Nutrition, Food Science, and Baking Principles

Comprehensive practice vocabulary flashcards covering nutrition terms, macronutrients, vitamins, minerals, energy requirements, digestion, life-stage nutritional needs, healthy eating guidelines, cereal structures, and baking food science.

Nutrients

Chemical substances in food used by the body to provide energy, structural materials, and regulating agents for growth, maintenance, and repair.

Macronutrients

Nutrients required by the body in large amounts daily, specifically Carbohydrates, Proteins, and Fats.

Micronutrients

Nutrients required in minute amounts to trigger chemical reactions and maintain health, consisting of Vitamins and Minerals.

Metabolism

The sum of all chemical reactions occurring within the body to maintain life.

Dietary Reference Values (DRVs)

Estimates of the amounts of nutrients needed by different groups of healthy people.

Monosaccharides

Single sugars composed of Carbon (C), Hydrogen (H), and Oxygen (O), including Glucose, Fructose, and Galactose.

Disaccharides

Double sugars formed from pairs of single sugars: Sucrose (Glucose + Fructose), Lactose (Glucose + Galactose), and Maltose (Glucose + Glucose).

Polysaccharides

Complex carbohydrates that serve as energy storage or structural components, including Starch, Glycogen, and Cellulose (NSP/Dietary Fiber).

Non-Starch Polysaccharide (NSP)

Dietary fiber that adds bulk to feces, stimulates peristalsis, and prevents constipation, diverticular disease, and bowel cancer.

High Biological Value (HBV) Proteins

Proteins containing all essential amino acids in the correct proportions, found in meat, fish, eggs, dairy, soya, and quinoa.

Low Biological Value (LBV) Proteins

Proteins lacking one or more essential amino acids (limiting amino acids), sourced from pulses, nuts, seeds, and cereals.

Complementary Proteins

The practice of combining two LBV food sources (such as beans on toast) to supply all essential amino acids.

Kwashiorkor

A severe protein deficiency disease characterized by a swollen abdomen and poor growth.

Marasmus

A severe nutritional deficiency disease characterized by generalized wasting of muscle and fat.

Triglyceride

The basic chemical structure of fats (lipids), formed of one glycerol molecule bound to three fatty acids.

Saturated Fats

Fats containing no double bonds between carbon atoms, typically solid at room temperature, found in butter, lard, fatty meats, and coconut oil.

Unsaturated Fats

Fats containing one or more double bonds (monounsaturated or polyunsaturated), typically liquid at room temperature, found in olive oil, sunflower oil, and oily fish.

Vitamin A (Retinol)

A fat-soluble vitamin essential for night vision, healthy skin, and immune function; deficiency causes night blindness and xerophthalmia (dry eyes).

Vitamin D (Cholecalciferol)

A fat-soluble vitamin aiding calcium absorption for bone and teeth mineralization; deficiency causes rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults.

Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid)

A water-soluble antioxidant vitamin required for collagen production and iron absorption; deficiency causes scurvy (bleeding gums, bruising, slow wound healing).

Thiamine ($B_1$)

A water-soluble vitamin involved in carbohydrate metabolism and nervous system health; deficiency leads to beri-beri (muscle wasting, nerve damage, heart failure).

Riboflavin ($B_2$)

A water-soluble vitamin required for energy release from food and maintaining healthy skin and eyes; deficiency causes ariboflavinosis (cracked lips/cheilosis, swollen tongue).

Nicotinic Acid ($B_3$ / Niacin)

A water-soluble vitamin that facilitates energy metabolism and nervous system health; deficiency causes pellagra, manifested by the 3 Ds: Dermatitis, Diarrhea, and Dementia.

Folic Acid ($B_9$)

A water-soluble vitamin essential for red blood cell formation and fetal neural tube development; deficiency leads to spina bifida in newborns and megaloblastic anemia.

Calcium ($Ca$)

A mineral vital for bone and teeth mineralization, blood clotting, and muscle function; deficiency causes rickets, osteoporosis (brittle bones), and tetany (muscle spasms).

Iron ($Fe$)

A mineral required for the formation of hemoglobin to transport oxygen in the blood; deficiency results in iron-deficiency anemia (fatigue, pale skin, breathlessness).

Iodine ($I$)

A mineral essential for the thyroid gland to produce the hormone thyroxine to regulate BMR; deficiency leads to goiter (swollen thyroid gland) and cretinism in children.

Fluorine ($F$)

A mineral that strengthens tooth enamel and prevents dental caries; deficiency leads to increased susceptibility to dental decay.

Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)

The minimum amount of energy required to maintain vital involuntary life processes (breathing, heartbeat, cell repair) while the body is at complete rest.

