Food chemistry is a field of knowledge that studies the details of the chemical substances that are part of food products. Whether due to its original composition, the added ingredients or the preparation or production processes that occur in them Chemistry WordPress Blog.
It also includes the behavior of these substances throughout the useful life of the product. From its manufacturing or harvesting to its own digestion in the body, passing through the stages of storage, processing, cooking, packaging, etc.
Most of the chemical components of food are what are known as nutrients, substances essential for our life and good health.
Carbohydrates, fats, proteins, mineral salts, fiber, vitamins and, of course, water are the chemical compounds that the body uses to carry out its vital functions.
Contributions of chemistry in food development
The various applications of chemistry in food constitute one of the most important contributions of science to improving the quality of life. Below we share the most notable ones:
1. Agrochemicals
In order for food to reach the kitchen, of good quality, healthy and at affordable prices, it is necessary to take care of the plants, obtain good and abundant harvests, raise healthy and well-fed livestock and protect the collected products during storage and transportation so that they preserve their nutritional conditions. To achieve all this, chemistry has been used.
It has been proven that the application of advanced chemical techniques is essential to meet the needs of farmers. Without these techniques, not only would it not be possible to meet the needs of purely vegetative growth of the population, but also the nutritional changes that are expected.
Without the contribution of chemistry to multiply the yield of crops, without products to protect them from all harmful agents, without cold networks, additives and packaging that allow us to maintain the nutritional properties of foods, they could not be met. the nutritional needs of consumers.
2. Food preservation
Foods such as vegetables, tomatoes, wheat, fruits, meats, fish go a long way to reach consumers’ plates. During this transfer, bacteria, fungi, insects and rodents are lurking, ready to kill them. Without taking into account the effect of air gases, humidity or lack thereof, cold and heat or the action of light, which can alter and decompose them.
Chemistry can contribute to the preservation of food through the main food additives. Which are a powerful tool for health protection and food preservation. Like the palette that chefs have at their disposal to make the appearance and flavor of food more pleasant.
3. Cold management
One way of helping chemistry to preserve food is the possibility of preserving and transporting it in refrigerators, preserving its properties and extending its life. Both in slaughterhouses and in department stores and shops, finally ending up in domestic refrigerators and refrigerators.
Currently, the cold chain is fragmented with different suppliers and technologies at each stage of the supply chain.
Therefore, to help preserve, protect and deliver food, it is essential to have a reliable cold chain. Because in this way it contributes to the reduction of food waste and care for the environment.
In that sense, technology plays a transcendental role because it will allow the cold chain to be in the cloud and thus key processes can be automated and provide visibility and information in real time during refrigeration or in the distribution of food.
4. Smart packaging with protective atmospheres
Smart packaging is capable of absorbing oxygen and removing it from the interior. And others that are made of temperature-sensitive materials and present abrupt changes in gas permeability depending on the temperature reached.
These containers must be light and resistant and are made up of numerous different layers of film. Each one with specific functions and properties such as selective permeability to gases such as carbon dioxide or oxygen.
The modified atmosphere is used to package and preserve foodstuffs as it surrounds them with a mixture of gases that delay the natural oxidation process of fresh foods, extending the maintenance of their properties for longer.
How are modified atmospheres related to packaging? This mixture is usually called inert gas, because it is composed of gases that do not change under different pressure and temperature conditions. Some of the most notable advantages of this technique are:
Allows food to stay fresher for longer
Facilitates the transportation and storage of raw materials
Protects fragile foods from possible breakage
Avoid losses