A Century of Food Science

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts from the Century of Food Science lecture notes.

Food science

An amalgam of basic sciences, “soft” sciences, culinary arts and their offshoots that turns traditional foods into a variety of specialty products that are tasty, safe, available, and convenient.

AOAC

Association of Official Agricultural Chemists (later AOAC International), the referee group for validation of analytical methods.

Thermal death time

The concept of plotting the time required to heat to destroy a given number of microorganisms on a semi-log scale; used to determine safe heat treatments.

Ball's method

Charles Olin Ball’s mathematical approach to calculating sound thermal processing of canned foods; culminated in his published works on thermal processing.

Pasteurization

Heat treatment intended to destroy pathogens and extend shelf life; controversial in early years, but later became a standard in milk and many foods.

Retort

A high-pressure steam processing vessel used for commercially sterilizing foods in cans and other containers.

Blanching

Hot water or steam treatment used to deactivate enzymes in vegetables and fruits before freezing or canning.

Homogenization

A process that breaks fat into very small globules in milk to create a stable, uniform emulsion and improved texture.

IQF (Individually Quick Frozen)

A freezing method where individual pieces are frozen separately to prevent clumping and preserve quality.

Aseptic processing

Filling sterilized products into sterilized containers in a sterile environment to produce shelf-stable liquids and foods.

TV Dinner

Swanson’s frozen, ready-to-heat meals popularized in the 1950s (e.g., 1953 introduction) as convenience foods.

Syneresis

Water separation that occurs in frozen foods, or during storage, leading to phase separation in gels and desserts.

Retort pouch

Flexible pouch packaging used with retort sterilization to produce shelf-stable ready-to-eat products.

Susceptor

A microwave packaging element that absorbs energy to enhance browning and crisping of foods.

High-Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)

A sweetener produced by isomerizing glucose from corn syrup to fructose; became a major sugar substitute in beverages and foods.

Glucose isomerase

Enzyme used to convert glucose to fructose in HFCS production; immobilized enzymes enable continuous processing.

Dextrose (glucose)

A simple sugar (glucose) derived from starch; used in baking and food formulations.

Maltodextrins

Spray-dried starch derivatives used as bulking agents and texture modifiers; can replace fats or sugars.

Gellan gum

Exopolysaccharide from Pseudomonas elodea used as a gelling agent; introduced in the late 20th century.

Monosodium glutamate (MSG)

Flavor enhancer introduced around 1945; later the subject of regulatory and labeling debates.

Aspartame

Artificial sweetener approved by FDA in 1981 for use in foods and beverages.

BHA

Butylated hydroxyanisole; antioxidant used to retard rancidity in fats.

BHT

Butylated hydroxytoluene; antioxidant used to retard rancidity in fats.

GRAS

Generally Recognized as Safe; a basic list of substances exempt from full FDA approval because they are widely regarded as safe.

Delaney Clause

1958 amendment to the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act prohibiting any cancer-causing additives in foods.

Enrichment

Adding nutrients (e.g., vitamins and minerals) to foods—historically bread enriched starting 1942.

Fortification

Addition of nutrients to foods beyond basic needs to improve nutrition, sometimes beyond enrichment.

NLEA (Nutrition Labeling and Education Act)

Legislation requiring nutrition labeling on foods and standardizing nutritional information for consumers.

DSHEA

Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (1994); established a regulatory framework for dietary supplements.

Nitrates/Nitrites

Preservatives used in meats; concern about formation of nitrosamines and cancer risk, leading to regulatory scrutiny.

Norin 10

A semi-dwarf high-yielding wheat variety developed during the Green Revolution, contributing to yield increases.

Green Revolution

Movement of mid-20th century introducing high-yielding crop varieties and improved farming practices to boost global food production.