Food Selection and Evaluation Notes PDF

Food Selection and Evaluation What criteria affects what foods you put into your mouth?  Nutritional Criteria Dietary Guidelines – Serve as basis for federal food programs and nutrition education programs  Cultural Criteria Culture – Shared beliefs,...

Food Selection and Evaluation What criteria affects what foods you put into your mouth?  Nutritional Criteria Dietary Guidelines – Serve as basis for federal food programs and nutrition education programs  Cultural Criteria Culture – Shared beliefs, symbols, behaviors and assumptions – Dictates what is acceptable to eat – Differences in foods, number of meals per day, utensils used, etc.  Budgetary Criteria Food Availability – Geography influences type of food grown – Influence decreased with development of technology and transportation Economics – Food choices depend on purchasing power – On a budget = less expensive foods bought – Larger budget = more convenience items and snack foods as well as eating away from home  Religious Criteria Buddhism and Hinduism – Vegetarianism is promoted among some, but not all, followers. – Considered uncompassionate to eat the flesh of another living creature. Judaism – Kosher dietary laws adhered to by members of Jewish faith. – Foods are sorted into one of three groups: meat, dairy, or pareve (containing neither meat nor dairy). Islam – The Koran contains the food laws recommended for Muslims, some of which are similar to the food laws of Judaism.  Food Selection Criteria Sensory Criteria:  Sensory Criteria Sight shapes, colors, consistency, serving size, and the presence of any outward defects Odor – Volatile molecules Molecules capable of evaporating like a gas into the air.  Sensory Criteria Touch – Texture Qualities we can feel with fingers, tongue, palate or teeth – Consistency Describes a food’s firmness or thickness. – Astringency A sensory phenomenon characterized by a dry, puckery feeling in the mouth. – Temperature  Sensory Criteria Hearing/Sound  Sensory Criteria Taste – Most influential factor in people’s selection of foods. – Sensations perceived through the stimulation of taste buds on the tongue – Gustatory cells relay message to brain which translates to taste sensation  The Four Taste Stimuli:  What is Sensory Evaluation? Defined as the assessment of all of the qualities of a food item as perceived by the human senses More than just food tasting Can involve describing food color, texture, flavor, aftertaste, aroma, tactile response  Sensory/Food Evaluation  To judge or evaluate food by the senses:  Taste (flavor)  Smell (aroma)  Sight (appearance)  Touch (texture)  Hearing (sounds)  Subjective Evaluation of Food Evaluations of food quality based on sensory characteristics and personal preferences as perceived by the five senses. Analytical tests measure differences Affective tests measure preferences  Food Evaluation Taste Panels – Can be randomly selected people to trained experts Sample Preparation – Usually seated in cubicles or booths – Food presented in a uniform fashion Same size, same temperature, presented on same plates, from same portion of food Objective Evaluation of Food Evaluations of food quality that rely on numbers generated by laboratory instruments, which are used to quantify the physical and chemical differences in foods.