3rd International Conference on Food Chemistry & Nutrition May 16-18, 2018 Montreal, Canada

Food chemistry is the science which deals with the chemical composition and properties of food and the chemical changes it undergoes due to natural and artificial processing mechanism. Food composition data (FCD) are detailed sets of information on the nutritionally important components of food and provides high value for energy and nutrients including protein, carbohydrates, fat, vitamins and minerals and for other important food components such as fibre. The data are presented in food composition databases (FCDBs). Knowledge about the chemical composition of food is the first essential parameter in dietary treatment of disease or in any quantitative study of human nutrition.

Food chemistry also includes the study of chemical processes and interactions of all biological and non-biological components of foods. The biological substances include such items as meat, poultry, lettuce, beer, and milk as examples. It is similar to biochemistry in its main components such as carbohydrates, lipids, and protein, but it also includes areas such as water, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, food additives, flavors, and colors. This discipline withal encompasses how products change under certain aliment processing techniques and ways either to enhance or to obviate them from transpiring. An example of enhancing a process would be to encourage fermentation of dairy products with microorganisms that convert lactose to lactic acid; an example of preventing a process would be stopping the browning on the surface of freshly cut red apples using lemon juice or other acidulated water.

Hydrocolloids or gums are a diverse group of long chain polymers characterized by their property of forming viscous dispersions and/or gels when dispersed in water. These materials were first found in exudates from trees or bushes, extracts from plants or seaweeds, flours from seeds or grains, gummy slimes from fermentation processes, and many other natural products. Occurrence of a large number of hydroxyl groups noticeably increases their affinity for binding water molecules rendering them hydrophilic compounds. Further, they produce a dispersion, which is intermediate between a true solution and a suspension, and exhibits the properties of a colloid. Hydrocolloids have a wide array of functional properties in foods including; thickening, gelling, emulsifying, stabilization, coating and etc. Hydrocolloids have a profound impact on food properties when used at levels ranging from a few parts per million for carrageenan in heat-treated dairy products to high levels of acacia gum, starch or gelatin in jelly confectionery. The primary reason behind the ample use of hydrocolloids in foods is their ability to modify the rheology of food systems. This includes two basic properties of food systems that is, flow behavior (viscosity) and mechanical solid property (texture). The modification of texture and/or viscosity of food systems helps modify its sensory properties, therefore hydrocolloids are used as significant food additives to perform specific purposes. It is evident that several hydrocolloids belong to the category of permitted food additive in many countries throughout the world. Various food formulations such as soups, gravies, salad dressings, sauces and toppings use hydrocolloids as additives to achieve the preferred viscosity and mouth feel. They are also used in many food products like ice_creams, jams, jellies, gelled desserts, cakes and candies, to create the desired texture. In addition to the functional attributes, future acceptance and, possibly, positive endorsement may derive from the recognition that fibers contribute to many physiological benefits to the natural function and well-being of the body.

Many reactions can alter food quality or safety. Each reaction class can involve different reactants or substrates depending on the specific food and the particular conditions for handling, processing, or storage. They are treated as reaction classes because the general nature of the substrates or reactants is similar for all foods. Thus, non-enzymatic browning involves reaction of carbonyl compounds, which can arise from existing reducing sugars or from diverse reactions, such as oxidation of ascorbic acid, hydrolysis of starch, or oxidation of lipids. Oxidation may involve lipids, proteins, vitamins, or pigments, and more specifically, oxidation of lipids may involve triacylglycerol in one food or phospholipids in another.

Food preservation is essential to prevent the growth of microorganisms as well as for slowing down the oxidation of fats which causes rancidity. Food preservation may also include processes that inhibit visual deterioration, such as the enzymatic browning reaction in apples after they are cut during food preparation. Many processes designed to preserve food involve more than one food preservation method. Preserving fruit by turning it into jam, for example, involves boiling, sugaring and sealing within an airtight jar. Some traditional methods of preserving food have been shown to have a lower energy input and carbon footprint, when compared to modern methods. Some methods of food preservation are known to create carcinogens. Fermented meat is carcinogenic to humans. Damage or contamination by micro-organisms, air, moisture and toxins are protected by packaging, product spilling or leaking. Alimentation is obviated by packaging, ingredients and sell-by dates are paramount to the consumer and grocery stores as well. Food Packaging has been playing such an important role in the preservation and marketability of a product, that many companies are seeking a contract for packaging service to help them obtain the best quality packaging available. A co-manufacturer benefits by cost, speed, quality and innovation. 

