Lesson 2 Reading guide

Bio Sci 9B

Reading guide for lesson 2 (pages 792 – 809)

Complete this reading guide as you read the pages listed above. You might not have to read
every word on every page, rather pay close attention to the questions in this guide and answer
them as you work through the textbook. Also pay close attention to the terms that are
underlined: these are key terms that you should know the definitions of and be able to apply in
new situations.

If you want a review of basic chemistry before reading this chapter, read Appendix A.

Give a brief description of each of the four major food molecules:

Water:

Fats (oils):

Carbohydrates:

Proteins:

In the section on “Water”

What three atoms make up a single water molecule?

What does it mean that a water molecule is polar? What is a hydrogen bond?

How does the fact that water is polar allow for water to dissolve carbohydrates and proteins?

Skip to section “water and acidity: the pH scale”

What is an acid? What is a base?

Are most foods acidic or basic?

What is the pH scale? What value(s) is given for a neutral pH? For acidic pH? For basic pH?
Skip to section “Fats, oils, and relatives: lipids”

What are lipids? Do they mix with water?

What chemical feature do all lipids share? (hint: chains of what atom?)

What does it mean that lipids are hydrophobic or nonpolar?

Using the terms polar and nonpolar, explain why fats do not mix well with water.

Can lipids dissolve in each other? Give an example.

How can you describe the consistency of lipids? Are lipids more or less dense than water?

Describe the structure of a fat (or triglyceride) using the terms glycerol and fatty acid. How many
glycerol molecules and fatty acid molecules make up a fat? What types of atoms make up a fat?
(Refer to the figure on page 798 to see an illustration of what glycerol, fatty acid, and fat
(triglyceride) molecules look like)

What is the difference between a saturated fat and an unsaturated fat? How do double bonds
contribute to saturation levels?

Using the figure on page 799, draw a saturated fatty acid and an unsaturated fatty acid.

Why are saturated fats solid at room temperature but unsaturated fats are liquid at room
temperature?
Skip to section “Fats and heat”

Why do fats have high boiling points? What impact does this have for cooking?

What is the smoke point of a fat? Is the smoke point higher or lower than the boiling point? What
products are made when a fat begins to smoke?

What is the relationship between free fatty acid content and smoke point?

How do other substances in a fat (emulsifiers, proteins, etc) contribute to the smoke point?

Skip to section “Carbohydrates”

What atoms make up carbohydrates?

What are the functions of carbohydrates?

Briefly describe the structure of sugars, the simplest carbohydrate. Give an example of a sugar.

What is a polysaccharide? Give a brief description of the following types of polysaccharides:

Starch:

Glycogen:

Cellulose:

Refer to the figure on page 804 to see the differences between a sugar and a polysaccharide.
How are they different? How are they similar?

Skip to section “proteins”

Are proteins more or less stable than carbohydrates and fats?

What is an amino acid? What atoms are they made of? How are amino acids related to
proteins?

What are three ways that amino acids are important to cooking?

Explain how a protein might have different regions that can attract water molecules, avoid water
molecules, and form strong bonds with other proteins.

Explain how a protein can have different structures, including a helix or a fold. Refer to the
figure on page 807 to see how amino acid sequence influences protein structure.

Explain the differences between proteins that dissolve in water and those that “hold” or absorb
water.

What is denaturation? How can a protein be denatured?

What is coagulation? What happens to food when proteins coagulate?

What are enzymes? How can enzymes affect food? Give a few examples.

How does cooking affect enzyme function?

Complete this table to summarize some information about fats, carbohydrates, and proteins.
Attracted to What happens Some food
Brief description
water? when heated? examples
Fat

Carbohydrate

Protein

You are now ready to take the reading quiz on EEE.