Water Molecules

Question 1

Why is water very important?

Answer 1

1. It is an essential nutrient: required to live
2. Effects the textural characteristics of water and makes food enjoyable. Viscosity, gel formation, snap, crispness are all affected by water. Palatability and digestibility depend on amount of water present
3. The extent to which other molecules attract water and bind them is one of the major determinants of strucural and sensory attributes
4. Product quality is determined by the water molecules beacuse is is important for microbal growth and determines the rate of reaction

Question 2

Water molecules in food and effect in microorganisms?

Answer 2

• Water determines whether particular microbes can survive/grow/multiply.
• Knowledge of this can help control those organisms causing spoilage or food poisoning
• Can be used in fermentation

Question 3

Waters effects on enzyme and non-enzymatic reactions?

Answer 3

• Water is important in the deterioration of food quality caused by a wide variety of enzymatic and non-enzymatic chemical reactions

Question 4

Water and it effects on stability of foods?

Answer 4

• Water molecules provide the enviro that allows many chemical reactions to occur by bringing together reactant molecules
• Can have desirable and non desirable effects on sensory and nutritional significance
• Generally food molecules are more stable at low water levels
• However, Some hydrophobic molecules react more readily at low water contents

Question 5

The structure of water?

Answer 5

• H2O
• Polar (the 4 pairs of e- repel each other causing the tetrahedral structural
• Hydrogen bonding between water and other molecules

Question 6

Types of water in food?

Answer 6

Although molecules are chemically identical there are a number of distinct categories of how water may occur in food. The are 4 categories

Question 7

3 Categories of water in food?

Answer 7

• Free water
• Constitutional water
• Vicinal or Monolayer layer water

Question 8

What is free water?

Answer 8

• Is mobile and can be readily removed during processing

Question 9

What is constitutional water?

Answer 9

• Are difficult to remove because they are part of the internal structure of other molecules like proteins