Novel Properties and Functions of Food Ingredients

Vocabulary flashcards covering novel properties of food, ingredient functions, and culinary transformation processes.

Novel properties

Special characteristics of food ingredients that allow them to perform particular functions, or properties of food that make it different from other ingredients.

Gluten

A gelling agent found in desserts.

Yeast

A micro-organism that helps beed Rise.

Pectin

A natural gelling agent found in fruit, used in dam.

Emulsification

A property that allows water and oil to mix, such as lechitin in egg yolk.

Gelatinisation

A process where starch absorbs liquids and thickens when heated, exemplified by custard and gravy.

Fermentation

A process where micro-organisms break down sugars, such as in yoghurt and bread.

Aeration

The process where air is incorporated into food to make it lighter, such as in whisked egg whites.

Dextrinisation

A process where starch breaks down into smaller molecules when heated, causing browning, as seen in toast.

Caramelisation

A process where sugar browns when heated, with caramel as an example.