Food Science

What is it all about ???

 INTRODUCTION TO FOOD SCIENCE

A. What is Food?
•Any substance (solid or liquid) consumed to provide nutritional requirements
(carbohydrates, fats, proteins , vitamins or minerals )/ support for an organism .
•It is usually a plant or animal origin .

B. What is Food Science ?

• Food science is the study of physical, biological and chemical make up of food.

To understand Food science, the basic concepts of Physics , Chemistry, Biology

and their applications (biochemistry, microbiology and food technology) are
necessary in order to prepare, package, store, and serve wholesome , high quality
products.
• Scope of Food Science
• Food Science is applied in manufacturing & preservation of food products.
• Current food industry in processing and catering is one of the
largest and most needed industry in world fulfilling one of our basic needs
i.e. food .
• Remarkable growth rate and achieving the ever changing demands of the
people.

• Application - Food technology is the application of knowledge and

principles learned from food science to : -
• 1. Processing
2. Preservation
3. Packaging
4. Storage
5. Transportation /Distribution
6. Evaluation
• Physical and chemical reactions occur during food preparation.
• Example – Cooking meat is a chemical change .

Turning water into ice is a physical change.

• Includes nutritive value of different foods and methods of preserving

them during cooking.
• Provides foundation theory

• Method to build the study of food preparation.

• Convenience Foods :- Processed foods in which much pre – preparation

/preparation has already been done by the
manufacturer

. Example – frozen green peas , breakfast cereals ,canned foods .

 Food Chemistry
Mathematics Food engineering

Statistics FOOD Food Microbiology

SCIENCE

Biochemistry Molecular Biology

Physics
 Common Misconceptions About What
Food Science Is
Trained as a chef, or cook, more
●

of an art than a science

Food Preparation

Nutrition

● Nutritionists try to determine how

much and what foods we should
eat. Food scientists use this
information to design the food
products and processes.
 OPPORTUNITIES IN FOOD SCIENCE .

1. Product Development

2. Quality Assurance

3. Food Safety and Inspections

4. Research (academia or industry)

5. Safety or Quality Testing

Scope of the food requirements , consumption is the basic need, people will
always consume food so there will always be jobs in Food Science !!!
•
 Main Areas

● Biology Food Safety

Food
Microbiology

● Chemistry
Food Chemistry
Food Analysis

● Physics Food Processing

Food Packaging
 BIOLOGY
•

Food Safety Food Microbiology

 Food Microbiology
● It is the study of bacteria, viruses, yeast and moulds and how they affect
● food and consumption
● Microbes has adverse effects - causes spoilage of food and illness to
● health .
● Microbes has beneficial effects - “Good bacteria” such as probiotic
● becoming increasingly important in Food science. E.g. - Yakult.
● Essential for the production of foods such as cheese, yogurt, bread, beer
● , wine and, other fermented foods.
●
 Adverse Microbes
Food Spoilage : - Changes in texture, colour, taste, or odour during storage
●

E.g. Mould on bread.

● Illness : - Toxins produced by microbes or infections caused on their

secretions
E.g. Botulinum toxin produced by Clostridium Botulinum
Infection caused by Plasmodium falciparum causes
Malaria and also by E -Coli causes Pneumonia.
• Beneficial Effects
• Fermentation :- Bacteria and yeast ferment carbohydrates in food, this results
• in alcohol, acid, and gas
E.g. - Yeast make alcohol in beer and wine, bacteria make acid in yogurt,
Yeast in bread making

• Probiotic :- They are also called Good bacterias as they provide health benefits
• when consumed or incorporated with food products.
• E.g. - Lacto bacillus acidophillus is a probiotic which found in some yogurt.
• Yakult is a probiotic which is a fermented drink and is made up of
• Lacto bacillus casei – helps in digestion and immunity.
• Food Safety
• It is a safety and Control measure to assure that the food provided to the end

consumer is free from contamination and spoilage by

• - Microorganisms
• - Foreign bodies
• - Harmful Chemicals
•

•
• Food Pathogens
• The micoorganisms which cause food borne illnesses / infections or intoxication.
•

E.coli
Raw Milk , Botulinum
Salmonella
Contaminated water
Canned veg ,
Fruits &
vegetables bottled garlic

Campylobacter – Staphylococci
Listeria- Raw meat and Sandwiches,
Ready to eat undercooked Puddings
meat , hot dog poultry
• Foreign Bodies
A foreign body is any undesirable solid object found in food or any un- edible
•

material which ranges from : -

•Metals : - No any metal contaminants should be present in foods. Metal detectors

are mandatory at the end of all production lines to ensure no metal contaminants
in the food.

• Glass : - No glass is allowed on the production floor of a food manufacturing

plant and even in catering units.

Plastic pieces : - Plastics in the form of cling foil, or any plastic container can
•

contaminate food.

• Insects and microorganisms also can be foreign bodies in food.

