Biochemistry: Fats, Proteins, and Sugars

Fats and Proteins

• Fats are characterized by their appearance and greasy feel, and their inability to mix with water.
• 1 gram of fat contains 9 calories.
• Proteins are organic substances that contain nitrogen.

Minerals

• Inorganic substances that may or may not be in combination with organic constituents

Water

• Biological solvent, food and nutrient

Sugars

• Sweet, crystalline organic compounds classified under carbohydrates
• Simplest digestible carbohydrate

Classification of Sugars According to Chemical Form

• Monosaccharides cannot be broken down to simpler carbohydrates by hydrolysis
  • Glucose/Grape Sugar found in fruits and plant caps
  • Fructose (levulose or fruit sugar) is the sweetest of the natural sugars
  • Galactose does not occur free in nature but is hydrolysable from lactose or milk sugar
• Disaccharides are composed of 2 monosaccharides
  • Sucrose (table sugar) is glucose + fructose
  • Lactose (milk sugar) is glucose + galactose
  • Maltose (malt sugar) is glucose + glucose

Market Forms of Sugar

• Crystalline (granulated sugar) is the most common form of table sugar
• Sanding Sugar is coarsely granulated sugar used for decorative purposes
• Superfine Sugar has uniformly fine-grained sugar for rapid dissolution
• Powdered or Confectioners Sugar is machine ground from granulated sucrose and often contains cornstarch to prevent caking
• Lump Sugar is pressed wet sugar crystals into foam, hardened, and cut
• Brown Sugar is partially purified and ranges in color from very light to very brown
• Raw Brown Sugar is unrefined and separated from molasses.
• Panutsa is a crude form of sugar made from sugar cane extract that is evaporated into a brown sugar syrup concentrate and molded into halved coconut shells
• Washed sugar (dd) is one step short of a completely refined product

Kind of Sugar According to Source

• Sugar Cane is a tropical product
• Sugar Beets are a temperate product

Classification of Syrups

• Cane Syrup is boiling sugar cane sap and contains 65-70% mixed sugar, 30% water, and 2.5% ash.
• Molasses:
  • Light or Table Molasses is light in color, less mineral, and contains more sugar.
  • Black-strap or cooking molasses is darker in color and contains less sugar.
• Refiner’s Syrup: liquor remaining after the crystallization of sucrose
• Sorghum Syrup is made from sorghum
• Maple Syrup is made from evaporating the sap of sugar maple trees to a concentration of no more than 35% water.
• Corn Syrup contains maltose, dextrin, dextrose, and other polysaccharide solutions
• High Fructose Corn Syrup contains fructose and levulose with a concentration ranging from 42-90%
• Honey or pulut pukyutan: collected, modified, and concentrated by honeybees

Properties and Characteristics of Sugars

• Solubility: high degree of solubility, especially in fructose
• Crystallization: inversely related to ease of solubility
• Hygroscopic ability: ability to absorb moisture (directly related to ease of solubility)
• Degree of Sweetness: related to solubility
• Factors Determining the Solubility of Sugars: nature of the solute, fineness of the granules, temperature of the solution, and concentration (supersaturation)

Factors Affecting Ice Crystal Formation

• Nature of Ingredients:
  • Lactose causes a gritty texture, which can be reduced by adding lactose before making ice cream.
  • Sugar, milk, fat, and nonfat milk solids contribute to small ice crystals
  • Stabilizers increase the resistance to melting
• Rate of Crystal Formation: the faster the ice crystallization, the more ice crystals form and the finer the crystals

Vegetables

• Give dietary bulk and aid in digestion
• Provide vitamins for good vision, a healthy immune system, and other bodily functions
• Chlorophyll:
  • Responsible for the green pigment of vegetables and fruits.
  • Two green forms: Chlorophyll A (absorbs red & blue light) and Chlorophyll B (absorbs other light colors).
  • Two yellow forms: Carotene and Xanthophyll
  • Not soluble in water, but purified chlorophyll is soluble in fat.
  • Intensified in the presence of alkali.
• Anthoxanthins:
  • Almost colorless or pale yellow pigments in light vegetables.
  • Soluble in water.
  • Turns yellow or orange in alkali.
  • Iron salt causes brownish discoloration.
• Enzymatic Browning: darkening of plant tissue due to exposure to air.

Prevention of Enzymatic Browning

• Change the optimum conditions for enzyme activity
• Slowing the browning process (e.g., dipping fruits in kalamansi juice).
• Use reducing substances (e.g., sulfite/ethanol) or inhibitors (e.g., blanching).
• Ascorbic acid aids in preventing enzymatic browning
• Removal of Oxygen (e.g., vacuum packing, nitrogen flashing)
• Destroying the Enzyme

Ways of Cooking Vegetables

• Nutrients like Vitamin C and folate continue to be lost after cooking.
• Significant losses occur during chilling, reheating, storage, and hot-holding.
• Retention is better in a cook/hot-hold food service than a cook/chill system if hot-holding is restricted to under 90 minutes.

Test your knowledge on the fundamental components of biochemistry, including fats, proteins, and sugars. This quiz covers essential definitions, classifications, and properties of these biological molecules. Dive deep into the specifics of carbohydrates and their structures.