Civilised man does not eat all the food as it is available in nature. He cuts, crushes, cooks, processes and modifies in many ways before consuming, adding variety to the diet.
DEFINITIONS
FOOD :- Food is defined as anything solid or liquid which when swallowed, digested and assimilated, nourishes the body.
FOOD SCIENCE:- Food is a mixture of many different chemical components. The study of food science involves an understanding of the changes that occur in these components during food preparation whether natural or induced by handling procedures. Many physical and chemical reactions occur during food preparation. these reactions may be a result oof the interaction between components, with the medium of cooking, and the environmental condition like heat , cold, light and air to which they are subjected during cooking. study of food science also includes understanding the nutritive value of different foods and methods of preserving them during cooking. This information provides a foundation of theory and method on which to build the study of food preparation.
FOOD ADDITIVE:- Food additive is defined as non-nutritive substances added intentionally to food, generally in small quantities to improve its appearance, flavour ,texture or storage properties.
FERMENTED FOOD:- Fermented food is produced by the action of bacteria or moulds which act on carbohydrates and proteins present in foods and hydrolyse them to simpler products yielding predigested foods.
FOOD TECHNOLOGY:- Food technology is the application of principles of food science and engineering to the processing and preserving large quantities of food.
FOOD FORTIFICATION:-Food fortification is defined by WHO as the process whereby nutrients are added to foods in relatively small quantities to maintain or improve the quality of the diet of a group, a community or a population.
BIOFORTIFICATION:- Biofortification is the process of improving nutrient content in crops through breeding or genetic modification.
FOOD CHEMISTRY:- Food chemistry is the discipline that is involved in investigating the composition, structure and properties of food stuffs and their components.
NON NUTRIENTS OF FOODS:- Non nutrients of food are organic compounds having no nutritional function. they may be toxins or beneficial substances like fibre or compounds that may improve palatabilityor pharmacological importance.
FUNCTIONAL FOOD:- Functional food provides health benefits beyond the nutrient contribution when they are eaten on a regular basis in adequate amounts. Functional food has positive effect on a person’s health, physical performance or state of mind.
PHYTOCHEMICALS:- Phytochemicals are non-nutrients compounds found in plant derived food that have biological activity in the body.
FOOD SAFETY AND REGULATION:-Food safety and regulation is related to food sanitation in public health and rules and regulations governing it.
ANTIOXIDANT:- Antioxidant include compounds that protect biological systems against the potentially harmful effects of processes or reactions that can cause excessive oxidations (USDA).
FUNCTION OF FOOD
Foods are classified according to their functions in the body.
ENERGY YIELDING:-This group includes foods rich in carbohydrate, fat and proteins .One gram of carbohydrate give 4 calories. one gram of protein give 4 calories. one gram of fat give 9 calories. This group may be broadly divided into two group:
. Cereals, pulses, nuts and oilseeds, roots and tubers.
. pure carbohydrates like sugars and fats and oils.
Cereals provide in addition to energy large amounts of proteins, minerals and vitamins in the diet. pulses also give protein and b vitamins besides giving energy to the body. Nuts and oilseeds are rich in energy yielding as they are good sources of fats and proteins. roots and tubers though mainly provide energy, they also contribute to some extent to minerals and vitamins.
Pure carbohydrate like sugars provide only energy (empty calories) and fats provide concentrated source of energy and fat soluble vitamins
BODY BUILDING: Foods rich in protein are called body- building foods. They are classified into two groups:
. Milk, egg, meat, fish: They are rich in proteins of high biological value. these proteins have all the essential amino acids in correct proportion for the synthesis of body tissues.
. Pulses oilseeds and nuts: they are rich in protein but may not contain all the essential amino acids required by the human body.
PROTECTION AND REGULATION
Foods rich in protein, vitamins and minerals have regulatory functions in the body e.g., maintaining the heart beat, water balance,temperature. protective foods are broadly classified into two groups.
.foods rich in vitamins and minerals and proteins of high biological valuee.g,milk, egg,fish,liver.
.Foods rich in certain vitamins and minerals only e.g.,green leafy vegetables and fruits.
MAINTENANCE OF HEALTH
Food contain certain phytochemicals and antioxidant which help in preventing degenerative diseases. Food plays an important role in the prevention of cancers, heart diseasesand in controlling diabetes mellitus.
some examples for functional foods are whole grains, soyabean,green leafy vegetables,coloured fruits and spices.