Food Chemistry

(Session 6)
 Water Activity (aw) and Water Content
Moisture Sorption Isotherm Monolayer
Monolayer: the boundary between zones 1 and 2
Higher Stability

2
 Water Activity (aw) and Water Content
Moisture Sorption Isotherm Hysteresis
Hysteresis: A mathematical term, when a function exhibits 2 possible
values for one value of independent variable

Microstructure of food
Non-reversible
structural changes
Desorption No-equilibrium effects

Adsorption

3
Thus a successful combination of water
activity and glass transition could open
more precise and unified determination
of stability criteria

4
Water activity (aw) & equilibrium relative humidity ERH :
Water activity is a measure of the water in a food (or other
substance) available to organisms

If you place a sample of food in a sealed container, (e.g. your

lab experiment):

the moisture in the food will come to an equilibrium

with the air-space ( air inside the container)

Samples aw is defined as the

equilibrium relative humidity (ERH) of ERH
aw
this air divided by 100. 100
5
 Example:
The following sorption isotherm graph is constructed for a
shelf stable cornmeal product at 30, 35 and 40C:

a) Label the sorption isotherms to

their corresponding temperatures
and explain the effect of
temperature.

a) The monolayer moisture content value (determined by a GAB ,at 30 C) was

approximately 0.12 g/g in dry basis. If the moisture content of the formulated
product is 18% w/w of dry solids, would there be any chemical or safety
consideration? What should be your recommendation on the target water
activity of the product?
6
 Review Questions:

Specify if the following quotes are false or true

a) Water is a good solvent for non-polar molecules
b) Maximum hydrogen bonding keeps the molecules of ice farther
apart than in liquid water so ice is less dense.
c) The crystalline lattice of ice causes it to be denser than liquid
water.
d) The lower the water activity, the higher the food product shelf
life

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Food Chemistry

(Lipids)

8
 Lipids Characterizations:
Types of lipids
Oils
Lard
Tallow
Butter
Margarine
Shortenings
Fat replacers (Calorie, taste, texture, and mouth
feel?)
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 Lipids Characterizations
Lipid content in foods

o Peanuts
o Cheese
o Beef
o Poultry
o Eggs
o Milk (whole)
o Corn
o Broccoli
o Potatoes
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 Lipids Characterizations
Lipids or Fats
Various Functions in Food
Essential Nutrients
-fats may contain essential fatty acids
Energy
-fats provide a concentrated energy source in foods

Transport
-fats carry fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K

Sensory appeal (Influence food flavors)

free fatty acids contribute flavors
lipids act as solvents for carrying hydrophobic flavors and aromas (and nutrients)
Texture
-fats help make foods tender
Solid vs liquid
Emulsions 11
 Lipids Characterizations:
Lipids are organic compounds containing : C, H, O
Classifications of Lipids:
Compound Lipids : contain an inorganic or organic group
in addition to fatty acids and glycerol
Phospholipids : lipids containing
a phosphate group ( will be discussed later)

Glycolipids: lipids containing a carbohydrate group,

usually galactose.
(found in the nerve cell membranes)

Lipoproteins: usually phospho-lipids which contain a

protein molecule.
(occur in the cell membrane, also found in milk and egg yolk) 12
 Lipids Characterizations:
Classifications of Lipids:

Derived lipids : contains hydrocarbon rings and long

hydrocarbon chain

Sterols
Cholesterol : do not have a straight chain, composed of
four fused carbon rings and a long hydrocarbon side chain.

CH3 CH3
CH CH2 CH2 CH2 CH
17 CH3

5
3 6
Fatty acids + HO

13
 Lipids Characterizations:
Classifications of Lipids:
Simple lipids

Natural : esters of fatty acids and glycerol

Triacylglycerols/TAGs
Mono/ Di acylglycerols
-Saturated , unsaturated Fatty acids
Waxes : esters of long chain fatty acids + long chain alcohols
O

Plant palmitic acid portion

Animal
O

Petroleum O
1-hexacosanol portion

Beeswax (myricyl palmitate) C30 H61 O C C15 H31 14

 Lipids Characterizations

Simple Lipids: Natural Lipids

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 Lipids Characterizations
Simple Lipids: Natural Lipids
Triacylglycerols/TAG : Glycerol esters of fatty acids
TAGs are composed of fatty acids and glycerol

Monoacid TAGs :
Homogeneous fatty acid compositions
R=R=R

Mixed-acid TAGs
 Lipids Characterizations:

TAGs properties are defined by

Fatty acids compositions

Fatty Acids Positions on

Glycerol Backbone
POP vs. PPO vs. OPP

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 Lipids Characterizations:
Chemistry of Fatty Acids

Fatty acid is a hydrocarbon chain with:

a methyl group at one end
and an acid group (carboxylic acid) at the other.

CH3(CH2)n COO-
Non-polar Polar

Degree of solubility and hydrophobicity:

Lipids are non-polar (hydrophobic) compounds, soluble in organic solvents.

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 Lipids Characterizations:
FAs : Key building blocks of TAGs & their properties are defined by:
The Length of the Carbon Chain
Short-chain FA
SCFA: fatty acids with aliphatic tails of 2 - 6 C
(i.e. butyric acid, cows butter)
- antimicrobial activity
Medium-chain FA
MCFA : fatty acids with aliphatic tails of 612 C,
caproic C6, caprylic C8, and capric C10, acid in goat's milk, goat cheese
flavor)
Long-chain FA
LCFA: fatty acids with aliphatic tails 13 to 21 C, saturated, unsaturated
Very long chain FA
VLCFA: with aliphatic tails longer than 22 C, PUF
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 Lipids Characterizations:
FAs Chain and their MP and Solubility

Solubility in H2O
Fatty Acid Chain Length

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 Lipids Characterizations:
FAs : Key building blocks of TAGs
What else is important to know about FAs?

The Degree of Unsaturation

saturated
unsaturated,
o monounsaturated,
o polyunsaturated

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 Lipids Characterizations:
Saturated Fatty Acids
No C=C double bonds
straight chain
most animal fats
some are solid at room temp
may contributes to
cardiovascular disease
C18:0: Tallow, Lard, lamb, poultry, CB, Butter,..
C16:0: palm trees, Tallow, Lard, CB, Butter,
plant, olive oil,.

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 Lipids Characterizations:
The Degree of Unsaturation
Mono-unsaturated Fatty Acids

Double bond cause bending
Thick liquid/soft solid at RT
Solid / semisolid when chilled
vegetable oils (60-80%): olive oil (75%),
canola oil (60%),
Nuts
Red meat : Tallow 50%, Lard 40%
Nuts, Whole milk, Fish oil 23