Starch, Cereals, and Pasta – Lesson 2 & 3 Key Points

These 25 question-and-answer flashcards review essential definitions, processes, and cooking principles related to cereals, starches, and pasta from the lecture material.

What does the term “cereal” refer to in food science?

Any grain used for food, especially the starchy pods or grains of grasses.

After which Roman goddess of harvest are cereals named?

Ceres.

Which three cereals are the most widely cultivated in the world?

Rice, wheat, and corn.

What natural substance is the main component of both cereals and tubers?

Starch.

Identify the three major botanical storage parts that supply most food starch.

Seeds (cereal grains), roots, and tubers.

List the three most common manufactured sources of commercial food starch.

Corn, potato, and tapioca (cassava).

How are starches typically named in commerce?

After their plant source (e.g., cornstarch from corn, rice starch from rice).

Differentiate between native and modified starches.

Native (natural) starches are in their original plant-derived form, whereas modified starches are physically or chemically altered to change key properties.

Which starch fraction is primarily responsible for gelling when a cooked starch mixture cools?

Amylose.

Which starch fraction provides thickening or cohesion during cooking but does NOT form a gel?

Amylopectin.

What microscopic phenomenon (seen as a Maltese-cross pattern) indicates the ordered crystalline structure of raw starch granules?

Birefringence.

Define gelatinization in the context of starch cookery.

The swelling and structural disruption of starch granules when heated in water, leading to thickening.

What term describes the re-association of starch molecules (especially amylose) into an ordered crystalline structure upon cooling?

Retrogradation.

What is syneresis in starch gels?

The oozing or weeping of liquid from a rigid gel when it is cut or allowed to stand.

Explain dextrinization.

The formation of dextrins by dry-heat breakdown of starch, as in toasting flour or bread.

Why can prolonged heating of starch with acid (e.g., pineapple pie filling) reduce viscosity?

Acid-catalyzed hydrolysis breaks starch chains, thinning the mixture.

Give three functional roles starch can play in foods besides thickening.

Colloidal stabilizer, moisture retainer, flavor carrier (by trapping fats/oils).

Which common problem in starch cookery is often caused by adding acid ingredients like lemon or vinegar?

Thinning of the gel.

State the recommended cooking condition termed 'al dente' for pasta.

Cooked until firm to the bite—neither soft nor mushy.

What is the general recipe ratio for cooking 1 pound of dried pasta?

1 gallon of water, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of oil.

How should pasta be adjusted when it will undergo further cooking in a dish such as macaroni and cheese?

Undercook it by about 2 minutes to prevent over-softening.

Pasta with holes or ridges (e.g., rotini) is best paired with what type of sauce?

Chunkier sauces that can cling to the crevices.

How long does fresh, undried egg pasta usually take to cook after water returns to a boil?

About 1 to 1½ minutes.

By how much does pasta’s weight and volume typically increase after cooking?

It usually doubles or triples in weight and expands 2 to 2½ times in volume.

Globally, starch provides up to what percentage of human caloric intake?

Up to 80% of calories worldwide.