Introduction to Foods: Classification by Origin

Introduction to Foods

• Foods, as defined by the Spanish Food Code (CAE), encompass all substances or products, whether natural or processed, solid or liquid, that are used for nutrition, enjoyment, or dietary purposes.
• When consumed, food travels through the digestive tract where it is physically and chemically processed, releasing nutrients for absorption.

Classification of Foods Based on Origin

• Food classifications have varied historically and across different countries.
• There is an ongoing discussion among experts to standardize international food classification.
• Existing classifications are typically linked to regional dietary guidelines and specific national objectives.
• In Spain, food groupings are used for educational purposes in nutrition rather than as scientific tools.
• Foods are classified according to their origin:
• Plant-based foods include cereals, legumes, fruits, vegetables, and nuts.
• Animal-based foods include dairy, eggs, meat, and fish.
• Mineral-based foods include water and table salt.

Classification of Foods Based on Technological Intervention

• There is no specific legal definition for "ultra-processed" or "processed" foods.
• Regulation (EC) No. 852/2004 defines "transformed products," "untransformed products," and "transformation", but not "ultra-processed."
• Fresh or Unprocessed Foods: These are foods that have not undergone transformation, including those that have been divided, cut, sliced, deboned, minced, peeled, crushed, cut, or cleaned.
• Processed Foods: According to the FAO/WHO, food processing involves any change to a food to alter its characteristics or shelf life, often using science and technology.
• Objectives include preserving food, improving its quality, meeting diverse consumer needs, and reducing waste.
• Most definitions agree that processed foods are transformed from their natural state through physical, chemical, or microbiological processes.
• Minimally processed foods are treated to improve hygiene and safety while maintaining a similar composition to the original product.
• Ultra-Processed Foods are formulations of ingredients made using various industrial techniques, processes, and additives. Common ingredients include sugars, salt, oils, starches, and industrial derivatives like hydrogenated fats or protein hydrolysates.
• They are designed to be convenient substitutes for less processed foods, appealing to consumers through organoleptic characteristics, but can sometimes be ambiguously classified, differing significantly from original foods.

NOVA System

• NOVA is a system developed in Brazil for classifying foods. It is used internationally in research.
  • Category 1: Unprocessed or minimally processed foods of plant or animal origin that have undergone no added substances.
  • includes fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables, grains, freshly squeezed juices without added sugar, fresh or frozen meat, and pasteurized milk
  • Category 2: Culinary ingredients extracted and purified from foods, like oils, fats, sugars, starches, flours, and raw pasta made from flour, water, and salt.
  • Category 3: Processed foods where substances like oil, sugar, or salt are added to whole foods to make them durable, tasty, and attractive. includes canned vegetables, fruits in syrup, fish preserved in oil, salted nuts, cured meats like ham and bacon, cheese, and natural yogurt
  • Category 4: Ultra-processed foods formulated mostly or entirely from derived substances and include processes like hydrogenation, hydrolysis, extrusion, and frying.
    • includes sweets; hamburgers and hot dogs; bread, buns, and cookies; breakfast cereals; energy bars; sauces; colas and "energy" drinks; sweetened yogurts; and ready-to-eat meals.

Nutri-Score

• Nutri-Score is a color-coded nutritional label designed to help consumers quickly assess and compare the nutritional quality of foods.
• It is used across different food categories and brands to guide purchasing decisions.
• Nutri-Score assigns points based on nutritional quality per 100g or 100ml of product.
  • Points are awarded based on "unfavorable" nutrients (calories, sugars, saturated fats, and sodium) and "favorable" components (proteins, fiber, and percentage of fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and olive/nut/rapeseed oils.
• Scores range from -15 to +40 and are classified into five categories from green (A) for best to red (E) for worst nutritional quality.

Dairy Group

• According to the CAE, natural milk is defined as the unaltered product from healthy, well-fed domestic animals, obtained through hygienic, regular, and uninterrupted milking, free of colostrum.
• Provides carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and micronutrients.
• Milk is the exclusive food for mammals during their early months.
• Milk composition varies across species but always includes carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, vitamins, and essential elements in a stable equilibrium where water carries the milk's components in solution, emulsion, and colloidal dispersion.

Nutritional composition of milk:

• Lactose is the primary carbohydrate.
• No fiber content.
• Proteins have high biological value (3-4%), including casein and whey proteins.
• Lipids: 3.5% lipids, mainly saturated fatty acids.
• Vitamins: B2, A, D, and B12.
• Minerals: Calcium (120 mg/100g) and phosphorus; low in iron.

Types of Milk

• Pasteurized Milk: Heated to sub-boiling temperatures (70-75ºC) to eliminate vegetative microorganisms but not spores.
• Refrigerate at 0-3ºC and has a shelf life of about 3-4 days.
• Sterilized Milk: Heated above boiling temperatures such as 115ºC for 15 minutes or 140-150ºC for 1-3 seconds in UHT systems, eliminating all microorganisms and spores.
• Retains flavor better and affects nutrients less than normal sterilization. The shelf life is 4-6 months.

