INTRO TO FOOD SCIENCE

• Food science as a discipline is a relatively new discipline introduced around early 1950s.
• Subdisciplines of food science include Food engineering/technology, Food microbiology, Food chemistry, and Sensory science.
• Food science is the application of basic science and engineering to study the fundamental physical and chemical nature of foods and the principles of processing.
• Food is a nutritive substance taken by an organism for growth, repair and maintaining life processes.
• Food processing involves any operation that will alter the value of food such as shelf life, consumer acceptance and nutrient load.
• This study involves knowledge about the nature of food and its composition, its behavior to different conditions (processing, preservation, storage), causes of spoilage, principles of processing and preservation methods, and improvement in food quality (nutrition and health).
• The food industry is a collection of several types of industry producing a diverse range of food products.
• The food industry covers farming, food production, food processing, preservation, packaging, distribution, retail, and catering.
• Components of the food industry include Agriculture, Food Processing, Food Distribution, Research & Development, and Marketing.
• Agriculture in the food industry includes crop farming, livestock raising, and fish farming.
• Food Processing in the food industry transforms raw ingredients into marketable food products.
• Food Distribution in the food industry involves transporting, storing, and marketing food products to consumers.
• Research & Development in the food industry may be on factors influencing consumer behavior, customers’ buying choices, formation of attitude, and opinions.
• Food groups: Foods are mixtures or dispersions of two or more types of substances, these substances are present as particles of various sizes.
• Food constituents:Depending on the particle size, these substances may be classified as: True solution, Completely dissolved solution, Suspension, Colloidal dispersion, Colloidal systems, Gel, Foam, Emulsion, and Foam.
• Marketing: Any form of advertising used to promote the purchase and/or consumption of a food or beverage.
• Food components: Various food components are grouped in three main functions: Carbohydrates, Proteins, Fats, Fibres, Vitamins and minerals.
• Industry: The food industry includes storage requirements, materials processed, processing techniques, preserving techniques, packaging of finished products, fish processing, cold stores or salted loose or in barrels, all types of fish, heading, gutting, filleting, cooking, deep-freezing, drying, smoking, sterilization, loose in refrigerated containers or in cans, fruit and vegetable preserving, processing immediately, fruits may be stabilized with sulphur dioxide, fresh fruit and vegetables, blanching or cooking, grinding, vacuum concentration of juices, sterilization, pasteurization, drying