Food Chemistry
Food Chemistry
Food Chemistry
Lasztity
FOOD CHEMISTRY
R. Lasztity
Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Budapest, Hungary
Keywords: food, chemistry, composition, chemical.
Contents
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1. Introduction
2. Historical Aspects
3. Gross Chemical Composition of Foods
3.1. Cereals and Cereal Products
3.2. Legumes and Oilseeds.
3.3. Fruits and Vegetables.
3.4. Meat, Fish and Their Products.
3.5. Milk and Dairy Products
4. Chemistry of Food Constituents
4.1. Proteins
4.1.1. Chemistry and Classification
4.1.2. Chemistry
4.1.3. Denaturation
4.1.4. Food Protein Sources
4.2. Enzymes
4.3. Food Lipids
4.3.1 Chemistry of Lipids
4.3.2. Lipid Sources
4.3.3. Lipids in Human Nutrition
4.4. Carbohydrates
4.4.1. General
4.4.2. Classification
4.4.3. Chemistry of Carbohydrates
4.4.4. Carbohydrates in Foods
4.4.5. Dietary Utilization and Function of Carbohydrates.
4.5. Vitamins
4.5.1. General
4.5.2. Water-Soluble Vitamins.
4.5.3. Fat-Soluble Vitamins
4.6. Flavor and Color Compounds
4.6.1. Flavor Compounds
4.6.2. Color Compounds in Food
4.7. Water and Minerals
4.7.1. General
4.7.2. Mineral Content of Foods.
4.7.3. Sources of Minerals.
4.8. Food Additives
4.8.1. Chemical Preservatives
4.8.2. Antioxidants
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The subject of food chemistry as an independent branch of science was formed in the19th century in parallel with growing interest on food quality and suppressing of food
adulteration and falsification. New methods of food analysis allowed us to discover and
characterize not only the major nutrients (such as proteins, carbohydrates and lipids) but
also essential minor components such as vitamins and essential minerals and finally
thousands of minor and micro components being natural constituents of food (such as
aroma compounds, natural coloring matters, natural antioxidants). The results
mentioned above formed the basis of exact evaluation of nutritive value of foods,
determination of its quality and detection of adulteration and falsification of foods.
Recent activity of food chemistry is primarily connected with food safety with supply of
population with healthy food. An important part of this activity is the detection and
determination of food contaminants and control of food additives.
In the framework of this chapter the gross chemical composition of main types of foods
is overviewed. Chemical properties of proteins and enzymes, lipids, carbohydrates,
vitamins, flavors and colorants, minerals and other micro components, food additives
and contaminants, occurring in different foods, nutritional requirements, changes during
processing and storage will are treated. No chemical formulas are included in this
chapter. These are given in the related chapters dealing with individual food
components. References are given for readers interested in more detailed study of given
topics.
1. Introduction
Food chemistry is the science that deals with chemical composition of foods, with
chemical structure and properties of food constituents, and with chemical changes food
undergoes during processing and storage. In his work the food chemist relies heavily on
knowledge in chemistry. On the other hand, food chemistry is also related to
biochemistry (especially in study of chemical changes of food constituents) and science
of nutrition (nutritive value of foods, contaminants) and microbiology (spoilage and
preservation, food safety).
The material included in the theme food chemistry is divided into chapters according to
main groups of food constituents: proteins and enzymes, lipids, carbohydrates, vitamins,
flavors and colorants, minerals and other micro components, additives and
contaminants. Only some tables giving information about gross chemical composition
of main types of foods (cereals, bread, legumes, oilseeds, fruits, meat, milk, and eggs)
are included in this topic level chapter.
In every group of compounds their main sources, the nutritional requirements and some
food safety aspects are briefly treated. At the beginning a short historical overview is
also given.
2. Historical Aspects.
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Although food science as a separate science was formed only in the second half of the
19-th century, satisfactory food supply has always been a central problem for
governments, since the formation of ancient societies several thousands years ago. Food
laws were among the earliest known to humans. Consumer protection in the field of
adulteration and falsification of food represents one of the earliest forms of government
regulation of commercial enterprises. Food regulations existed in Egyptian, Hebrew,
Chinese, Hindu, Greek, Roman, Arab societies.
In the Middle Ages Trade Guilds were formed whose purpose was to provide control
and general supervision over the honesty and integrity of their members and the quality
of their products. This activity of Trade Guilds continued till the 18-th century when the
1789 revolution in France took away the Guilds authority and hierarchies, and freedom
of industry and trade was proclaimed.