Milk Varieties

• Whole Milk retains most nutrients of fresh milk.
• Skimmed or Fat-Free Milk has almost all lipids removed but retains proteins, lactose, and calcium. Semi-skimmed milk has about half the fat removed.
• Evaporated Milk is sterilized milk with part of its water removed.
• Condensed Milk is pasteurized milk "concentrated with sugar", preserved via added sucrose.
• Milk Powder is dried milk, either whole or skimmed, processed from either liquid form before or during production.
• Fermented or Acidified Milks are modified by microbial action or lactic ferments, specific to each type.

Yogurt

• According to the CAE, yogurt is coagulated milk obtained through lactic fermentation by Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus, although other bacteria types may be used.
• Living microorganisms should be abundant and not subjected to pasteurization.

Nutritional of Natural Yogurt:

• Carbohydrates: Minimal lactose due to lactic fermentation.
• Lipids are similar to whole milk (variants exist for skimmed).
• Protein: High biological value.
• Vitamins: Similar to milk.
• Minerals: 142 mg/100g of calcium and phosphorus.
• No fiber content.
• Yogurts range from plain to flavored, with added sugars, colorings, and flavorings.

Kefir

• Kefir is milk fermented by lactic and alcoholic action from kefir grains. It contains less lactose because of fermentation.
• Contains calcium, vitamin D, and proteins. It has low alcohol content.
• Rich in probiotics. Kefir can include Kluyveromyces marxianus / Candida kefyr, Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis, Bifidobacterium lactis, and Saccaromyces unisporus.
• Recognized as a source of probiotics and molecules with health attributes, including antioxidant, antitumor, antimicrobial, and immunomodulatory effects.

Cheese

• Cheese is made by coagulating pasteurized milk and separating most of the whey, with about 13% of Western milk production used for cheese.
• Methods to obtain a large part of the cheese is a coagulation of the milk using rennet.
• This results in curd, from calf rennet (enzymatic activity).
• Next is the treatment of curd, adding salt to form a rind, inhibit unwanted germs, and improve flavor; it is also heated and pressed to remove water.
• Maturation or Curing: Transforms cheese with help from specific microorganisms based on cheese type, reduces water content, breaks down lactose, and hydrolyzes lipids and proteins. Cheese varieties differ by type of milk, water content, maturation process, and fat percentage.
  • Fresh cheeses are consumed shortly after making.
  • They are high in moisture.
  • Soft or semi-soft cheeses undergo lactic transformation but no fermentation.
  • Cured cheeses are matured for 3+ months.
  • They are low in water and have additional fermentations.
  • Processed cheese is made by melting and forming slices or bars.
  • Requesón, or ricotta, is made by precipitating proteins from whey.

Nutritional Composition of Cheese:

• Carbohydrates in milk vary.
• Fiber is not contained.
• Protein has high biological value.
• Has high lipid concentration.
• Has Vitamins like B2, A, D, and B12.
• High mineral content, especially calcium.

Meat Group

• Meat is the edible part of muscles from animals and also from corral, game, and sea mammals.
• It contains muscle, adipose, and connective tissues, along with viscera like liver, kidneys, and brain.
• Muscle tissue contains myoglobin.
• It gives meat its color:
  • White meat has less myoglobin than red meat.
  • Cooking oxidizes myoglobin, turning meat grayish.
• Adipose tissue appears as visible or invisible fat.
• Connective tissue varies and toughens the meat with age.
• Moist heat softens connective tissue.

Classification of Meats by Color:

• White meats contain less myoglobin and include poultry and rabbit.
• Red meats have more myoglobin, including beef. Pork is classified as white meat due to its fat content despite being traditionally considered red.

Classification by Fat Content:

• Fat content varies by species, body part, and diet,

Nutritional Compsition

• No carbohydrates are present.
• It contains no fiber.
• Proteins are of high biological value (16-22%).
• Lipids vary.
• Vitamins are B12, B3, B2, A, and D.
• Minerals include heme iron, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and magnesium.

Processed Meats:

• Processed meats are products prepared with meats or offal of authorized species, as outlined in the Spanish Food Code, that undergo specific processes. Examples include:
  • Salted, Smoked, and Marinated Meats: Preserved with sodium chloride in solid form or brine, with or without subsequent drying and smoking.
  • If spices are added, they are considered marinated.
  • Bacon: Subcutaneous adipose tissue from healthy pigs, consumed fresh, salted, or seasoned; variants include streaky bacon and bacon from pigs, salted and smoked..
  • Sausages, Charcuterie, and Cold Cuts: Prepared from meats, minced or not, often with edible offal, pork fats, vegetables, seasonings, and spices.
  • These are stuffed into natural or artificial casings and classified as meat sausages or blood sausages.

