Food Quality and Nutrition

Food Quality

• Food quality refers to the characteristics of food that are acceptable to consumers.
• It's a holistic and multifactor concept involving nutritional qualities, sensorial properties, traceability, social considerations, and safety.

Nutritional Qualities

• Reliable data on nutrient composition is critical for health assessment, diet formulation, nutrition education, food regulations, and consumer protection.
• Food is composed of macronutrients (carbohydrates, fats, and proteins) and micronutrients (minerals and vitamins).
• Macronutrients provide energy, expressed in kilocalories (kcals).
• The relative concentration of protein and fat in the diet is important and is expressed by the percentage of energy in the diet provided by either fat or protein.

Macronutrients and Energy

• An average individual needs approximately 2,100 kcal per day.
• Fat intake is recommended at approximately 17% of daily ration (357 kcal or 39.7 g per day).
• Protein intake is recommended at 10-12% of daily ration (210 kcal or 52.5g per day).
• Carbohydrate intake is recommended at about 200-300 g per day.

Energy Values of Macronutrients

• The 'Atwater factors' are:
  • Fat: 9 kcal/g, 37.7 kJ/g
  • Alcohol: 7 kcal/g, 29.3 kJ/g
  • Protein: 4 kcal/g, 16.7 kJ/g
  • Carbohydrate: 4 kcal/g, 16.7 kJ/g

Food Flavour and Organoleptic Quality

• Food flavour is mostly caused by many volatile compounds.
• Volatile compounds are mainly responsible for shaping the organoleptic quality of many kinds of food.
• Organoleptic quality is equally important and often decisive in the purchase for consumers.

Explore the characteristics of food that are acceptable to consumers, including nutritional qualities, sensorial properties, and more. Learn about the importance of reliable data on nutrient composition for health and diet.