Monosaccharides Monosaccharides are classified by the number of carbons in the saccharide unit—triose (three carbons), tetrose (four carbons), pentose (five carbons), and hexose (six carbons). The chemical names of many of the carbohydrates end ...
Non-Nutritive Food Components
Non-Nutritive Food Components Foods contain some compounds that are not classified within the six basic nutrient groups. All sorts of substances can be found in food—natural, intentional, and unintentional. Among the beneficial compounds naturally ...
Functions of Water in Food
Water is the most abundant and versatile substance on earth. Among its many uses in food preparation, its two most important functions are as a transfer medium for heat and as a universal solvent. ...
Composition of Water
Whether bound or free, water’s chemical formula remains the same, Water is a very small molecule consisting of three atoms – one oxygen atom flanked by two hydrogen atoms (H2O). Water may exist as ...
Enzymatic Reactions
Enzymatic Reactions Enzymes (or biocatalysts) are one of the most important proteins formed within living cells because they act as biological catalysts to speed up chemical reactions. Thousands of enzymes reside in a single ...
Disaccharides
Disaccharides The three most common disaccharides are sucrose, lactose, and maltose. Sucrose Sucrose is table sugar, the product most people think of when they use the term “sugar.” Chemically, sucrose is one glucose molecule ...
Enzyme Use by Food Industry
Enzyme Use by the Food Industry Many foods would not be on the market if it were not for certain enzymes. Foods that can be manufactured with the aid of enzymes include wines, cheeses, ...
Carbohydrates
Foods High in Carbohydrates Carbohydrates are the sugars, starches, and fibers found in foods. Plants are the primary source of carbohydrates, with the exception of milk, which contains a sugar called lactose. The muscles ...
Food Chemical Reaction
Water makes possible a vast number of chemical reactions that are important in foods. These include ionization, pH changes, salt formation, hydrolysis, and the release of carbon dioxide. Ionization When particles dissolve in a ...
Basic Food Chemistry
The body’s benefit from food’s energy and nutrients occurs on the cellular level. To comprehend how this occurs, it is necessary to know some biochemistry. While this may be a daunting term, it is ...