CHEMISTRY OF FOODS

Ch. Retnaningsih

Introduction
Nutrition is the process by which the
foods people eat provide the nutriens
they need to grow and stay healthy
Nutriens are naturally occurring
chemical substances food
There are six categories of nutrients :
proteins, lipids, carbohydrates,
vitamins, minerals, and water

Carbohydrates : Function in
food

Flavor enchancing and sweetening due

to caramelization
Water binding
Contributing to texture (starch, gluten)
Hygroscopic nature/water absorption
Providing source of yeast food
Regulating gelation of pectin dispersing
molecules of protein or starch
Etc

Monosaccharide
Monosaccharides may have 6
carbons and are called hexoses, or
they may have 5 carbons and are
called pentoses
Glucose, fructose and galactose are
three common hexoses
Ribose and deoxyribose are two
common pentoses

Disaccharides
Two monosaccharides may be linked
together to form a disaccharide
Sucrose is the most common disaccharide
and is made of one molecile each of glucose
and fructose
Lactose is major sugar in milk and is made
up of one molecule of glucose and one of
galactose
Maltose is a disaccharide made from two
molecules of glucose

Sugar in food
Color, texture, and flavor are all
sensory characteristics that sugar
plays in most foods
Sugars generally play a major role as a
sweetener or in texture development
As a contributor to color, sugar
participates in two phenomena: the
maillard reaction and carameliization

Polysaccharides
Starch is polisaccharide made up of
glucose unit linked together to form
long chains.
Starch is the storage form of energy
for plants
Glycogen is the storage form of energy
for animals.
Two types of starch molecules existamylose and amylopectin.

Amylose
Amylose molecules
contribute to gel
formation.
Starch begins to
gelatinize between
140 F 158 F, the
exact temperature
dependent is the
spesific starch

Amylopectin
The branched
amylopectin
molecules give
viscosity to the
cooked paste

Cellulose
Cellulose is a major component of
plant cell walls
Cellulose is a polymer (long chain)
glucose molecules linked together by
1 to 4 linkages and can not by
digested by humans
dietary fiber

Proteins
Protein contain amino acids
Proteins are needed to build and
repair body tissue and for the
metabolic functions of our body
Amino acsids contain an amino group
(-NH2) and an acid group (-COOH)

Functions of proteins
include:
1. Enzymes such as tripsin and pepsin
2. Storage such as ovalbumin and ferritin
3. Transport such as hemoglobin and
lipoproteins
4. Contactile such as actin and myosin
5. Protective such as antibodies
6. Hormones such as insulin
7. Structural such as keratin, collagen

Functions of nutrions in
foods
Color
One of the biggest roles is through the maillard
reaction, a browning reaction between an amino
group and a carbohydrate
Texture
Custards are protein gels where the gel strength is
influenced by the ovalbumin denaturation
Flavor
Asam aminos may contribute bitterness, sweetness
and other flavors

LIPIDS
Lipids include fats and oils from
plants and animals
In foods, fats provide a source of
essential fatty acids, add caloric
density (energy), act as carriers for
flavors, carry fat soluble vitamins,
contribute to texture and mouthfeel,
and provide heat transfer medium (in
frying)

 Fatty acids
Short chain fatty acids are important as odor.
longer chain fatty acids acids are not
volatile and do not contribute much to flavor.
Fatty acids may be saturated or unsaturated.
Fatty acid molecules that are unsaturated
contain what are known as double bond

Characteristics of Fatty Acids

Fatty acid

Number of
carbon atoms

Melting point
(degrees C)

Butyric

-7.9

Caproic

-3.9

Caprylic

16.3

Capric

10

31.3

Lauric

12

44.0

Myristic

14

54.4

Palmitic

16

62.8

Stearic

18

69.6

Saturated Fatty
Acids

Unsaturate
d fatty
Acids

Number of
carbon
atoms

Melting
point
(degrees C)

Palmitoleic
Oleic
Linoleic
Linolenic
Arachidonic

16
18
18
18
20

-0.5 to 0.5
13
-5 to - 12
-14.5
-19.5

Vitamins
1. Fat-soluble vitamins ( vitamin A,
D,E,K)
2. Water doluble vitamins (vitamin B ,
C)

Minerals
Macrominerals (Ca, P, K, Na, Cl, Mg,
S)
Microminerals (Cr, Co, Cu, F, I, Fe,
Mn, Mo, Ni, Se, Si, Sn, V, Zn)

Reference
Parker, R. 2003. Introduction to Food
Science. Columbia