Chapter 1: Food Science: An Old But New Subject Flashcards
Define food.
Material (animal or plant-based) that contains essential body nutrients.
What is the role of food?
To be ingested and assimilated to produce energy, stimulate growth and sustain life.
How do humans ingest food? And plants?
People: eat and drink
Plants: absorb
Is water a food?
Water is debatable.
Define food science.
Study of the nature of food, the courses of deterioration, food processing, and improvement of foods for consumers.
When did food science evolve?
When technology moved food prep to factories
What does food science focus on?
What happens to foods before you eat them
What does nutrition focus on?
What happens to foods after you eat them
Why is food science called an integrated course?
Since it involves related topics from various disciplines, such as biology, chemistry, physics, food preparation, health topics, algebra, writing, etc.
How did the food supply affect the development of early civilizations?
Civilizations formed where water, game, and land would provide abundant food supplies.
What tool was invented near the beginning of the industrial revolution that helped food scientists begin to understand food spoilage?
Microscope
List the three major periods in the development of food.
1) Early Food Discoveries
2) Industrial Revolution
3) Government Regulation of the Food Industry
What were the earliest forms of food processing?
Drying, salting, smoking, and cooking over an open flame
Are fresh/natural foods more healthy? Why?
No, that is a developed country mindset. “All natural” doesn’t exist, everything is processed or manipulated to a certain extent.
Are traditional foods healthier?
No, you are eating to SURVIVE. Limited fruits/veggies, heavy reliance on staple food.
Name some staple foods. Why are they useful in under developed countries?
Potatoes, rice, maize, wheat
Suitable for long periods of storage
Describe the major scientific advances during the Industrial Evolution.
- Microscope
- Farm machinery: thresher, reaper, steel plow
- Baking powder, yeast, self-rising flour
- Canning
Describe the major accomplishments during the Government Regulation of the Food Industry.
- USDA and FDA: safety laws
- Food labelling
- Organic products
- Expanded food supply
- New food products
- New processing techniques
Who is Nicolas Appert?
Inventor of canning in glass jars with boiling water.
Napoleon won many wars thanks to this technique.
What was Appert’s glass jar replaced with?
Tin
When did cans become popular
When the can opener was invented in 1855
What are the upsides/downsides of canning?
Upside: one of the best preservation methods
Downside: low nutritional value
Who is Ferdinand Carré?
Inventor of ammonia compression –> year-round freezing replaced block ice
What replaced ammonia compression freezing?
The use of CFCs in the 1920s as a “safer” alternative to ammonia –> fridges in the HOUSE
What did Louis Pasteur discover?
Heat can kill bacteria
What is pasteurization the basis for?
All thermal processing
What did pasteurization show?
Why Appert’s canning process worked
Pasteur lowered the transmission of which disease?
Tuberculosis
Why do we need food regulations?
To maintain a consistent, economic, and convenient food supply.
What did mass food production lead to?
Mass adulteration
Give examples of adulteration.
- Ground pepper contained gravel and twigs
- Vinegar diluted with sulphuric acid
- Milk had added water
- Less expensive fish, replaced and said to be more expensive fish
- Painted olives
- Counterfeit sugar and booze
What did the book “The Jungle” by Upton Sinclair lead to?
A revolution in terms of government regulations.
What does the USDA oversee today?
Oversees meat, poultry, processed egg products, inspects processing plants, dietary guidance, organic foods.
Why was the FDA invented?
Harvey Wiley, a researcher for the USDA pushed to form an association that deals with food safety
What two laws are the basis for all rules and regulations written by the FDA?
1) The Pure Food and Drug Act (1906)
2) Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (1938)
What is the reference used by restaurants, grocery stores, and institutions as a guide to safe food handling?
The FDA Food Code
What does the FDA regulate today?
Regulates 80% of the food supply, approves food additives, sets food labelling guidelines, and creates food safety and wholeness standards.
What can be presumed about a food product that has a USDA organic seal?
It means it is certified organic and has 95% or more organic content, not including water and salt.
Name 10 techniques or processes that may be used to create a processed food.
Canning, chopping, cleaning, cooking, dehydrating, fermenting, freezing, pasteurizing, salting, smoking
What does the Pure Food and Drug Act (1906) focus on?
Prohibits interstate commerce of misbranded and adultered food, drinks, and drugs.
What does the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (1938) focus on?
Covers cosmetics and establishes regulations for food industry.
What does the Food Safety Modernization Act (2010) focus on?
Preventing food contamination from IMPORTED foods.
As for Canadian regulations, what does the Food and Drug Act focus on?
Protect the public against health hazards and fraud from the sale of food.
What federal government department (in Canada) has a complementary role in the enforcement of the policies based on the FDA?
Health Canada
What is the CFIA (Canada)?
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
enforcement of the health and safety requirements in the FDA
What is the AAFC (Canada)?
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Information and support to help industry understand regulatory requirements to get innovative foods into the marketplace
Who handles food labelling in the USA? And in Canada?
USA: FDA/USDA
Canada: CFIA
Give some examples of hydroponic crops and explain how they are grown.
Grown with their roots suspended in liquid nutrient solutions.
For example, tomatoes, cucumbers, and lettuce grow well in this environment.
Why might consumers choose to use food analogs instead of traditional food products?
Food analogs are natural or manufactured substances used in place of foods or food components. For example, “bacon” chips made from soybeans. Unlike real bacon bits, this food analog has a long shelf life and does not require refrigeration.
What is the advantage of using cryogenic liquids in food production?
Cryogenic liquids are substances that are in liquid form at extremely low temperatures.
Ordinary freezing techniques allow relatively large ice crystals to form. These ice crystals can rupture the cell walls of foods like fruits and vegetables. Cryogenic liquids are so cold that foods freeze almost on contact. This results in the formation of very small ice crystals, which cause minimal damage to cell structure. Products thus maintain much of the color, texture, and nutritive value of fresh foods.
How does food defense differ from food security?
Food defense is the protection of food products from intentional adulteration by biological, chemical, physical, or radioactive agents.
Food security means access to nutritionally adequate and safe food.
Name three benefits of studying food science.
- Help understand food labels and analyze new products
- Understanding how scientific principles relate to food can help become a better cook
- Understanding today’s market will help make the best decisions when buying food to avoid potential hazards
Although adultering food is illegal, what can food producers gain by doing this? What potential hazards do such products create for consumers?
Adulteration is lowered quality and safety of a product caused by adding inferior ingredients that may be toxic. These ingredients are often cheaper, and save the manufacturer money.
What have food scientists accomplished in the last century?
- Identified nutrients
- Links between food supplies and health
- Developed new food products/ingredients