Food adulteration is a legal term meaning that a food product fails to meet federal or state standards. Adulteration is an addition of another substance to a food item in order to increase the quantity of the food item in raw form or prepared form, which may result in the loss of actual quality of food item. These substances may be other available food items or non-food items. Among meat and meat products some of the items used to adulterate are water or ice, carcasses, or carcasses of animals other than the animal meant to be consumed. It not only includes the intentional addition or substitution of the substances but biological and chemical contamination during the period of growth, storage, processing, transport and distribution of the food products, is also responsible for the lowering or degradation of the quality of food products. Adulterants are those substances are used for economic benefit n the part of the seller however turns out unsafe for human consumption. Under the previous food laws any food product with lowered or degraded quality used to be defined as adulterated food but under the new laws (FSS Act, 2006), the word adulterated food has been termed as Substandard Food, Unsafe Food or Food containing the extraneous matter.

It is essential to reiterate that safety is the first requisite of any food. In a broader sense, this means a food must be free of any harmful chemical or microbial contaminant at the time of its consumption. For operational purposes this definition takes on a more applied form. In the canning industry, commercial sterility as applied to low-acid foods means the absence of viable spores of Clostridium botulinum. This in turn can be translated into a specific set of heating conditions for a specific product in a specific package. Due to these heating requirements, one can then select specific time-temperature conditions that shall optimize retention of quality attributes of the products. Similarly, in case of a product such as peanut butter, operational safety can be regarded primarily by the absence of aflatoxins—carcinogenic substances produced by certain species of molds. Steps taken to prevent growth of the mold in question may or may not interfere with retention of some other quality attribute; nevertheless, conditions producing a safe product must be employed.

Food is one of the basic necessities to sustain life. However advanced studies on food chemistry and its relationship with human health and diseases have made newer revelations about the importance of specific food contents in keeping a healthy physical and mental status. Functional foods can be considered as the fortified, enhanced or enriched food items that not only meets the basic nutritional needs but also provides resistance or avoids risk of certain disease occurrence. They are even capable of providing therapeutic benefits when encountered with certain diseases. Recent advances have shown that compounds isolated from various plant and animal sources, even marine sources have a strong capability of acting against diseases when used with food after fortification. However, a challenge still lies in this perspective. It is a modification of diet and is not enough always to inhibit diseases alone. One must remember that the ways of life and other factors also contribute majorly along with the effects of functional food.

Nutritional disorders can happen just due to lack of proper food in the diet or certain vital nutrients or by an incapacity of the body to absorb and assimilate nutrients, or by overconsumption of different types of foods”. Nutritional disorders can be particularly serious in any age of an individual, since they interfere with growth and development, and may predispose a person to many health problems, such as infections and chronic diseases. A metabolic disorder occurs when the metabolism process fails and allows the body to have either too much or too little of the essential compounds needed to stay healthy. Our bodies are very sensitive to errors in metabolic activity. The body must have amino acids and many different types of proteins to perform all of its metabolic functions. For example, the brain and other parts of the body need calcium, potassium and sodium to generate electrical impulses, and lipids (fats and oils) to maintain a healthy nervous system.

With the emerging concepts of neutraceuticals and functional food, food is not restricted to the purpose of serving nutrition but also helps in therapeutic purposes. Various forms of organisms have been discovered that occurs with huge nutritional and therapeutic potential and can ameliorate different diseases or at least can prevent them.

Nutraceutical is a self explanatory term that indicates toewards an amalgamation of nutrition and pharmaceuticals. Not only from plant sources, from different animal sources, nutraceuticals are produced by various extraction methods and even end up to their production and marketing in the alternative medicine category.

Marine organisms these days hold a position of high esteem in containing nutraceutical molecules in their different compound extracts that act agains a broad spectrum of diseases.

For example, one such form is the molluscan mussels. Due to this immense potential of various species of mussels to cure different arthritic forms, a wide range of studies have been carried out by scientists on the different functionalities of arthritic models.

Lyprinol is a medicine that is there in the market for a long time which is obtained from the freeze dried lipid extract of new Zealand green lipped mussel Lipid extracts from New-Zealand green-lipped mussel was found to show therapeutic potential in the treatment of asthma

The wasted food when dumped on open stretches of land breaks down into compounds that are harmful to both the environment and organism. It has a major impact on the environment as it rots and releases methane – a harmful greenhouse gas that is 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide. However, it’s not all bad news as many of us will be able to recycle our food waste. Food waste – such as fruit and vegetable peelings, egg shells and used teabags – can be turned into something useful. When recycled, it’s taken to a processing facility where it is turned into electricity to power your local community. Food waste can be recycled into useful resources with organics recycling. There are two main processes used to recycle food waste; in-vessel composting (IVC) and anaerobic digestion (AD).

Nanotechnology is having an impact on several aspects of food science, from how food is grown to how it is packaged. Companies are developing nanomaterials that will make a difference not only in the taste of food, but also in food safety, and the health benefits that food delivers. Clay nanocomposites are being used to provide an impermeable barrier to gasses such as oxygen or carbon dioxide in lightweight bottles, cartons and packaging films. Storage bins are being produced with silver nanoparticles embedded in the plastic. The silver nanoparticles kill bacteria from any material that was previously stored in the bins, minimizing health risks from harmful bacteria.