Food Chemistry Impact Factor

Introduction

Food chemistry refers to all the chemical processes occurring in food. It majorly focuses on the composition and functional properties of foods and food products during various stages. Though food serves essential nutrients like proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, lipids, and minerals. It should be made sure to have food with the necessary nutrients. Food is produced from sources like plants or animals. This food provides abundant energy to the body due to its biological action.

For example, sugar, a simple form of carbohydrates, is broken down by the body during respiration, it converts into the form of energy. Reaction as follows −

$$\mathrm{Sugar +oxygen → carbon\: dioxide + water + energy }$$

$$\mathrm{C_{12} H_{22} O_{11} + 12O_2→ 12CO_2+ 11H_2 O + Energy}$$

Besides essential nutrients, food contains enzymes, and preservatives like flavours, food additives, and colours. These food products are being manufactured to enhance the longevity of the food product and to produce other varieties of food. Like fermentation or enzymatic action of milk changes to curd and cheese, however, preservatives serve no nutritive value but increase food life. Therefore, the impact of food science and chemistry helps with various factors like

• Techniques for enhancing food's shelf-life and avoiding the activity of microbes.

• Methods for food processing and avoiding food deterioration.

• Most importantly, food safety and quality enhancer methods.

What is Food Chemistry?

It refers to the chemistry behind the food's nature, and all their biological and non-biological interactions. It deals with the properties of the chemical components present in food, changes during food processing methods, and their interactions in the body. Substances like milk, meat, lettuce, poultry, and so on come under biological substances and are direct sources of proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids. Some food products undergo chemical changes with food processing techniques such as fermentation of dairy products and preservation of food items using lemon and sugar. Therefore, food chemistry deals with all changes that occur during food processing techniques and the enhancement of its quality.

What do Food Chemists do?

A good food chemist should know the science behind food and its application.

• He should be able to develop improved food and beverages.

• He should be able to analyse methods like canning, heat processing, freezing, and packaging.

• He must be aware of the effects of processing on the taste, appearance, freshness, aroma, and vitamin and mineral content of food.

Components of Food

The main component is the necessary diet that is required in a large amount by the body.

S.No	Components of food	Roles and Benefits	Examples of food items
1.	Carbohydrates	It is the main source of energy. It consists of monosaccharides composed of atoms like hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen with a general formula Cn H2n On. Examples include sucrose, glucose, and fructose.	Rice, wheat, sugar, maize, honey, potato, milk, banana, and bread.
2.	Fats	It is an abundant source of energy provided with flavour and taste. It includes fatty acids, and its consumption gives various health benefits like protecting against infections and brain development for kids and so on.	Butter, animal fat from meat, cheese vegetable oil (sunflower oil, groundnut oil, coconut oil), nuts, and milk.
3.	Proteins	It is the source for the formation of cell structure and its functioning. It provides growth, protection from infections, good digestion, and energy to the body.	Egg, pulses, soybean, peas, and milk, cheese, meat, fish, groundnut.
4.	Water	It is the source of various reactions occurring in the body like removal of waste, digestion, and body temperature maintenance. Besides water, there is water containing food also present. It is important to measure the intake of water, a large amount of it provides a place for bacterial growth.	Water and water-containing foods are watermelon and cucumber.
5.	Roughage	It is the source of fibre that helps in the bowel movement in the intestine and makes absorbing water easy.	Wheat, spinach, beans, cabbage, cereals, lady’s finger, and peas.
6.	Vitamins A, B, C, D and K	It plays a role in good digestion, correct eye vision, and strong bones.	Fruits (lemon, orange, apples), and vegetables (carrots, cabbage, tomatoes, spinach).

Different Chemicals in Food

• The other components or chemicals of food help in various functions of the body and their small quantities are enough.

S.No	Chemical elements	Roles and Benefits	Examples of food items
1.	Sodium	It helps control nerve impulse conduction, gastric juices, and tissue fluids.	Butter, cheese and salt.
2.	Calcium	It increases bone strength and the formation of teeth.	Green leafy vegetables, flour, milk, meat, cheese, pulses, eggs.
3.	Iron	It increases enzyme activity, muscle myoglobin formation and blood haemoglobin.	Liver, meat, flour, green leafy vegetables, eggs, bread.
4.	Phosphorus	It helps in nucleic acid formation, teeth, and bone formation.	Meat, potatoes, fish, milk, eggs, cheese.
5.	Fluorine	It helps in tooth and bone formation.	Tea, drinking water and fish.
6.	Iodine	It majorly helps in the function of the thyroid gland.	Iodised salt and sea fish.

• Other chemicals listed below as preservatives added to food are unhealthy.

S.No	Chemical	Roles	Examples
1.	Sodium Nitrite	It is a preservative used in cured meat products. It leads to diabetes and heart disease.	Deli meat, bacon, and jerky.
2.	Artificial Sweeteners	It is a kind of preservative that replaces the sweetness of sugar. It does not provide energy.	Candy, jams and jellies,puddings and dairy products.
3.	Carrageenan	It is used to thicken foods. It helps fight infections, coughs, and the common cold but has no nutritional value.	Jelly, cottage cheese, non-dairy, infant formula, and ice cream.

Food Components Can Be Broadly Differentiated Into Two Categories.

The food components are divided into two categories − Macronutrients and Micronutrients.

Macronutrients	Micronutrients
These are essential and are required in large amounts by the body.	They are required by the body but in small amounts.
It comprises protein, roughage, water, carbohydrates, and fats.	It comprises vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, and antioxidants.
Food items include cereals, fish, meat, oil, nuts, etc.	Food items include vegetables, fruits, dairy products, and eggs.
They contribute a bulk of energy to the metabolic system.	They contribute to the body's functioning, growth, and disease prevention.

Conclusion

Food chemistry is a broad topic to understand the science behind food components and their properties. It faces all the chemical modifications and structural changes. These changes can be brought under the supervision of a food chemist, who makes sure about the quality and nutritive value of food. It is important to have a balanced or mixed diet containing all the essential nutrients in the right proportion for the body’s proper growth and functioning.

FAQs

1.What is the importance of food chemistry?

Food chemistry is related to the chemicals involved in food during its processing and preservative-adding processes.

2.How is food chemistry used in everyday life?

Food chemistry is also related to the processes occurring in the body through digestion. It involves food digestion in the stomach as HCl present on the walls of the stomach helps break down the food.

3.What is the risk due to chemicals in food?

Some chemicals (present in preservatives) can cause toxic effects like kidney damage, liver disease, DNA damage or impairment of the nervous system, and gastrointestinal symptoms.

4.How can we reduce chemicals in food?

It can be reduced in the following ways −

• Limiting canned food.

• Avoid dyes in food.

• Avoid using non-stick pans.

5.What foods have no chemicals?

Only organic food has no chemicals like antibiotics and hormones.

6.Why do organic foods spoil faster?

Organic food is healthy as they are not treated with preservatives or waxes. Therefore, due to the absence of chemicals or preservatives, the shelf life of food decreases and spoils the food at a faster rate.