The 18-th and the 19-th centuries were a period of big changes in economy and society
but also in science. The developments in chemistry in this period laid the foundation of
food chemistry as a separate branch of science. The work of French chemist Lavoisier
contributed to final rejection of phlogiston principle. With respect to food chemistry, he
established the fundamental principles of combustion and organic analysis, made the
first attempts to determine the elemental composition of alcohol,, and reported on
organic acids of various fruits. Scheele, a Swedish pharmacist, discovered chlorine,
glycerol, isolated citric and malic acid from several fruits, and tested twenty common
fruits for citric- malic- and tartaric acids. Liebig in addition to discovery newer food
components perfected the analytical methods, and first classified the foods as either
nitrogenous (albumin, casein, animal flesh, and blood) or non-nitrogenous (fats,
carbohydrates and alcoholic beverages). Although this classification was not correct in
detail and he had no knowledge about structure of proteins and carbohydrates, and many
other food constituents, he published in 1847, what is apparently the first book on food
chemistry entitled Researches on Chemistry of Food.
Discovery of microorganisms by Pasteur and knowledge of fermentation processes was
a further step in development. Till the end of the 19-th century, development of
chemical analytical methods, progress in physiology and nutrition made knowledge of
the main chemical constituents of foods possible.
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The period beginning with the industrial revolution was a time of tremendous expansion
in many fields, which had a particular bearing on food quality control. Change from a
largely rural society to a largely urbanized society,and from domestic to factory system
in food production, with concentration of populations, placed strain on food production
and distribution. This period created many public health problems too, due to bad
hygienic conditions, low quality of foods, and also adulteration and falsification of food.
Such situation stimulated efforts of bigger cities and governments to establish
institutions to control chemical composition of foods. For example, in 1858, a municipal
service was set up in Amsterdam for the control of food and beverages. Similar
institutions appeared in many countries in Europe and Northern America. The
regulations regarding food were revised and the first modern food laws were enacted in
several countries. The growing importance of food chemistry favored establishment of
agricultural experimental stations, food control laboratories, research institutions,
foundation of scientific journals dealing with food chemistry and education of
specialists in food chemistry.
Although in comparison with food supply and food quality in the 19-th century the
present situation in this field, especially in developed countries, seems to be almost
perfect, the food quality and food safety remained in the focus of activity of food
chemistry. New raw materials, new technologies, new foods, wide use of chemical
additives, growing environmental pollution, increased interest in relation to food-health,
justifies the efforts of food chemists. The globalization of world food market needs
harmonization of food regulations and food laws. That is why international
organizations were established in this field. Here only the Codex Alimentarius
Commission will be mentioned which was established by member countries of Food
and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO) in 1962.
3. Gross Chemical Composition of Foods.
As a result of investigations of food quality control stations and many other institutions,
at present a lot of books, data banks and other facilities are available for obtaining
information about chemical composition of foods. Bearing in mind that the structure of
topic food chemistry is based on type of constituents and not on different types of foods,
here, in this chapter a short review will be given about gross chemical composition and
character of these foods.
3.1. Cereals and Cereal Products
Cereals are staple foods in majority of countries and play a central role in nutrient
supply. The chemical composition of cereals grains is characterized by a high content of
starch, a substance with a relatively significant protein content, and a relatively low
lipid content. From minor constituents the vitamins of B-group, potassium and
phosphorus and magnesium are the main ones. The gross chemical composition of
commercially important cereals is summarized in Table 1.
Cereal grain
Wheat
Rye
Protein
12.2
11.6
Lipid
1.9
1.7
Starch
71.9
71.9
Fiber
1.9
1.9
Ash
1.7
2.0
Triticale
Barley
Oats
Maize
Millet
Sorghum
Rice (brown)
11.9
10.9
10.2
10.2
10.3
11.0
8.1
1.8
2.3
5.8
4.6
4.5
3.5
2.3
71.9
73.5
55.5
79.5
58.9
65.0
75.8
1.9
4.3
10.9
2.3
8.7
4.9
1.8
1.8
2.4
3.2
1.3
4.7
2.6
1.4
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Due to their low moisture content and kernel structure the cereal grains have a good
storability and wide variety of cereal based products are used worldwide. The chemical
composition of cereal products depends mainly on type of milling product used (white
flour based products are lower in vitamins, dietary fiber and minerals than that of
whole grain meal based products) and naturally on the type and amount of other
ingredients.
