Module 2 Flashcards
List some sugars commonly found in food. [8]
- Glucose - a monosaccharide, the primary source of energy for somatic cells
- Fructose - a monosaccharide found in fruit, honey, and some veggies; in nature it is linked with glucose as the disaccharide sucrose
- Galactose - a monosaccharide that occurs in dairy and some plants
- Sucrose - occurs naturally in fruits and vegetables; glucose and fructose
- Lactose - found in milk and milk products; galactose and glucose
- Maltose - a disaccharide composed of two glucose units; found in molasses and used in fermentation
- Corn-based sweetener - refers to many products made from corn composed primarily of glucose and fructose, for example high-fructose corn syrup
- Agave nectar - contains fructans (oligosaccharides of fructose and glucose), and monosaccharides of fructose and glucose
In addition to adding a sweet taste, what is the purpose of sugars in food? [10]
- Inhibit microbial growth by binding water
- Add texture (mouthfeel; body), flavour, and colour to baked goods
- Support the growth of yeast for leavening or fermentation
- Contribute volumn in ice cream, baked goods, and jams
- Enhance the creamy consistency of frozen desserts
- Enhance the crystallization of confectionary products
- Balance acidity in salad dressings, sauces, and condiments
- Help to maintain the natural colour, texture, and shape of preserved fruits.
- Contribute to caramalization when exposed to high temperatures
- React with proteins to produce flavours and colours in foods (Maillard browning)
Describe the mechanism of sweet taste. [6]
- A dimeric G-protein coupled receptor composed of T1R2 and T1R3 subunits with multiple active sites.
- These bind sugars, amino acids, sweet proteins, and non nutritive sweeteners.
- Synergy among sweeteners many occur since binding a single subunit will activiate the sweet response, and binding a second ligand enhances the response.
- A transduction mechanism translates the chemical message through the nervous system to the brain.
- Although this pathway is not well defined, they are thought to work through the regulation of Ca2+ and ion channels.
- Some non nutritive sweeteners interfere with signal termination in the downstream elements of the transduction pathway, leading to a lingering taste.
What does the FDA do to determine the safety of a food additive, like a non-nutritive sweetener?
They consider:
* Probable intake
* Cumulative effect from all uses
* Toxicological data from pharmacokinetic and metabolism studies that evaluate:
* Extent of absorption
* Tissue distribution
* Pathways and rates of metabolism
* Rates of elimination and any metabolites
- Toxicological data is used to design toxicity studies in rodents that assess:
- Long-term use
- Reproductive and developmental toxicity
- Carcinogenicity
- Potential for allergenicity
- Interactions with medications
- Effects on nutritional status and blood glucose control
What three concepts are integral to the FDA food additive approval process?
- Highest no effect level - highest level of intake at which no adverse effect occurs
- Acceptable daily intake - the HNEL divided by 100 - reasonable certainty of no harm
- Estimated daily intake - overestimates consumption because it assumes the new additive will replace all sweeteners in the market; based on a consumption level to the 90th percentile; if this exceeds the ADI, there may be limitations placed on its use as an additive.
Name some non-nutritive sweeteners. [7]
- Acesulfame K
- Aspartame
- Luo han guo extract
- Neotame
- Saccharin
- Stevia
- Sucralose
What is a colloidal dispersion?
- The particles of one substance are distributed/dispersed in another substance without dissolving
- The substance that disperses is the dispersed phase
- The substance that extendes throughout the system and surrounds the dispersed phase is called the continuous phase
Name 6 colloidal disperions. Give examples of each.
- Sol - starches; proteins, and some plant polysaccharides in water
- Emulsion - milk; mayo
- Solid emulsion - butter; margarine
- Gel - starch, pectin, or gelatin gels
- Foam - beaten egg white; whipped cake frostings
- Solid foam - meringue; ice cream; bread
What are the dispersed and continuous phases for a sol dispersion?
Dispersed: solid
Continuous: liquid
What are the dispersed and continuous phases for an emulsion dispersion?
Dispersed and continuous: liquid
What are the dispersed and continuous phases for a solid emulsion dispersion?
