What is Food?

Any substances that can be metabolized by an organism to give energy and

build tissue. A food may be considered as any substance that we deliberately
take into our mouth and swallow it. Logically, a food must contain one or more
nutrients which some foods are rich in nutrients, whereas others have very little
nutrient value.
 Importance of food/Why we do eat?
It gives us the energy and nutrients to live and grow, be healthy and active, to move,
work, play, think and learn. food/cooking is a big pleasure for some people. Food is a
necessity, we need to eat to live, however, we don´t live to eat.

Food provides our bodies with the energy, protein, essential fats, vitamins and
minerals to live, grow and function properly. We need a wide variety of different foods
to provide the right amounts of nutrients for good health.

Enjoyment of a healthy diet can also be one of the great cultural pleasures of life.

1.For energy: Food is very vital for energy. Body functions due to energy supplied from
food. Food acts as fuel to generate energy.

2.For body shape and form: Food gives shape and form to the body. Food contains
proteins which provide aminoacids on digestion. These amino acids in the body act to
build body cells and other tissues to maintain shape and function.

3.For body building: To those who go for gym and other strenuous exercise for body
building, need protein. So gym instructors advice those practicing to consume high diet
containing foods.
 Importance of food/Why we do eat?

4.As a medicine. Food is also a type of medicine. In acidity, one of the best technique
to overcome acidity is to have a small quantity of food at frequent short intervals.

5.For drugs to act: Drugs act well when taken with sufficient food. Food gives strength
to the body to accommodate a drug safely and also metabolize it after its action in the
body. Without food drugs fail to overcome some diseases like tuberculosis, sunstroke,
gastric ulcers, skin diseases, muscle pains etc. Many oil soluble drugs get absorbed well
in presence of fatty food etc. Lack of sufficient diet along with administration of drugs
leads to many problems like drug accumulation, development of resistance to drug by
microbes etc.
6.To over come stress. Many people under stress neglect food. But interestingly the
same food can relieve stress. So if you find someone having stress, ask him to consume
food sufficiently and you will see that he feels a bit relieved from stress.

7.To over come disease or disorder. Food is an important parameter in diseases

like wound healing, bone fractures, inflammation, colds. During a wound, bone fracture
or inflammation, consuming sufficient diet helps to over come the pain and
inconvenience during the healing process.
Types of food
Types of food
 Types of food
Perishable foods: includes meat, poultry, fish, milk, eggs and many raw fruits and
vegetables. All cooked foods are considered perishable foods. To store these foods for
any length of time, perishable foods need to be held at refrigerator or freezer
temperatures. If refrigerated, perishable foods should be used within several days.

Semi-perishable foods: if properly stored and handled, may remain unspoiled for six
months to about one year. Flour, grain products, dried fruits and dry mixes are
considered semi-perishable.

Staple, or non-perishable foods: such as sugar, dried beans, spices and canned goods
do not spoil unless they are handled carelessly. These foods will lose quality, however,
if stored over a long time, even if stored under ideal conditions .
Functions of food
Functions of food
Functions of food
Functions of food
Functions of food
Functions of food
Functions of food
Properties of food
 Properties of food
Understanding the physical properties of foods is important as they are used in process design, product
and process optimization, product development, food quality control and food process modeling. The
physical properties of food are color, shape, size, structure, texture, volume, mass, Weight, Surface
area, Density, Porosity, Appearance, Center of gravity, rheology and interfacial properties,
and composition. Physical properties of foods are essential parameters for food processing operations as
well as for process design, modeling, and optimization. Physical properties are of utmost interest to the
food engineer because of their relationship with product quality, as well as their effect on the processing
behavior of foods. Furthermore, thorough understanding of the physical structure and properties of foods
is essential for the development of novel food products and processes.

Hydration properties of food: water activity, water absorbency, wettability, water retention capacity,
adhesion, cohesion, dispersibility, and solubility. Rheological behavior of food, viscosity, types
of Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids, viscoelastic fluids, gelification, types of gels.

‘Engineering properties’ refers to those physical properties that are of importance for food processing
and engineering. These are thermophysical properties, such as heat capacity and thermal conductivity,
Specific heat;Thermal diffusivity; Surface conductance, Absorptivity Emmisivity; Transmissivity which
are related to heat transfer; electrical properties, such as Conductance, Resistance, Capacitance and
permittivity, Dielectric properties , rheological properties such as viscosity and viscoelasticity that
explain flow behavior and deformation of foods; and structural properties, such as apparent density,
true density, expansion ratio, and porosity which characterize extruded foods. A thorough understanding
of engineering properties is essential for food processing .
 Properties of food
The Chemical properties of food: pH – Acidity; Fat and oil quality; Fat content; Protein
analysis.

Functional properties of food. Functional properties describes how ingredients behave

during preparation and cooking, how they affect the finished food product in terms of
how it looks, tastes, and feels. Functional properties include: Dextrinisation.
Dextrinisation; Caramelisation; Flavour; Preserving; Jelling; Denaturation; Coagulation;
Gluten formation; Shortening’ Plasticity; Aeration; Flakiness; Retention of moisture;
Sensory attributes.

Optical properties of foods are those properties which govern how food materials
respond to absorption of electromagnetic radiation in the range of optical wavelengths
and frequencies. Light transmittance, Light reflectance, Light absorptance, Color,
Intensity.
Mechanical properties: Hardness; Compressive strength; Tensile strength; Impact
resistance; Shear resistance; Compressibility; Sliding coefficient of friction; Static
coefficient of friction; Coefficient of expansion; Elasticity; Plasticity; Bending strength ;
Aerodynamic properties; Hydrodynamic properties.
 Nutrients/ Nutrition

• A nutrient is a component of food that is used by body to provide energy,

or for the growth and repair of tissue.
• Nutrients are components of food that are needed for the body to function.
• People need certain nutrients on a regular basis to maintain health and
prevent disease.
• The six basic nutrients found in food are carbohydrates, proteins, lipids,
vitamins, minerals, and water. Water which is essential for biochemical
processes to occur, is also considered a nutrient. Malnutrition can occur
when either too little or too much of the essential nutrients are eaten.

• Nutrition is the study of the nutrients in food and how they nourish the
body.
Nutrients/ Nutrition
 Types of Nutrients

The nutrients can be categorized as either macronutrients

(needed in relatively large amounts) or micronutrients
(needed in smaller quantities). The macronutrients are
carbohydrates, fats, fiber, proteins, and water. The
micronutrients are minerals and vitamins. There are seven
major classes of nutrients(i)Carbohydrates; (ii)Fat; (iii)
Vitamins (iv)Fiber; (v)Protein; (vi)Minerals; (vii)Trace
Minerals

The macronutrients (excluding fiber and water) provide structural material like amino acids
from which proteins are built, and lipids from which cell membranes and some signaling
molecules are built. Vitamins, minerals, fiber, and water do not provide energy, but are
required for other reasons. A third class dietary material, fiber (i.e., non-digestible material
such as cellulose), seems also to be required, for both mechanical and biochemical reasons,
though the exact reasons remain unclear.
Type, Function, sources of Nutrients
Type, Function, sources of Nutrients