Starches
What is the function of starch in a food?
Thicken, add structure, or add stability to foods
How can fat content affect food?
It affects nutritional value, cooking behavior, flavor, and mouthfeel
What are the two types of water in a food?
Free water can be easily removed. Bound water is attached to molecules like sugars, starches, or proteins.
Describe the difference between the structure of amylose vs amylopectin
Amylose is a linear chain of loops, Amylopectin is a branched structure
Which of the following is a lipid?
Sugar, Oil, Salt, Water
Oil
How do food scientists prevent free water from causing excess moisture in packaging?
By adding ingredients such as xanthan gum that bind free water in a gel, preventing excess moisture.
Which type of starch mixture is generally more viscous, amylose or amylopectin?
How do saturated and unsaturated fats separate when cooking meat?
They separate into layers due to differences in density
Describe free water in foods. How can it be removed?
Free water is the water in foods that can be easily removed from food by pressing, or squeezing
You spill water and you spill oatmeal, why does the oatmeal form a small puddle instead of spreading like the water?
It has starch, which gives the oatmeal structure and resists flow
What type of fat is solid at room temperature?
Saturated Fat
What is bound water? Is it easy or difficult to remove from a food?
Water that is attached to other molecules through hydrogen bonds that is difficult to remove from a food
What is syneresis, and why is it important for food scientists to monitor?
It is the leaking of water from starch mixtures; it affects product stability
What are lipids?
Organic compounds made of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen
Why do food scientists sometimes add ingredients to bind free water?
To improve product consistency and texture