Food Science Glossary
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Salmonella |
A genus of bacteria that can cause food poisoning. Poor hygiene practices can lead to salmonella infections |
| Saturated fat |
A fatty acid molecule with no double bonds between carbon atoms; it is solid at room temperature |
| Sensory |
Relating to the five basic senses: hearing, touch, taste, sight and smell |
| Solanine |
A heat-stable toxin which can cause neurological disorders. Found in sprouting potatoes, tomatoes and aubergine |
| Spray drying |
A food processing method used to produce a powdered product from a liquid, e.g milk and coffee powders |
| Stabiliser |
A food additive that helps with structure stability, typically seen in salad dressing to stop oil and water from separating |
| Starch |
A polysaccharide made up of many glucose molecules, joined via glycosidic bonds; contains amylose and amylopectin |
| Starch retrogradation |
A process where amylose and amylopectin chains, in cooked, gelatinised starch, reassociate forming more ordered structures |
| Sterilisation |
The process for eliminating microbes from foods e.g bacteria, moulds, viruses |
| Sucrose |
A table sugar derived from cane or beet crops |
| Sugar |
A small chain carbohydrate, soluble in solution, that adds a sweet taste to foods |
| Supertaster |
A person with increased sensitivity to certain tastes that have specific roles in the food industry e.g sommeliers |
| Sweetener |
An additive that replaces sugar to provide sweetness, usually with lower energy content. Can be found in nature or produced synthetically |
| Syneresis |
The release of moisture contained within protein molecules that have contracted from a pre-formed gel |