Introduction
utmost of us are ignorant of the wisdom behind the product and processing of the food, we consume food. chemistry is the study of chemical processes and relations of all natural and non-biological factors of foods. The natural substances include meat, flesh, lettuce, beer, and milk as exemplifications. It's analogous to biochemistry in its main factors similar as carbohydrates, lipids, and protein, but it also includes areas similar as water, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, food complements, flavors, and colors. this field also looks at how food changes when we cook it in different ways and how we can improve or preserve it.
An illustration of enhancing a process would be to encourage turmoil of dairy products with microorganisms that convert lactose to lactic acid; an illustration of precluding process would be stopping the browning on the face of lately cut apples using bomb juice or other acidulated water.
History
The scientific approach to food and nutrition chemistry arose with attention to agrarian chemistry in the workshop of J. G. Wallerius and Humphry Davy( 1845). It was also a huge concern to ameliorate the quality of the food force and address food contamination and impurity issues that first stemmed from purposeful impurity to latterly with chemical food complements by the 1950s. The development of sodalities and universities worldwide, most specially in the United States expanded food chemistry as well with exploration of the salutary substances during 1907- 11. fresh exploration by Harvey W. Wiley at the United States, Department of Agricultural chemistry during the late 19th century played a crucial factor in the creation of the United States Food and Drug Administration in 1906. The American Chemical Society( ACS) also established their Agricultural and Food Chemistry Division in 1908 to study the colorful chemical constituents in the food stuffs
Chemistry and chemical processes involved in a few important food stuffs
Chemistry of tomatoes:
The study of tomatoes' chemistry reveals that green tomatoes get their color from chlorophyll. As they ripen, they develop the pigment lycopene. This compound absorbs light across most of the visible light spectrum, making the tomatoes appear red. The highly conjugated structure of lycopene causes it to absorb most visible light, except the red portion.
Chemistry of Aroma of coffee:
Coffee beans have around 1000 different chemical compounds. These compounds can be divided into non-polar compounds, which make up 10-25%, and polar compounds, which make up 75-100%. During brewing, not all compounds in coffee beans are extracted equally. Polar compounds, which dissolve well in water, are usually extracted more. Some common functional groups in coffee include phenols, aldehydes, ketones, sulfur-containing compounds, furans, and pyrazines. A few examples of aroma compounds found in coffee beans are illustrated in the figure below.
Chemistry of Honey:
When bees collect nectar, they store it in a special stomach called the honey stomach, separate from their regular stomach. The nectar mixes with enzymes that break down the big sugars like sucrose into smaller ones like glucose and fructose. The bees then pass it to another bee, who regurgitates and re-drinks the nectar for about 20 minutes, breaking down the sugars even more. Honey has less water (about 17%) and absorbs water from around it, even from bacteria, to prevent spoilage. The gluconic acid from breaking down glucose gives honey a lower pH (3-4), making it unfriendly for bacteria to grow.
Chemistry of spinach (paalakh):
Compared to many other veggies, spinach is famous for its high iron content (2.6 mg per 100 mg). However, the iron in vegetables like spinach is not easily absorbed by the body because of polyphenol compounds that bind to iron, reducing its bioavailability. Spinach is also a good source of vitamin A in the form of carotenoids. Additionally, spinach has a high amount of oxalic acid, which can leave a chalky feeling on teeth known as "spinach teeth." This happens because poorly soluble calcium oxalate crystals form on the teeth when oxalic acid reacts with calcium ions in spinach.
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