Dispersed: liquid
Continuous: solid
What are the dispersed and continuous phases for a gel dispersion?
Dispersed: liquid
Continuous: solid
What are the dispersed and continuous phases for a foam dispersion?
Dispersed: gas
Continuous: liquid
What are the dispersed and continuous phases for a solid foam dispersion?
Dispersed: gas
Continuous: solid
What is an emulsion?
- A suspension of liquid (fat or water) in a liquid (fat or water)
- May be oil in water (milk) or water in oil (margarine)
What is proximate analysis?
Quantification of the amount of CHO, fat, protein, water, and ash in a food
What are the major components of food systems?
- Carbohydrates
- Fats
- Proteins
- Water
These are found in the largest amounts in foods. Each has a variety of functional properties which affects the physical and sensory characteristics of food during processing and storage.
What are the minor components in food? [5]
- Organic acids
- Pigments
- Aroma compounds
- Vitamins
- Minerals
What are monosaccharides?
- The monomers of carbohydrates which include glucose, fructose, and galactose.
- They are referred to as ‘simple carbs’
- Main function is to impart a sweet sensation
What are disaccharides?
- Formed by the union of two monosaccharides
- Also considered ‘simple carbs’
- Include sucrose, lactose, and maltose, which differ in solubility, sweetness, and other properties
What is table sugar?
- From sugar cane or sugar beet, mainly purely sucrose (glucose and fructose bound together)
What is invert sugar and why is it used?
- Produced by hydrolyzing sucrose with the enzyme invertase or with acid, to produce a mixture of glucose and fructose
- Used because of the inherently greater sweetening power per unit weight of fructose as compared to sucrose.
- The primary sugars in honey are glucose and fructose in a 40:60 ratio since most of the nectar contains sucrose which is hydrolyzed by invertase in the saliva of the honey bee. (Some of the glucose is converted to gluconic acid and hydrogen peroxide by glucose oxidase, which act as preservatives)
Sweetness is related to caloric contribution of the sweetening agent.
True or False?
False.
(For instance, fructose and lactose both produce 4 calories of energy per gram, but lactose is only 1/7 as sweet as fructose)
Sweetness has no relation to caloric contribution of the sweetening agent.
True or False?
True.
What is lactose?
- Milk sugar - glucose and galactose bound together
- Found in the milk of all animals (human milk contains more than cow milk)
- Can be broken down by lactase
- Can be fermented by LAB into lactic acid, which is the acidulant and presevative agent in yogurt and cheeses.
What is maltose?
- Two glucose units linked together
- Obtained when starch is hydrolyzed by amylase or by heating with dilute acid
Describe the production of High Fructose Corn Syrup.
- Amylase (or dilute acid) hydrolyzes starch into maltose
- Maltase hydrolyzes maltose into its D-glucose units
- Glucose isomerase converts glucose to fructose
- HFCS has 42% Fructose, 52% glucose, and 6% starch.
By passing the syrup through an ion-exchange column that retains fructose, 90% HFCS may be obtained. Today, HFCS90 is blended with HFCS42 to create HFCS55, which has a sweetness profile similar to sucrose. This syrup is cheaper than sucrose or even invert sugar, hence its use by the food and beverage industry.
What is hot supersaturated sugar?
- With controlled crystallization during cooling, this is the basis of hard candy products, toffees, and related products.
Describe caramelization.
- Involves sugars heated to high temperatures
- Non-enzymatic browning
- Occurs with both reducing and non-reducing sugars.
- Brown pigments formed contribute to colour of caramel candies and toffees (not the same as the melanoidins formed during the Maillard reaction)
What is a reducing sugar?
- Contains a free aldehyde or ketone group; will contain a free -OH group on the position next to the O in the ring structure
- Includes: glucose, fructose, galactose, and lactose
- Note: sucrose is not a reducing sugar because it does not have the free hydroxyl group.
Describe when the Maillard reaction occurs and its byproducts.