Fish Group

• Fish include all aquatic animals used as food, generally divided into:
  • Blue fish (8-15% fat) include sardines, mackerel, anchovies, tuna, trout, and swordfish
  • Semi-fatty fish (3-8% fat) include salmon
  • White Fish (1-3% fat) include sole, hake, cod, and monkfish

Nutritional Composition of Fish:

• No carbohydrates are present.
• It contains no fiber.
• Proteins have high biological value (18-20%.
• The lipids have different values.
• Vitamins are A, D, and E.
• Minerals: iodine, phosphorus, potassium, and calcium.

Seafoods

• Seafoods include crustaceans, mollusks, and cephalopods with composition to fish, low in lipids, and high in cholesterol; mollusks are high in iron.
• Oysters, mussels, and snails are mollusks.
• Lobster, shrimp, and crabs are crustaceans.
• Squid, cuttlefish, and octopus are cephalopods.

Eggs Group

• Though eggs can come from various birds, hen eggs are most commonly consumed. The Spanish Food Code only recognizes hen eggs. Eggs are classified by freshness.
• Category A are fresh eggs
• Category B are refrigerated eggs
• Category C are refrigerated for industrial use only.

Egg nutritional value

• Super-large eggs weigh 73g or more
• Large eggs are between 63g-73g
• Medium eggs weight between 53g-63g
• Small egg weigh less than 53g

Egg Parts: The shell

• The shell is a protein matrix that protects from the exterior. It is porous and allows passage of substances and microorganisms
• The transparent egg white which primarily contains water (86%) and high biological value protein (ovoalbumin).
• The yolk is rich in nutrients, lipids, and proteins.

Nutritional of the egg:

• Proteins have high biological value.
• It contains no fiber.
• The lipids are contained in the yolk.
• Vitamins A, D, and E.
• It contains minerals and iron.

Cereal Group

• Cereals are the mature, dried fruits of grains, growing in ears. Wheat and rice are the most consumed, with barley, rye, oats, and corn also being important.
• Humans cultivate cereals for sustenance, with rice needing much water and wheat thriving in drier climates. Wheat is more proper for regions with dry climate.
• Classify them by whether they contain gluten, and the parts of cereals.

Cereal classification

• Gluten-containing cereals consist of wheat, barley, rye, spelt, some oats, triticale, and triordeum.
• Gluten-free cereals include rice, corn, millet, sorghum, teff, buckwheat, and quinoa.
• The grain is made up of seeds in two parts: the external enveloping coat and internal part made of two parts, the aleurone and the amilaceous nucleus.

Grain composition

• Exterior membrane cells form the bran.
• The aleurone is a thin layer with proteins.
• The germ contains protein fats, vitamins, and other elements.
• The external nucleus contains 80% of the mass of the grain, and the internal nucleus.
• It is mainly composed of starch bound by proteins.
• It is most common to remove the outer coat to make cooking the germ easier, making different compounds.
• Refined parts come from the outside

Nutritional Information

• Contains high carb content.
• Good supply of fiber by means of the shell.
• Low value of biological protein
• Fats contained is low.
• Vitamin Complex including B1.
• Mineral Composition of Calcium and Iron.
• Consists of many parts, from fermentation of the grain.

Pan

• Pan is a fermentation resulting from a mix of flour, mixed with yeast, the process increases its air volume with co2, giving it is quaky form.

Nutritious info

• Protein component of the wheat germ.
• Since it contains no fiber, the white core is made from the core nucleus, and its made by grinding the entire content. It is more complete than the average bread with multiple vitamins.
• Made from aveno or a mix of grains.

Decreased Nutrious Pan

• The 308/2019 declaration, is a legal mandate that establishes strict requirements to define integral bread. it is for the best quality consumer in spain
• Includes more integral flours, as well as cereal, to create an elevated fiber nutrient.
• A way to limit is the amount of salt is used, it could decrease the sodium, as its a contribution to the level, its an effort the decrease daily intake
• A way to reduce, it is the the risk of stroke and cariodovascular diseas

Alimenticious Pasta

• Semolina of wheat is the variant, where the grains are prepared, molted and desecrated with other grains
• Marketed as fresh, products contain high volumes.
• They require a limited consume.
• Highly is the nutritional and its close to other grains

Cerals for breakfast

• Often treated by means like heat, mix with other ingredients to receive it with cereal or milk

Characteristics

• Carbohydrates, proteins enriched with vitamins and minerals
• Infinitie types exuist, in formats and types Consists cereals made of flour or grain integral, fiber or vitamins.