•Foreign bodies remain a significant risk to consumers and to a company's

reputation. They can also be difficult to detect.
 Harmful Chemicals
• Any chemical agent that can cause adverse, short or long term, health effects:

-Cleaning chemicals – used in housekeeping

- Insecticides Pesticides – Sprayed on fruits & vegetables
-Packaging materials – Polyethylene bags , Thermocol
-Dangerous additives - Artificial sweeteners - Aspartame, (E951) more
– popularly known as Nutra sweet and Equal, found in foods labeled "diet" or
"sugar-free“ , High Fructose Corn Syrup , Monosodium Glutamate
(MSG / E621) ...
-Natural toxins - glycoalkaloids in potatoes, cyanide-generating
compounds in bitter apricot seeds and bamboo shoots
 CHEMISTRY

Food Chemistry Food Analysis

 Food Chemistry
• Foods consist mainly of proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids.

• Food chemistry helps in understanding the physical and chemical nature of food
and the changes takes place during processing and storage of food.

• Study of chemical processes and interactions of all biological and non biological
components o foods.

• Biological substances include items as meat , poultry, lettuce, beer and milk as
examples.

• Non biological – similar to biochemistry in its main components such as

carbohydrates, lipids, and protein, but it also includes areas such as water,
vitamins, minerals, enzymes, food additives, flavors, and colors.
 Food Chemistry
• Major Functionalities of Proteins:

• Formation Of Gel – proteins interlock and trap water to form a gel.

E.g. addition of acid to milk - lactose sugar in milk gets fermented to lactic
acid lowering the pH of milk which reduces the stability of casein ( milk
protein) and it coagulates forming gel.

• Emulsification – allows for the mixing of oils and water

Eg. Egg protein in salad dressing OR mayonnaise is an oil in water emulsion
that is stabilized by the lecithin in egg yolk.

• Foaming – Proteins form a network that traps air

Eg. Whipped egg meringues – stiff peak stage

• Fibre Forming – Cooking of meat - meat fibres become stringy –

overcooking toughnes meat due to excessive loss of drip / fluids and loss of
collagen and fat . Volatile flavour compounds are lost which given a meat
stringy texture.
 Food Chemistry
• Major Functionalities of Carbohydrates:

• Sweeteners – Small chain carbohydrates used as sweetening agents

Eg. Sucrose - glucose + fructose

• Preservatives – Sugars reduce the availability of water, thus reducing microbial

growth
Eg. Jam – main funtion is to work with pectin and fruit acids to for a gel structure
which we call as jam

• Fermentation – Used by microbes as a food substrate

Eg. Yeast in beer produces alcohol - The process by which yeast converts sugars
into alcohol and CO2.

• Gelation – Long chains of sugars connect and trap water to form gels
Eg. of cold setting gelation is gelatin whereas egg white is an example of heat
setting.
 Food Chemistry
• Major Functionalities of Lipids:

• Crystalization – Fats crystalize in different ways to give different food textures

Eg. Chocolate, ice cream.

• Emulsifiers – Fats like monoglycerides act as emulsifiers

• Most frequently used raw materials for emulsifiers include palm oil, rapeseed oil,
soy bean oil, sunflower oil or lard

Taste – lipids act as flavour carriers, affecting the taste sensation and mouthfeel
 Food Analysis
• Principles and techniques for quantitative and qualitative analysis of food
composition, sensory properties and safety

• Quantitative - In analytical chemistry, quantitative analysis is the

determination of one, several or all particular substance(s) present in a sample.
E.g. - % or wt of the contents / ingredients in particular product (Jams,
Jellies , Pickles)

• Qualitative - Qualitative analysis is a part of chemistry that deals with figuring

out the elements or ingredients of which a compound or mixture is made.
E.g - determining the ingredients of a certain salt solution.

• Breaking food down into components:

- Water
- Crude Fat
- Crude Protein
- Crude Fibre
- Nitrogen Free (Starch, Sugar)
- Ash (Minerals)
 Scenario
• Cheese making:
• Microbiology – Lactic Acid Bacteria

• Safety – Listeria, Salmonella, E. Coli O157

• Chemistry and physics – Casein Gelation

• Analysis – Nutritional Labels

• Processing – Gelation, Cutting, Syneresis, Healing, Cooking, Draining,

Moulding, Aging

• Packaging – Vacuum Packing, Appealing Design

 Physics

Physical properties of food Food Engineering and Processing Food Packaging

 Physical and Physico-chemical Properties of Foods
• Colours
E.g. – different food colours used to look the product more appealing – Synthetic or
Natural

• Colligative properties - are properties of solutions that depend on the ratio of the
number of solute particles to the number of solvent molecules in a solution, and not on
the nature of the chemical species present.
E.g. - freezing point, vapour pressure, water activity - the freezing point of salt water is
lower than that of pure water, due to the presence of the salt dissolved in the water. ...

