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Understanding Major Food Components

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  What’s up, Ka-Foodie? Are you a food lover or, most especially, a food technology student? If so, do you know the major food components? If not, I would be pleased to blog with you.   Being a Food-Tech student, our choice of a field of study is a big challenge because we are tasked with providing a quality, safe, more sustainable and healthy food supply in the future. But before we can achieve these goals, we have to first understand the major food components. These are water, carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins. Note: Please see my next blog post. Thank you!
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WATER

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What is WATER ? I remember during our class in Food Chemistry, our instructor asked us, "What is water?" I answered, "Water is the universal solvent," but my instructor made me realize that water is more than that; it plays a crucial role in the food industry.    Water is a substance that all living organisms, including microorganisms, need in order to survive. It has a composition of two hydrogen (H) atoms and one oxygen (O) atom , also known as H20. Some physical properties of water are tasteless, colorless, and odorless. It has a 100 degree Celsius high boiling point and a melting point of 0 degrees Celsius. Water density at 4.0 degrees Celsius is 1.0 g/mL and ice density at 0 degrees Celsius is 0.91 g/mL. It has a specific heat of 1.0 cal/g degree Celsius or 4.184 J/g degree Celsius. Water is also known for its unusual properties . It exists in all three states of matter; it can be solid , liquid , or gas . Another unusual property that makes me amused is that...
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CARBOHYDRATES

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What are  CARBOHYDRATES ? Carbohydrates are a substance that has the main function of giving energy to all living organisms. It comes from plants by photosynthesis and plays a crucial role in the human daily diet. Carbon , hydrogen , and oxygen are found in carbohydrates. Monosaccharides are the building blocks of carbohydrates. TYPES OF CARBOHYDRATES Monosaccharides   https://image.shutterstock.com/image-vector/chemical-illustration-monosaccharides-glucose-fructose-260nw-2114376764.jpg From the word itself, "mono" means one sugar unit. These types of carbohydrates are not broken down into smaller units when undergoing hydrolysis. It is colorless and has crystalline compounds. It is soluble in water and has a sweet taste.  It reacts at high temperatures to form brown pigments, flavors and aromas within characterized foods via non-enzymatic processes known as Maillard browning and caramelization reactions. Monosaccharides includes:  Glucose - Blood Sugar Galactos...
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LIPIDS

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  What are  LIPIDS ? It  comes from the Greek word " lipos ", which means fat . We call it fat if it is solid or oil if it is liquid , depending on ambient temperatures . These compounds are classified as non-polar , meaning they are hydrophobic, or water-fearing , and insoluble in water , but soluble in organic solvents . The main functions of lipids are for energy storage, for insulation of our bodies and as structural components for cell membranes. Lipids are a composition of carbon , hydrogen , and oxygen elements. It is made up of fatty acid monomers. Fatty acids can be classified into: Saturated Trans Monounsaturated (MUFA) Polyunsaturated (PUFA) https://www.pmfias.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Type-of-Fats-Saturated-Unsaturated-Trans-Fat.png CLASSIFICATION OF LIPIDS SIMPLE LIPIDS: These are fatty acids esterified with alcohol. This includes triglycerides, waxes, and sterols. https://openoregon.pressbooks.pub/app/uploads/sites/98/2019/10/image2.png COMPLEX LIP...
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PROTEINS

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What is PROTEINS ? The term protein comes from the Greek word “ proteios ,” meaning first place. Proteins are known for having a highly complex polymer. It consists of carbon , hydrogen , oxygen , and nitrogen elements. Its major functions are that it serves as a transporter of molecules in and out of the cell, controlling the speed of chemical reactions; and most especially, it is used for building and repair , which we need to acknowledge since carbohydrates and lipids can’t. Proteins' building blocks are amino acids . It has 20 different ones . Two amino acids are linked together by peptide bonds . 20 DIFFERENT AMINO ACIDS https://i.pinimg.com/originals/77/da/3c/77da3c1da2e4460d88101339e485b680.jpg How to easily memorize or recognize the 20 different amino acids?            Our instructor gave us a tip on how to easily memorize or recognize the 20 different amino acids. First familiarize yourself with the structure of proteins that...
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How do you tell the difference between carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins?

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          We have read some insights about understanding major food components. There's a lot of information to explore and learn about this topic. If you are curious to know further, you must read Fennema's Food Chemistry Fifth Edition Book. Thank you!
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What Exactly is Food Tech?

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