Food Science Glossary
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Bitterness |
A strong flavour, generally lacking in sweetness and usually quite sharp e.g in coffee and citrus fruit |
| Blanching |
A process where foods, such as vegetables, are boiled for a very short time, then plunged into cold water to stop the cooking process |
| Botulism |
A rare but potentially fatal illness caused by toxins from bacterial spores. Food-borne botulism can be caused by eating improperly processed canned foods |
| Brewing |
Producing beer by soaking starch in water, then fermenting the sweet liquid with yeast, producing ethanol and carbon dioxide bubbles |
| Browning |
When the surface of food becomes darker and browner in colour as a result of cooking |
| Bulking agent |
A food additive that increases the weight and/or volume of food without altering its nutritional value |
| Butyric acid |
A carboxylic acid which can be found in, for example, milk and parmesan cheese |
| Canning |
Process used to preserve foods where food is heated in a can to kill microorganisms |
| Caramelisation |
A process by which monosaccharides and disaccharides are browned by the application of heat; a form of non-enzymatic browning |
| Carbohydrase |
An enzyme that breaks down carbohydrate into simpler sugars |
| Carbohydrate |
One of the key macro nutrients made up of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen; main source of energy in the diet |
| Carbonation |
A process when carbon dioxide dissolves in a liquid and produces gas bubbles, producing a fizzy sensation |
| Carcinogen |
A substance that causes cancer and is harmful to consume |
| Carcinogenic |
Causing cancer |
| Cariogenic |
Causing tooth decay |
| Carotenoid |
A pigment in plants causing bright red, orange and yellow colours like those found in tomatoes, carrots and bananas |
| Carrageenan |
A polysaccharide found in seaweed, used as a food additive e.g for thickening, gelling, stabilizing |
| Casein |
A protein found in milk |
| Casein micelle |
A molecule found dispersed in milk, made up mainly of casein proteins and calcium phosphate salts |
| Chalazae |
Opaque ‘ropes’ of egg white holding the yolk in place; weakens on aging, causing the yolk to float up |