• Food dispersions (dispersed particles) such as emulsions

E.g - one substance is dispersed as very fine particles in another substance called
dispersion medium. In case of dust, solid particles are dispersed in air as dispersion
medium. Foam , Solid foam , Emulsions, Gels

• Food texture and rheology: - Food rheology is the study of the rheological properties of
food, that is, the consistency and flow of food under specified conditions.
• The acceptability of food products to the consumer is often determined by food texture,
such as how spreadable and creamy a food product is.
E.g. - hardness, elasticity, compressibility etc
 Food Engineering
• Food Engineering : - Food engineering is a multidisciplinary field which
combines microbiology, applied physical sciences, chemistry and
engineering for food and related industries.

• Food process engineers (FPEs) research and develop new and existing
products and processes. They also design processing, handling, and
packaging equipment. When they are hired as project engineers, they
supervise the design, construction, installation, and start-up of processes.

• Specific food engineering activities include:

- drug/food products;
- design and installation of food/biological/pharmaceutical production
processes;
- design and operation of environmentally responsible waste treatment
systems;
- technical support for manufacturing plants.
 Food Processing
• Methods and technology used to transform
agricultural products into food products

• These processes include:

- Pasteurization
- Drying
- Canning
- Filtration
- Freezing
 Pasteurization
- The elimination of pathogenic bacteria
and reduction in numbers of spoilage
bacteria.
- Ensures a safe product and extends shelf
life
- Often used during production of:
– Milk
– Honey
– Beer
– Juices
 Drying
- Dehydrating Foods
- Helps to remove 95%-99% of water from a
product by means of various drying processes : -

-Processes include:
– 1. Tunnel Drying – Vegetables, fruits
– 2. Drum Drying – potato flakes
– 3. Spray Drying – Milk powder, Whey powder
– 4. Freeze Drying – Meat , Sea foodsmeals
 Canning
- Method of preserving food in which the food contents are processed (
HEATED) and sealed in an airtight container by destroying all microorganisms
- Canning provides a shelf life typically ranging from one to five
years, although under specific circumstances it can be much
Longer.
- The heating is done in high-pressure steam kettles, or cookers
usually using temperatures around (116° C). The cans are then
cooled in cold water or air, after which they are labeled.
- Canning preserves most of the nutrients in foods.
- The sterilization temperature is dependent
on pH:
 Filtration
• Separation of parts of a product by size
• Membrane filtration is state-of-the-art technology
for clarification, concentration, fractionation
(separation of components), desalting and
purification of a variety of beverages. It is also
applied to improving the food safety of products
while avoiding heat treatment.

• Used to:

- Extract certain ingredients

- Remove unwanted particles
- Remove microorganisms

• Processes include:
- Cross Flow Filtration – Milk
- Reverse Osmosis – Water Treatment
- Charged Carbon Filtration - Brita
 Freezing
- The lowering of a products temperature to below approx -10°C
- Decreases rates of chemical change and stops growth and metabolism of
Microorganisms

- Processes include:

- Blast Freezing – packaged foods

- Fluidized Bed Freezing– Individual Quick
Frozen Products
- Immersion Freezing – Juices
- Scraped Surface Freezing – Ice Cream
Food Packaging
 Types of Packages
- MAP – Modified Atmosphere Packaging is an optimal blend of pure oxygen, carbon
dioxide and nitrogen within a high barrier or permeable package. A finely
adjusted and carefully controlled gas blend is developed to meet the specific
respiration needs for each packaged food product.

- Biodegradable – packages that will decompose over a relatively short amount of

time in a landfill.
Based on PLA ( Poly lactic acid), biodegradable packaging is a set of polymers that
are derived from materials like starch (e.g. corn, potato, tapioca etc), cellulose, soy
protein, lactic acid etc., not hazardous in production and decompose back into
carbon dioxide, water, biomass etc. when discarded properly.

-
 Types of Packages
- Recyclable – materials that can be recycled.
- Environmentally friendly packaging causes less damage to the
environment.
- Reusable packaging can be cleaned and re-used.
Example - glass milk bottles are reused.
- Recyclable packaging is made of materials that can be used
again, usually after processing. Recyclable materials include
glass, metal, card and paper.
- Permeable – Packages that allow the permeation of air, moisture, or both.
The function of packaging is to surround or wrap meat products with suitable
protective material.
Examples - transparent or opaque, flexible or semi-rigid, gas proof or permeable to
certain gases.
 Other Resources
- The Science Behind Our Food, U of Georgia, Detailed lesson plans
on food science for high schools www.uga.edu/discover/sbof/

- Food Science Ambassador program, Can Inst of Food Science

and Technolwww.cifst.ca/default.asp?id=1027

- Institute of Food Technology Teacher Resources,

http://members.ift.org/IFT/Education/TeacherResources

- Food Science & Nutrition – Sunita Roday