Fruits and Veggies

Question 1

What differs a fruit from a vegetable?

Answer 1

Fruits are pulpy, edible material that grows around seeds after a plant has flowered while veggies are any other part of the plant.

Question 2

What are the fibers that make up a plant cell?

Answer 2

Cellulose, hemicellulose, pectin, and lignin

Question 3

What is cellulose responsible for?

Answer 3

Cellulose is a major component of cell walls, most abundant, and responsible for giving the plant structure. It is a long chain of glucose that cannot be digested because humans lack the proper enzyme to do so.

Question 4

What is hemicellulose and pectin responsible for?

Answer 4

Intra- and intercellular cement that gives firmness and elasticity to cells.

Question 5

What is unique about Lignin?

Answer 5

It is not a CHO and must be removed, it cannot be softened via cooking. As a plant gets older its lignin concentration increases making it stronger.

Question 6

What are plastids?

Answer 6

Organelles that sore substances such as starch and pigments

Question 7

What plastid is responsible for storing starch and water?

Answer 7

Leucoplasts

Question 8

What plastid/s is/are responsible for color?

Answer 8

Chloroplasts (green), chromoplasts (carotene/orange or xanthophyll/yellow/brown), vacuoles (anthocyanins/red/blue).

Question 9

What plastid is responsible for texture and flavor?

Answer 9

Vacuoles

Question 10

How does intercellular air space affect a vegetable/fruit?

Answer 10

Adds volume and crispness. Fruits and veggies would otherwise be soft and flaccid. Apple - 20%-25% air Peach - 15% Potato - 1%

Question 11

What are the three major groups of plant pigments?

Answer 11

Carotenoids (yellow, orange, red). Chlorophylls (green). Flavonoids (anthocyanins (blue-red), anthoxanthins (cream/white), and betalains (purplish-red))

Question 12

What are the three kinds of flavonoids?

Answer 12

Anthocyanin = red-purple / anthoxanthin = cream/white / betalains = purple-red/yellow

Question 13

What are phytochemicals?

Answer 13

Plant compounds that are not required nutrients but can serve many functions to protect our health such as antioxidants, phytoestrogens, and anti-inflammatory agents.

Question 14

Name four phytochemicals

Answer 14

Lycopene, genistein, luteolin, polyphenols.

Question 15

What additives can be added to veggies?

Answer 15

Some veggies have wax coatings, some canned veggies may contain EDTA (preservative), and flavoring agents (Salt, sucrose), and sodium bicarbonate to clean veggies and neutralize the flavor.

Question 16

What are legumes?

Answer 16

All legumes grow as seeds within a pod.

Question 17

What is a pulse?

Answer 17

Legume crops that are harvested solely for the dry seed.

Question 18

What are excluded from pulses?

Answer 18

Vegetable crops such as green beans and green peas and seeds grown for oil such as dried soybeans and peanuts.

Question 19

What is tofu?

Answer 19

Cheese made from soy milk, coagulants used to precipitate protein from the “milk”.

Question 20

What is texture vegetable protein used for?

Answer 20

Often used to extend ground meats and lower costs. USDA limits to no more than 30% of any product.

Question 21

What are meat analogs?

Answer 21

Imitation meats made by blending soy protein with vegetable proteins, CHOs, fats, vitamins, minerals, colorings, and flavors. Fake meat.

Question 22

What are non-soy meat analogs made from?

Answer 22

Pea protein.

Question 23

Why should you cook veggies?

Answer 23

Increases palatability, increases digestibility, changes flavor and texture, kills micro-organisms, and decreases bulk.

Question 24

How does texture change during cooking of a veggie?

Answer 24

Starch gelatinizes, cellulose softens (decreasing bulk) and turgor (the pressure exerted by fluids in a cell that presses the cell membrane agains the cell) reduced due to water loss.

Question 25

How do acids affect texture? How do bases affect texture?

Answer 25

Acids make veggies resistant to softening and bases make veggies mushy.

Question 26

How does chlorophyll change during cooking?

Answer 26

The removal air results in a brighter green color while the addition of acid results in a muted green color. With base it becomes brighter as well but mushy.

Question 27

How does anthocyanin change?

Answer 27

Red-purple turns to purple-blue with base (think blue berry muffin)

Question 28

How does anthoxanthin change?

Answer 28

White gets whiter with acid.

Question 29

How do organic acids affect fruits?

Answer 29

They give fruits its tarty flavor. Generally the more acidic the more fruity it is. Above 4.5, they are associated as veggies (cucumbers, squash). Higher pH can also result in a more bland and sweet fruit.

Question 30

Name five organic acids.

Answer 30

Citric, malic, tartaric, oxalic, benzoic

Question 31

What are the three stages of pectic substances? How are they converted?

Answer 31

Protopectin, pectin (Only stage that gels), and pectic acid. Converted through enzymes and heat.

Question 32

How can you prevent enzaymtic browning?

Answer 32

Preventing oxygen exposure, slow enzymatic activity (cold temperature and low pH below seven), denaturing enzymes (blanching), and antioxidants (vitamin C and sulfur compounds)