Influences on Food Availability, Selection, and Functional Properties

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering the influences on food availability, technological impacts, dietary requirements, and the functional properties of nutrients based on the lecture notes.

Food security

A state existing when all people at all times have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food to meet dietary needs for a healthy and active life.

Availability (Dimension of Food Security)

The adequacy of food supply and the availability of sufficient quantities of appropriate, quality foods.

Stability (Dimension of Food Security)

A supply of food without fluctuations or shortages from season to season or year to year.

Accessibility (Dimension of Food Security)

The social, economic, and physical access individuals have to food.

Utilisation (Dimension of Food Security)

The quality and safety of food, including access to clean water, sanitation, and health care.

Global Migration

The movement of people from one country to another or within parts of their own country, which introduces new food knowledge and cultural practices to communities.

Staple foods

Foods that are readily available to most of the population, provide a major source of energy, and are nutritious and inexpensive, such as wheat, corn, rice, and potatoes.

Low nutrient-dense foods

Foods that supply calories with small amounts or no nutrients, vitamins, or minerals, such as doughnuts and biscuits.

Higher nutrient-dense foods

Foods containing vitamins, minerals, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats, such as vegetables, fruits, and lean meats.

Remote sensing

A technology using images to allow farmers to identify and treat specific affected areas of a field with fertilizers and pesticides before problems are visually apparent.

Drip irrigation

A system involving dripping water onto soil at low rates ($2 \text{--} 20\text{ litres/hour}$) from plastic pipes fitted with emitters or drippers.

Hydroponics

Controlled and monitored underground or contained farming systems where plants grow based on a nutrient-rich water solution.

Aquaponics

An outdoor system relying on a pond to provide fertilization for plants, where fish waste travels to vegetation resulting in fertilization.

Vertical Farming

The practice of growing crops vertically to reduce labor costs, use less water through recirculation, and utilize less space.

Minimally processed foods

Basically raw foods that have been cleaned, sorted, and coated to maintain freshness, such as fresh or frozen fruit and salads.

Heavily processed foods

Heavily altered items made of multiple ingredients where the original form is undetectable, such as frozen pizzas and soft drinks.

Marketplace

The physical or digital location where consumers purchase the goods and services they want and need.

Absolute poverty

A life-threatening condition caused by the inability to supply any basic human needs over a long period of time.

Relative poverty

A condition where a person cannot afford to satisfy one or more basic human needs such as food, clothing, or shelter.

Tariff

A tax added to the cost of imported goods to raise revenue or protect domestic industries from foreign competition.

Embargoes

Partial or complete bans of trade with particular countries due to political situations.

Subsidies

Payments made to producers to encourage local production, support income, and assist in manufacturing processes.

Hunger

The feeling of emptiness and weakness caused by a lack of food, triggered by the hypothalamus gland in the brain.

Appetite

The desire to eat even when the body is not experiencing physiological hunger.

Satiety

The psychological experience of feeling full and the absence of hunger.

Food allergy

An autoimmune response by the body when it detects specific proteins in harmless foods as harmful, potentially leading to anaphylaxis.

Food intolerance

A sensitivity to specific foods, such as lactose or gluten, that typically occurs within $20\text{ minutes}$ of consumption and causes symptoms like bloating or migraines.

Sensory perceptions

Decisions based on reactions to a food's physical appearance, presentation, odour, taste, and sound.

FIFO

An acronym for 'First In, First Out,' a stock rotation method where older expiry dates are moved to the front and newer ones to the back.

Perishable Foods

Foods that require freezing or cold storage and spoil quickly, such as fruits and vegetables.

Cold Storage

Storage in refrigerators or cool rooms where the temperature must be between $0 \text{--} 4\text{ }^\text{o}\text{C}$ to slow bacteria growth.

Freezing

Storage at temperatures below $-18\text{ }^\text{o}\text{C}$ to convert water in food to ice and subdue the action of microbes and enzymes.

Cross-contamination

The transfer of pathogens from one source to another, such as from raw ingredients to cooked foods via hands, utensils, or cloths.

Umami

The 'fifth taste,' a Japanese term describing a rich, meaty, or protein-like flavor.

Denaturation

The process where the structure of a protein breaks apart and cannot return to its original form, occurring with heat above $40\text{ }^\text{o}\text{C}$, agitation, or acidity.

Coagulation

A physical change following denaturation where protein molecules join together to form a solid structure or gel, such as an egg setting.

Maillard Reaction

A type of browning that occurs when denatured proteins combine with sugars, resulting in a brown color and change in flavor.

Gelatinisation

The breakdown and swelling of starch granules that occurs when heat is applied in the presence of liquid, causing the mixture to thicken.

Dextrinisation

The process in which starch is exposed to dry heat, breaking down into smaller molecules called dextrin and turning golden brown.

Caramelization

A physical change where sugars are heated above their melting point to produce a golden-brown caramel.

Emulsification

The process of adding a third ingredient to water and oil to allow them to stay together, such as in mayonnaise.

Macronutrients

Nutrients required by the body in large amounts to supply energy and maintain tissue, including protein, lipids, carbohydrates, and water.

Micronutrients

Nutrients required in smaller amounts to assist in bodily functions and the immune system, specifically vitamins and minerals.

High Biological Value (HBV) Proteins

Complete proteins that contain all $8$ essential amino acids, mostly found in animal sources and soy beans.

Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs)

Fats needed for health that cannot be made in the body and must be consumed, such as Omega-3 and Omega-6.

Catabolism

A category of metabolism involving the breaking down of nutrients to form energy and make new substances.

Anabolism

A category of metabolism that uses substances made from catabolism to create other substances, such as repairing muscle tissue.

Chyme

A mixture of gastric juices (hydrochloric acid and enzymes) and food formed in the stomach during digestion.