topic 5 Flashcards
Why is wax added to fruits and veggies?
to restore natural wax of food that is taken off when washed before shipped. This wax is naturally present and prevents the food from drying out. So, the added wax just comes to replace it.
What is morpholine? Is it carcinogenic?
Added to wax where in body it can become chemical nitroso-morpholine. High amounts in animals can become carcinogenic but it is not a really a concern to us because our consumption is v small
Wine was fortified with….
Lead acetate to make it sweeter
Vegetables had something added to it to make them look greener and more appealing?
Copper salts
What is Plaster of Paris and why was it added to bread? What else was added?
(CaSO4) added to it to make flour last more and white powder was added which contained arsenic oxide!
bitter almonds, lima beans, fruit seeds, cassava roots have naturally occurring…
cyanide, so, they need to be properly prepared, otherwise poisoning can occur
Sassafras is used as….it contains…
Sassafras leaves were used as cleansing agents, but they contain safrole which is a potential carcinogen. It was banned due to this.
why do we need chemicals in our food?
to replenish the chemicals in our bodies
True or false: Salt content is greater in processed foods than in unprocessed foods. Processed cheese has 2x the amount of Na than unprocessed cheese.
True
Where does the term salary come from and how is it related to salt?
Term “salary” comes from “salarium”, the Latin term for salt. It is believed that Roman’s salaries were used to buy salt, because it was so important.
Salts substitutes exist, but why aren’t they widely used?
taste of salt is very difficult to replicate. NoSalt (KCl) doesn’t really taste by salt.
What is MSG? How does it work?
chemical additive, discovered from fact that Japanese used seaweed as a condiment as it tasted good
brings out umami taste
- Increased salivation: extracts flavourful additive components of food
- Increased sensitivity: makes food taste better
What does MSG cause? Are they allergic to it?
Chinese Restaurant Syndrome or Kwok’s Disease, similar to heart attack symptoms. NOT allergic to it, but causes adverse reactions.
Where can you find a precursor to MSG and what is it called?
cheese, mushrooms, eggs, tomatoes, it is called glutamic acid. Becomes MSG when in contact w salt.
MSG is made…
produced in lab from bacteria-fed molasses which then converts into glutamic acid. Subsequently treated with NaOH to produce MSG.
How many food additives are taken in per year? How many chemicals is this? Is it a lot?
Food additives taken in per year is ~1lb/yr or ~500g. This represents ~2000 chemicals. The amount of these chemicals is therefore extremely small.
Basic tastes (6)
sour, sweet, salty, bitter, umami, kokumi
what is kokumi?
Kokumi: full taste, cheese especially. Pinot noir from Oregon supposedly has this taste.
Does butterball brand turkey actually have butter?
No, it has margarine, so + saturated than butter.
How does salt as a preservative?
Through osmosis: movement of a solvent, through a semi-permeable membrane, from a region of low solute concentration to a region of high solute concentration. High salt allows to dry out food AND bacteria, so they die and food is preserved
What did Louis Pasteur do?
put to rest the concept of “spontaneous generation” because some believe that organisms could be created from nothing. He showed that microorganisms coming from outside would cause problems (l’experience du col de cygne, if microorganisms were not allowed in, nothing would develop).
What is l’experience du col de cygne?
An experiment that shows that if microorganisms are not allowed in an environment, nothing will form.
True or false: sugar is not a preservative as it cannot function with osmosis.
False, sugar also works as a preservative, also works through osmosis.
Ketchup technically has no added preservatives, but what does it have that acts as one?
High sugar content (30%)
What are chemical additives used for?
Preservation, taste, color, preventing food poisoning
Name 3 preservatives
Sugar, salt, smoke (it dehydrates (eg. fish) and chemicals prevent growth of bacteria)
Why is red herring red?
Because smoking it develops a red colour
True or false: E.Coli only exists in meat
False, it can also be found in produce due to runoff from manure
E.Coli is a bacteria that grows…
inside the stomach of cattle.
Incidence of food poisoning is higher due to many reasons, but namely 2:
- industrial farming: animals and cattle and chicken grow up in crowded conditions making it more prone for the development of infection.
- Use of antibiotics in animal feed: in U.S. 70% of antibiotics are used in animal feed, this is because they are used as prevention for infection spreading due to crowded conditions and because animals will grow faster (less food competition in their guts). Concern: chicken or cattle may develop bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics. So, when you consume them, the bacteria make you ill and survives due to resistance to antibiotic.
Sodium phosphate
retains moisture and gives texture