3.2. Legumes and Oilseeds.
Grain legumes and oilseeds are the richest in protein among food raw materials (Table
(2.). Seeds of leguminous plants have been traditionally consumed by humans, and they
constitute an important protein complement to cereals and starchy foods.
Legume
(oilseed)
Pea
Moisture
Protein
Lipid
Carbohydrate
12.0
23.3
2.0
69.2
Field bean
Peanut
Sunflower seed
Rapeseed
Soybean
12.0
9.1
6.0
5.2
7.0
30.1
25.0
30.0
26.0
45.2
2.2
49.9
43.5
33.8
25.3
61.0
20.0
26.2
34.9
16.0
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The growing problems connected with supply of food protein to the world population
stimulated the search of new protein sources for food purposes. The efforts to increase
the food protein production led to growing commercial production of plant protein
concentrates and isolates and their use as ingredients in a lot of traditional and new food
products. Especially the production of soy protein concentrates was increased due to its
favorable chemical composition. After the extraction of oil under mild conditions the
non-protein components are removed and concentrates (protein content about 60-70%)
and isolates (protein content about 90%) may be obtained.
3.3. Fruits and Vegetables.
The terms fruits and vegetables cover a big number of plants or more precisely edible
parts (tissues) of plants. From botanical point of view there are roots such as sugar beet,
sweet potato, yams, and cassava; stems such as potato, onion, asparagus, rhubarb, and
kohlrabi; leaf crops such as lettuce and spinach; and fruits. The edible plant parts are
composed from living tissues that are even after harvesting metabolically active. It
means that they are more or less constantly changing in composition depending on
growing conditions prior to harvest, the physiological role in the plant part, the genetic
pool of the cell, and the post harvest environment.
Water generally represents about 70-90% of the fresh weight. The main constituents of
solid matter of plant tissues are the carbohydrates (Table 3.).
In fruits, the sugars are the dominating carbohydrate component, in potato and other
starchy vegetables the starch. In addition to sugars and starch, digestible components of
plant tissues, a lot of compounds named cell wall constituents are present in fruits and
vegetables. The principal cell wall constituents are cellulose, hemicelluloses, pectin and
lignin. The relative proportion of these compounds depends on species, degree of
maturity at harvest and conditions of storage after harvesting. Although the cell wall
constituents, the major components of dietary fiber, are not digestible, there is
considerable evidence for the beneficial role played by the fiber in health and disease.
(for details see Carbohydrates).
Fruit/vegetable
Apple
Apricot
Sour cherry
Orange
Banana
Walnut
Water
90.5
86.1
85.7
89.6
74.1
8.1
Protein
0.4
0.9
0.8
0.9
1.3
18.6
Carbohydrate
7.0
10.2
11.0
7.0
22.8
11.7
Ash
0.4
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.9
1.7
Hazelnut
Potato
Green pea
Tomato
Carrot
Spinach
Lettuce
Cucumber
Green pepper
3.0
73.0
75.1
94.1
90.1
91.5
94.6
96.8
89.5
15.6
2.6
2.5
0.8
1.1
2.5
1.8
0.6
1.1
8.7
21.1
13.5
3.8
7.2
1.7
1.2
1.8
5.2
2.0
0.9
1.0
0.6
0.8
1.6
0.9
0.6
0.6
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The protein content of fruits and vegetables varies in different species, however it
generally represents only a small percentage of fresh weight and except potato does not
play significant role in protein supply of population. Plant tissues may contain
considerable amount of non-protein nitrogen such as free amino acids and amines.
Fruits and vegetables are an important source of vitamins such as vitamin-C, thiamine,
niacin, riboflavin and provitamins of vitamin-A. The total mineral content of fruits and
vegetables, expressed as ash (residue after incineration) varies in wide range (0.1-5 %).
Potassium, calcium, magnesium and phosphorus are the major minerals.
Among other components the organic acids (malic-, citric- tartaric acid) of fruits,
aroma compounds and pigments (carotenoids, chlorophylls and flavonoids) may be
mentioned.
3.4. Meat, Fish and Their Products.
Meat, fish and their products play a decisive role in providing high quality protein to the
world population. From quantitative point of view water is the major component of
meat and fish (Table 4). Its proportion is primarily dependent on fat content. Generally
it may be calculated that the fat + water content is constant (about 70-80 %). The
protein content of lean portion of meat and fish is 19-23 %.
