistry Of Food Processes: Fundamental As-

pects.1992.van Nostrand-Reinhold vol.1., 1st Edition,

[8] Henry G. Schwartzberg, Richard W. Hartel. 1992. Phys-

ical Chemistry of Foods. IFT Basic Symposium Series,
Marcel Dekker, Inc.:New York, 793 pages

[9] Physical Chemistry of Food Processes, Advanced Tech-

niques, Structures and Applications.1994. van Nostrand-
Reinhold vols.1-2., 1st Edition, 998 pages; 3rd edn. Min-
uteman Press, 2010; vols. 2-3, fifth edition (in press)

[10] Pieter Walstra. 2003. Physical Chemistry Of Foods. Mar-

cel Dekker, Inc.: New York, 873 pages

14 Bibliography
• Fennema, O.R., Ed. (1985). Food Chemistry - Sec-
ond 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 Sci-
ence, Fifth Edition. New York: Champman & Hall.
pp. 24–68.

• U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (1993). Ev-

erything Added to Food in the United States. Boca
Raton, Florida: C.K. Smoley (c/o CRC press, Inc.).

15 External links
• American Chemical Society Agricultural and Food
Chemistry Division website.

• Institute of Food Technologists Food Chemistry Di-

vision website.

• Association of Public Analysts

• The Penn State University,Food Chemistry,USA

• Wageningen University, Laboratory of Food Chem-

istry, The Netherlands

• / Mexican Food Recipe

 5

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