- When reducing sugars react with nitrogenous compounds (e.g., amino acids, proteins or amines)
- Responsible for the formation of brown pigments that appear on bread when they are toasted
- Many low molecular weight compounds are formed during the MR that are often aroma and flavour compounds that contribute to desirable (toasted bread; roasted coffee) or undesirable flavours (form in skim milk powder during storage or in canned peaches during long term storage)
- The brown colours are high molecular weight pigments that form (melanoidins) formed as a result of polymerization of some of the low molecular weight intermediate fractions.
What are polysaccharides?
- High molecular weight, long chains of monosaccharides (e.g., glucose)
- Classified as ‘complex carbs’
- Insoluble in water and generally tasteless
Discuss the characteristics and functional properties of pectin.
- Structural polymers in plants
- Form the cementing material between individual plant cells
- Pectin affects the texture of plant tissues
- Used in jams and jellies as gelling agents in the presence of sufficient sugar and acid
- Contribute to the viscosity of ketchup
- Contribute to the mouthfeel and maintenance of particles in suspension (e.g., orange juice)
A polysaccharide
Discuss the characteristics and functional properties of agar.
- Extracted from seaweed (kelp)
- Used as a thickener agent
A polysaccharide
Discuss the characteristics and functional properties of alginates.
- Extracted from certain types of seaweed
- Used as gelling agents
- Keep solids and liquids in suspension in fruit juices
A polysaccharide
Discuss the characteristics and functional properties of gum arabic/aracia.
- A plant exudate from the bark of acacia trees
- Used as a thickener and stabilizer in products like beer, soft drinks, and ice cream
a polysaccharide
Discuss the characteristics and functional properties of carrageenan.
- Extracted from certain types of seaweed (red algae)
- Used as a suspending agent to keep cocoa particles in suspension in chocolate milk
a polysaccharide
Discuss the characteristics and functional properties of xanthan gum.
- Produced by bacteria
- First isolated from rotting cabbage, now cultured in fermentation tanks and purified
- Used in salad dressings as a thickening agent, which enables the dressing to cling to the salad components
- Used as a suspending agent to maintain pieces of onion, red peper, and spices in a stable emulsion
a polysaccharide
Discuss the characteristics and functional properties of cellulose and hemicellulose.
- Present in many plant tissues as supporting structures (e.g., the fibres in celery)
- Are polymers of glucose that are indigestible
- Along with pectin and the other carbohydrate gums, form the indigestible portion of our carbohydrate intake that is known as dietary fibre
polysaccharides
Discuss the characteristics and functional properties of starch.
- Polymers of glucose
- Digestible when cooked (e.g., rice, potatoes)
- Used as thickening, suspending, or gelling agents
polysaccharides
What is starch made up of?
- Polymers of glucose joined by an alpha 1,4 linkage
- Amylose - a straight linear chain
- Amylopectin - branched
- Can be anywhere from 400 to several hundred thousand glucose units.
- The length and bulkiness of the molecules prevent interaction with receptors on tongue, and are therefore bland.
What are starch granules?
- Amylose and amylopectin are tightly packed.
- Not digestible
- Not soluble unless heated
What is gelatinization?
- When starch is heated in water, the granules absorb water and swell, so the bonds between starch molecules are loosened.
- Hydrogen bonds form between water and starch
- The starch granule eventually bursts, becoming soft and pliable
- This is the phenomenon that occurs when flour is used as a thickening agent when making gravies and the conversion of hard rice to soft cooked rice.
What is retrogradation?
- Involves the reassociation of starch molecules (especially the amylose polymers) into ordered sturctures, upon cooling and/or during refrigerated storage.
- The linear amylose molecules orient themselves in crystalline regions, leading to the syneresis of water and a loss of tenderness of the food (e.g., bread staling) or the development of a gritty texture (e.g., pudding stored in fridge)
Can retrogradation be avoided or reversed?
- Avoided to a certain extent through use of dextrins and/or modified starches to reduce the tendency for the alignment of amylose chains
- Partially reversed by heating - though retrogradation will quickly occur again upon cooling
How are dextrins produced?
- Partial hydrolysis of starches
What bonds exist in cellulose?
- Beta 1,4 linkages
- Humans lack the enzyme to break down this bond.