Type of animal
Cattle ( lean )
Cattle ( fatty )
Pig ( lean )
Pig ( fatty )
Lamb ( lean )
Lamb ( fatty )
Broiler
Turkey
Duck
Goose
Carp
Trout
Protein
20.6
18.9
20.1
15.1
19.0
17.6
19.8
19.9
13.0
12.2
20.5
23.1
Fat
3.5
24.5
6.3
35.0
6.4
26.4
11.5
8.2
26.8
32.1
6.1
8.8
Water
74.2
58.3
78.7
49.0
72.1
53.5
67.5
68.4
51.0
52.1
73.3
67.2
18.6
23.9
Herring
Codfish
3.5
1.0
78.0
76.1
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The solid matter of milk, comprising 12-15 % of fresh milk is a complex mixture of
proteins, lipids carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals (Table 5.). Bovine milk contains
3.0-3.5% high quality protein. The proteins are classified as casein- and whey proteins.
Casein comprises the largest fraction (about 80% of total protein ). It may be
precipitated with acid or rennet in procedures of production of yogurt and cheese
respectively. The average fat content (about 4%) is present in milk in globules of 2-3m
in diameter. It is composed from triacylglycerols and small amounts of phospholipids
and sterols (0.1g/l). Lactose, milk sugar is the main carbohydrate of milk (50mg/l).
Lactose intolerance (lactose malabsorption) is infrequently observed in some
individuals. This is connected with lack (or low activity) of a digestive enzyme, lactase
splitting lactose to simple sugars. Symptoms of lactose malabsorption are diarrhea,
bloating and abdominal cramps. In acid milk products such as yoghurt and kefir the
lactose is transformed to lactic acid, so lactose intolerant people can consume such
products freely.
Milk is an excellent source of both water and fat- soluble vitamins and minerals,
particularly calcium and iron. Chemical composition of some milk products is shown in
Table.5.
Product
Cow milk
Sheep milk
Goat milk
Hard cheese
Processed cheese
Milk powder
Butter
Water
87.3
80.1
87.4
38-48
45-58
5-6
16-20
Protein
3.6
5.5
2.9
22-27
18-20
19
1
Fat
3.8
7.4
4.5
28-36
20-25
26
78-82
Carbohydrate
4.7
4.8
4.1
36
1
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From chemical point of view, proteins contain, in addition to carbon atoms, hydrogen,
oxygen and also nitrogen and usually sulfur. As minor components they may contain
phosphorus, and metals (e.g. iron, copper, zinc). Complex proteins contain considerable
amount of non-amino acid constituent such as carbohydrate (glycoprotein) or lipid
(lipoproteins). Their molecular mass varies from about 5000 to many million daltons.
The hydrolysis (treatment with acid, alkaline compounds or protein degrading enzymes)
of proteins results in the degradation of proteins to their building units to amino acids.
Proteins are the most important nutrients for humans. Different values for the average
daily protein requirement can be found in the literature. Generally the optimal daily
protein supply is calculated to be 0.8 g per body weight (in kg), roughly 56 g for a 70 kg
man. Protein requirement is higher for growing children, is dependent on calorie intake.
The lower of energy uptake, the higher must be the percentage of protein in diet. Not
only the quantity, but also the nutritional quality of protein should be taken in mind.
Some of amino acids, the essential amino acids, cannot be synthesized in humans, thus
these must be supplied in the diet. The nutritive value of a protein depends on its
essential amino acid content. A high quality food protein contains essential amino acids
in ratios which correspond to the human requirements. Generally the animal proteins are
of better nutritional quality in comparison to those of plant origin (except some legumeand oilseed proteins).
4.1.2. Chemistry
In spite of their complexity and immense diversity, all proteins have been found to
consists of only about 20 structural units, the so called amino acids.
In proteins the various amino acids are linked by peptide bonds i.e. the carboxyl group
of one amino acid is linked with the amino group of the second amino acid with
elimination of H2 O.
