FOOD SCIENCE

Food Science • The sour taste is primarily found in fruits and

• is a multidisciplinary field of study that assess vegetables, such as citrus fruits and green
and applies biology, engineering, and the apples, but it is also found in naturally sour
physical sciences. Food science discovers the dairy products, such as yogurt or cultured
nature of foods. Why do some foods flourish buttermilk.
and others depreciate? It focuses on the
technical aspects of food from growing, • The bitter taste is dominant in cruciferous
harvesting, or slaughtering through all parts of vegetables - those that bear a cross at the root,
food processing and preparation for consumer such as Brussel sprouts, broccoli, and
appreciation. Food science helps determine why cauliflower. It is also distinct in coffee, tea, and
certain foods are consumed before others for wine. The umami taste is recognizable in aged
pleasure and nutrition. cheese, fermented soy foods, savory steaks,
seafood, mushrooms, and tomato products.
• food sciences investigate and evaluate
product development and production, • The umami taste can be improved from flavor
microbiological and chemical testing, food layering or support among ingredients, such as
packaging, shelf-life issues, and sensory a Caesar salad with anchovies and Parmesan
evaluation. The food sciences involved cheese or a roasted tomato sauce with porcini
are: Food Engineering; Food Chemistry; Food mushrooms.
Packaging; Food Microbiology; Food Safety;
Molecular Gastronomy, and Sensory Analysis.
• Flavor is the sensation that is created when a
Sensory Science
substance is taken into the mouth and
• is a cross-disciplinary field of study that points
stimulates receptors that register smell, taste,
out how our five senses (hearing, sight, sound,
touch, and temperature sensations.
taste, and touch) function – from stimulation
and perception to reasoning and behavior.
• Texture is the appearance, consistency,
Sensory science assimilates research in quality
and/or feel of a surface or a substance. Texture
perception, favorites, interprets, and health and
also refers to the properties and sensations that
well-being to gain insights into the primary
are transmitted by the sense of touch to the
factors of food choices and eating behaviors. It
brain for interpretation.
explores how our senses can be used in food
quality control and product design.
• Mouthfeel is both the chemical and physical
reactions of foods and beverages inside the
THE FIVE BASIC TASTES
entire oral cavity.
• The sweet taste originates in fruits and
vegetables, but it is also found in protein foods,
such as milk sugar lactose and glycogen –
deposited or stored carbohydrate that is found
in muscle tissue.

• The salty taste is obviously present in some

fruits and vegetables, such as tomatoes and
deep leafy green vegetables, and protein foods
such as dairy products. Many salty ingredients
are manmade and established for preservation.
Common Cooking Method Both Moist and Dry How to Repair Ingredients, Foods, and
-Heat Reactions Recipes
1. Sugars: Caramelizing problems and
1. Emulsions are mixtures of two or more
reducing options
liquids that are normally immiscible
2. Gelling problems
(unmixable), with an emulsifying agent that
keeps the emulsion in suspension. Most 3. Gluten problems
emulsions have three elements: emulsifier, 4. Staling and retrograding problems
mechanical action and stabilizers. 5. Fruits: Deterioration and ripening
problems
2. Enzymes are groups of proteins that are 6. Vegetables: color problem
important to food product development, 7. Fats: Curdling and separating problems
cooking, and nutrition because of their effects
on the ingredients in a recipe. Enzymes are
catalyst which increase the rate of reactions and
cause chemical and physical changes. enzymes
are not the cooks friend.

3. Heat Transfer - heat is the process by which

raw foods are transformed by heat energy into
fusion of cooked and baked creations.

4. The Maillard Reaction also known as the

browning reaction, is a series of complex
chemical and physical reactions that produce
sweet, brown compounds at lower
temperatures than what are required to
caramelize foods.

5. Temperature and Time - well-tested recipes

often include the most optimal cooking or
baking time and temperature. The first time one
attempts a recipe, it is best to follow whatever
time and temperature are provided and note
the results.

6. Freezers does not prevent bacterial, chemical,

or physical changes in foods; it delays them.

Common Mistakes in Recipe Execution

1. Too much or too little salt.
2. Too much or too little fat.
3. Too much starch or sugar.
4. Too much or too little liquid.