Food Chemistry, Nutrition and Safety

Chemical Composition of Food

Food chemistry is the science that deals with the chemical composition and properties of food and the chemical changes it undergoes. Food composition data (FCD) are detailed sets of information on the nutritionally important components of foods and provide values 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 of the chemical composition of foods is the first essential in dietary treatment of disease or in any quantitative study of human nutrition.