FSSAI Food Chemistry Overview

FSSAI Food Chemistry

• This document is a food chemistry study guide for food safety officers and technical officers.
• It covers various food components, including carbohydrates, protein, lipids, vitamins, minerals, pigments, flavours, enzymes, and antinutritional factors.
• Each component has a detailed explanation, covering topics like structure, classification, properties, functions, significance in food, and methods to control degradation/loss.

Carbohydrate

• Carbohydrates are primary products of photosynthesis.
• General formula: C x (H2O)y
• Provide 4kcal/g of energy
• Monosaccharides, Disaccharides, Oligosaccharides, Polysaccharides are classes of Carbohydrates.
• Monosaccharides include glucose, fructose, galactose, etc.
• Disaccharides include sucrose, lactose, maltose, etc.

Protein

• Proteins are macromolecules composed of amino acids.
• They are hydrolyzed to form amino acids.
• Amino acids contain both a basic amino group and an acidic carboxyl group.
• The primary structure of a protein is the sequence of amino acids linked together.
• Secondary structure involves hydrogen bonding, forming alpha-helices and beta-sheets.
• Tertiary structure is the overall three-dimensional shape.

Lipids

• Lipids are a diverse group of compounds insoluble in water.
• They include simple lipids like triglycerides and waxes, compound lipids like phospholipids and glycolipids, and derived lipids.
• Triglycerides (triacylglycerols) are important energy storage molecules.
• Fats are solid at room temperature, and oils are liquid.
• Fatty acids are long hydrocarbon chains with a carboxylic acid group at one end.

Vitamins

• Vitamins are low molecular weight organic substances necessary in small amounts for normal growth, maintenance of health, and reproduction in higher animals.
• They are classified into fat-soluble (A, D, E, K) and water-soluble (B complex, C) groups.
• Vitamins have varying functions in the body.
• Deficiency of vitamins may cause various diseases.

Minerals

• Minerals are inorganic compounds essential for various physiological functions.
• Minerals are classified into macrominerals (e.g., calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium) and microminerals (e.g., iron, zinc, copper).
• Minerals play a crucial role in maintaining acid-base balance and osmotic pressure.

Pigments and Colours

• Pigments responsible for the color of foods, including chlorophylls (green), anthocyanins (red, purple, blue), flavonoids (yellow).
• Colour changes during food processing.

Flavours

• Flavours result from combinations of taste and odor.
• Important groups of flavoring compounds include carbonyl compounds, terpines, and sulphur compounds.

Enzymes

• Enzymes are biological catalysts that speed up chemical reactions in the body.
• They have specific substrates and work via lock-and-key and induced-fit mechanisms.
• Enzymes are important for various food processes like hydrolysis of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.

Antinutritional Factors

• Antinutritional factors (ANFs) are compounds found in plants that can interfere with the digestion or absorption of nutrients.
• ANFs include phytates, oxalates, tannins, protease inhibitors, lectins, and cyanogenic glycosides.
• These vary in their effect and methods for removal from foods.

Water

• Water is essential for all life processes and a major constituent of most foods.
• Water can be free or bound within foods.
• Water influences solubility, reactions in food, and quality.