When hydrolyzed by strong mineral acids, or with the aid of certain enzymes, proteins
can be completely decomposed into their component amino acids (For details
concerning amino acids see Food Proteins and Enzymes) Due to big variations in size
of molecules and amino acid composition and other chemical and physical factors, the
structure of proteins is highly complicated. Molecular weight, amino acid composition
and the linear sequence of amino acids along the peptide chain constitute what is known
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Due to its composition, structure and reactivity of its groups, the proteins have a lot of
characteristic chemical, physical and biological properties which makes difficult their
classification. The first system of classification was based on solubility and proteins
were divided into six classes:
Albumins soluble in water
Globulins soluble in dilute salt solutions (but not in water)
Prolamines soluble in 50-70% ethanol
Glutelins insoluble above but soluble in alkali and acids
Histons proteins of comparatively low molecular weights containing a large number
of basic amino acids soluble in water and acids
Scleroproteins essentially insoluble proteins with fibrous structure which fulfill
structural function in the animals (e.g. proteins of bones, skin, nails, hair etc.).
Despite inadequacies, this old nomenclature is still used particularly in food chemistry.
The complex proteins (containing non-amino acid constituent) are classified according
to non-amino acid constituent to
Nucleoproteins
Glycoproteins
Lipoproteins
Phophoproteins
Chromoproteins and
Metalloproteins
4.1.3. Denaturation
Heat, strong acids and bases, solvents such as ethyl alcohol, concentrated solutions of
some salts, a number of phenolic substances, usually bring about profound changes in
the physico-chemical properties of soluble proteins. These changes include generally
lower solubility (coagulation, gel forming), higher susceptibility to enzymatic
hydrolysis (and therefore better digestibility) and changes in conformation of proteins. It
has been customary to group all these changes under one term: denaturation. Very often
the net result of denaturation of a globular protein is the unfolding of polypeptide
chain).
Protein denaturation is a process of primordial importance in food technology. Protein
denaturation may contribute to both the texture and flavor of many foods and better
digestibility.
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Cui,W.(2005) Food Carbohydrates. CRC Press, Boca Raton [A recent book about basic chemistry and
industrial applications of food carbohydrates]
Dombrowski,W.M. and Sikorski,Z. (2005) Toxins in Food. CR Press, Boca Raton [A book giving an
overview about all important toxic compounds in food including natural toxins and allergenes].
Fennema, O.R.(1985). Food Chemistry. Marcel Dekker Inc., New York-Basel.
Hudson, B.J.F. (1981-1991) Developments in Food Proteins 1-7, Elsevier Appl.Sci.Publ. London-New
York.
Morton,I.D.and MacLeod, A.J. (1986). Food Flavors. Elsevier, Amsterdam-Oxford-New York- Tokyo.[
Commodity oriented detailed description of food flavors]
Otles, S. (2005) Pesticide, Veterinary and other Residues in Food. CRC Press, Boca Raton. [A recently
published book giving an overview about toxicity, risks and control of chemical contaminanats in food].
Sikorski,Z.E. and Kolakowska,A.(2004) Chemical and Functional Properties of Food Lipids. CRC Press,
Boca Raton.[A recent book about chemistry, processing and health-related concerns of food lipids]
Weidenbrner,M. (2001) Encyclopedia of Food Mycotoxins. Springer Verlag, Berlin-Heidelberg [A
recent book giving overview of all relevant mycotoxin producing fungi and relating food safety aspects]
Biographical Sketch
Radomir Lasztity D.Sc., Professor of the Department of Biochemistry and Food Technology at Budapest
University of Technology and Economics, was born in 1929 in Deszk, Hungary. Dr Lasztity received his
M.Sc. degree in Chemical Engineering in 1951 and his D.Sc. degree in Chemical Science in 1968. He is
honorary president of International Association for Cereal Science and Technology (ICC) and deputy
technical director. He was acting chairman of the Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and
Sampling of the FAO/WHO Food Standard Program in the period 1975 1988. Dr Lasztity is a member
of the Food Chemistry Division of the Federation of European Chemical Societies, and a member of the
editorial boards of several international scientific journals. Among other awards he has received the
Bailey and Schweitzer Medal of the ICC, the State Prize of the Hungarian Republic, and the Golden
Medal of Czech Academy of Sciences. Dr Lasztitys main research activities are chemistry and
biochemistry of food proteins, food analysis and food quality control. He has published more than 800
articles in Hungarian and overseas journals. He is the author/editor of more than twenty books and
textbooks [Chemistry of cereal proteins (1984, second ed. 1996), Amino Acid Composition and Biological
Value of Cereal Proteins (1985), Cereal Chemistry (1999), Use of Yeast Biomass in Food Production
(1991), Gluten Proteins (1987)].