Total Energy Requirement

The overall daily energy need calculated as: $\text{BMR} + \text{Physical Activity Level (PAL)}$.

Digestion

The breakdown of large, insoluble food molecules into small, soluble ones so they can be absorbed into the bloodstream.

Bile

A digestive fluid produced in the liver and stored in the gallbladder that emulsifies fats and neutralizes stomach acid to create an alkaline environment in the duodenum.

Villi

Millions of finger-like projections lining the ileum that maximize surface area for nutrient absorption, featuring one-cell thick walls and rich capillary networks.

Lacteal

A central lymphatic vessel situated inside each intestinal villus that absorbs fatty acids and glycerol into the lymphatic system.

Bran

The tough outer layer of a cereal grain, making up $12\%$ of the structure, rich in NSP (fiber), B vitamins, and minerals, which is stripped away during refining.

Endosperm

The large central section of a cereal grain, comprising $85\%$ of its structure, primarily composed of starch and containing the protein gluten (in wheat).

Germ

The nutrient-rich core of a cereal grain, comprising $3\%$ of the grain, containing fat, protein, vitamin E, B vitamins, and iron; its fat content causes wholemeal flour to go rancid faster.

Gelatinization

The process in which starch grains absorb liquid, swell at $60^\circ\text{C}$, burst at $85^\circ\text{C}$, and set into a firm gel around $100^\circ\text{C}$.

Coagulation

The permanent setting of denatured proteins that unfold and bond tightly together when heated, turning from a liquid or soft state into a solid (e.g., egg and gluten setting at $60\text{--}70^\circ\text{C}$).

Dextrinization

The breakdown of starch molecules into sweeter, brown polymers called dextrins when exposed to dry heat, giving crusts their characteristic color.

Fermentation (in Baking)

The anaerobic conversion of sugars by yeast into carbon dioxide and ethanol: $\text{Glucose} \xrightarrow{\text{Yeast}} \text{Carbon Dioxide} + \text{Ethanol}$.

Shortcrust Pastry

A pastry made using a $1:2$ fat-to-flour ratio via the rubbing-in method, relying on trapped air and cold handling to yield a light, crumbly, and 'short' texture.

Flaky Pastry

A pastry made using a $3:4$ fat-to-flour ratio via rolling and folding fat in $4$ portions, where internal steam forces thin dough layers apart into distinct flakes.

Rough Puff Pastry

A pastry made using a $3:4$ fat-to-flour ratio by mixing small cubes of fat loosely into flour with a knife before rolling, relying on steam to expand fat pockets into puffed layers.

Creaming Method

A cake-making method using equal parts fat, sugar, and flour ($1:1:1$), where fat and caster sugar are beaten together to incorporate air cells before adding eggs and folding in self-raising flour.

Rubbing-In Method (Cakes)

A cake-making technique using half or less fat and sugar to flour (e.g., $50\,\text{g}$ fat to $100\,\text{g}$ flour), where fat is worked into flour using fingertips until it looks like breadcrumbs.

Melting Method

A cake preparation method using $\frac{1}{3}$ to $\frac{1}{2}$ fat to flour, where fat, sugar, and syrups are melted together before adding dry ingredients, relying entirely on chemical raising agents.

Whisking Method

A cake-making method using no fat and equal parts sugar and flour plus eggs, where whole eggs and caster sugar are whisked to a thick 'ribbon trail' before gently folding in flour.

All-In-One Method

A cake-making method using soft margarine where all ingredients are placed into a bowl and beaten together simultaneously using self-raising flour.

Strong Plain Flour

Flour with high protein/gluten content ($12\text{--}14\%$) and an extraction rate of $\sim 72\%$, ideal for bread and flaky/rough puff pastry because it stretches to hold gas and steam.

Plain White Flour

Flour with low-to-medium gluten content ($7\text{--}10\%$) and an extraction rate of $\sim 72\%$, ideal for shortcrust pastry, sauces, and biscuits to keep texture short and crumbly.

Self-Raising Flour

Flour with low gluten content and an extraction rate of $\sim 70\%$ containing a pre-blended, fixed chemical raising agent, primarily used for cakes and scones.

Wholemeal Flour

Flour with a $100\%$ extraction rate that retains the bran and germ; produces dense bakes because the sharp edges of bran cut developing gluten strands.

Castor Sugar

Finely crystallized sugar that dissolves rapidly during creaming to maximize mechanical aeration in baked goods.

Lard (in Baking)

A $100\%$ pure fat containing no water, ideal for producing the shortest, most crumbly shortcrust pastry, but unsuitable for creamed cakes because it cannot trap air.