Miscellaneous breakfast

• Can be made from grains and has more mineral properties. can have grains of salt.
• Can be refined where is a source of fat,sugar
• Can make the injection inside of the structure, in minor densities and ingredients.

Muesli

• Made up with grains and various types of dryed fruist
• Usually contains sweeteners and is a bad source of fat
• Made through convience with chocolate and other flavors

Podridge

• Is cooked through bases of grains

FAKE grains

• Properties is similar and can produce the flavor
• Consists of hydratates, carbs , minerals with high nutritious components, and mal-called cereal sin glutent

Tubercles group

• This group has engrosamentious carbs, it makes the fiber unconsistute

Boneatos and potatoes

• Have sweet flavors, and have rich nutritious information

Boneatos and potatoes properties

• Made up of starch
• Contains little values if insoluble fiber and skin
• A small quantity of fiber is included Ascorbic Acid by desotryoing temperatures
• Contains a small quantity of copper

Types of group

• Chufas, Tapiocas high value for oil.
• Tapiocas made from desiccation and has an 80% glucidic.

Legumbs

• Known has semi moist and contain the benefits of legumbs, and contain more water

Composition

• More carbs.
• Composed or little fructuosa
• Soluble inner celium
• High in proteins ,but small values

Vegetable fruit group

• Contains an innumerous species of variables, but the nutrients are
• High rates of water, and simple glucides, that dont have any protein but do contains mineral salts
• That have low energetic components

Considerations

• Has a stational stage Winter- berengenas and broccoli.. Spring- Avacodo. Summer- Sandias Otono- Sets
• Contain the essential nutritious compesitions of the plant life the fruits

Compestiion

Contains 10% easy elements Includes fibers by the cellulase membrane, with low amount of proiteisn and low fats

• With rich citrus with B carotin in it

Vegtables

• With herbacias parts can be used as part of crude or cooking.

Elements

• Fibers of celulolse, protein , but lesser

Greasy aliments

• Contains few that have a exclusive form, and has strong effects

Greases

• It determines by its acdes Consumes a percentage of a 1%
• Contains a vegetal with no colesterol

Olive

• Alimentation to make oils less likely and less processing,
• Made with extraction made as a form natural
• And can also made virgin parts, can use technical acids to get to a process without neutrality.
• Virgin can extraxt by having a low acidity (0,8%)

Lampant olive is great to use more technical

The composition for fats ,most abundance oleaic acid that doesn´t pass 3%

• The fraccion can present less and vitamin E compund phenolic ,but less
• It keeps vitamin E during production.

Seeds

• Used by various others solvents eliminate organics and contains acids and a discrete oil and 100%greases

• Soy Procede contain little oleci and vitamins E

• The extraxtion in physical and contains more B caroting en crudo presents

• High composition for the plant The olive are the final production

Lactic gras

• Can be mulsiones and has high A and d properties
• Some contians calicum high

The Nata

• It can be separated with leche and more common but high lipids can use and the crema

Bters

• Composed fats, and is high in calories with Vitamins Aand D.

THE codex defines that the margarine ,it has a form to provide grease the animal mixing them that do not provide milk. The recent have high calories and contain less the bacteria

Las mirrainas son un producto . They help promote different consumers with grease than normal grease and make the energetics less

LAs grease are high in cows the make that has a high use of use of industrial grease they make reach the aliment in grease with oil .

Frutos secos Codex defines by high alimentation with more oils, they consist with diffetnt vegetals and are rich by means of nuts. Almonds etc

Its high oil composition fats that dont mix and calories and low caloreis . The contain more and better cholesterol. and are great for health, but the contain more fats.

Misclane

• Has alimentation considered perflous but has high consmumo dailys and can use to better

Cereal

• Make the mix of flowers, that make the high recolexion traonsfotm that combine the propreous substancies and make almacen

Consposition

And are very variable that are important for the body but not established

Cookie paste son aliments compuesto by harin wheat ,sugare an that make the induistrail mix with the additives colores conservance . the integrel compesition

• And contains portion of the flour grains to get the body nutrious

Cacao Chololate

• Gets the product cacao, it gets it sweet has made, with high levels of carbon. if it agrega milk and sugar a high aceptaicon .
• With significant properties helps the zinc, potassium and the group B vitamins.

Drinks

• Contains liquors, with several glucios, and they are hepatic.

Nutrition view ,

• B has 7 and is a type and can do it less in mind contain B vitamins minerals
• All are alcolcas but get that pertecanges is higher and great sugars.
• Some products colorants more juice and high properties for sugar more values some vitamins glucides and beverage , but the most great source is the water.

Explore the definition and classification of foods based on their origin, according to the Spanish Food Code (CAE). Discover the differences between plant-based foods like cereals, legumes, fruits, vegetables, and nuts, versus animal-based foods such as dairy, eggs, meat, and fish. Understand how these classifications are used educationally in nutrition.