Food Processing Flashcards
Define: Processed food
A food that has been altered in some way by manufacturers in order to make them usable or better. Often high in fat/sugar.
EG: Milk, Cheese, Yogurt & flour.
Merits of processing foods (Advantages)
• Create new products
• Extends shelf life
• Allows for fortification
• Allows seasonal produce
Example of creating new products through processing
During processing, lactic acid bacteria are added to milk in an effort to produce cheese.
Example of extending shelf life through processing
Milk is pasteurized to kill pathogenic bacteria, resulting in a longer shelf life.
Example of fortification in processed foods
During processing, calcium is added to flour for the formation of bones & teeth.
Example of allowing seasonal produce through processing
Strawberries undergo processing, such as adding sugar and being tinned, to be used in winter months.
Profile a food that has undergone extensive processing
Flour - Milling.
Profile a food that has undergone processing to extend its shelf life
Milk has undergone pasteurization & UHT (ultra heat treatment).
Profile a food that has been processed to add value
Margarine.
Define: Added value foods
Processing raw cheap materials to create a new food that is more expensive than originally.
EG: Margarine is more expensive than oil.
Classification of convenience foods
• Frozen - Fruit
• Dried - Soup
• Canned - Peas
• Instant foods - Takeaway burger
• Cook-chill foods - Ready meals - Lasagne
Advantages of convenience foods
• Saves time
• No cooking skills
• Little waste
• Many fortified with extra vitamins/minerals
Disadvantages of convenience foods
• Expensive
• Unhealthy - High salt/sugar to preserve
• Additives
Define: Functional food
Any food that contains added ingredients that provide health benefits over nutritional value.
Examples of functional foods
• Benecol flora proactiv - Has plant sterols which prevent absorption of cholesterol in small intestine, reducing CHD.
• Cornflakes - Has folic acid which reduces NTDs in babies.
• Yogurt drinks - Contain probiotics, eg: Lactobacillus acidophilus - Improves immune system.
• Milk - Omega 3 FA - lowers triglyceride levels reducing risk of CHD.
Define: Fortified foods
Foods that are enriched with vitamins & minerals that were not originally present to increase the nutritional value.
EG: Supermilk - Vit D.
Function of fortified food
• Increase sales
• Increases nutritional value
• Replaces vitamins lost during processing
Define: Genetically modified foods
Foods that have their DNA altered, eg: adding a gene from another organism to change its size, shape, speed of ripening, etc.
Example of genetically modified foods
Carotene gene from carrots added to rice for vitamin A.
Purpose of genetically modified foods
Increase yield and introduce a resistance to plant diseases.
Foods must be clearly labelled as a GM food if…
• Produced from genetically modified maize or soya bean.
• Contains additives & flavourings that have been GM.
