Nutrition, Digestion, Baked Goods, and Food Science

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering nutrition principles, digestive enzymatic pathways, life stage requirements, baking food science, and cereal grain structures.

Nutrition

The study of food and how the body uses it for growth, repair, energy, and maintenance.

Nutrients

Chemical substances found in food that are essential to life, health, and proper bodily function.

Macronutrients

Essential nutrients required by the body in large amounts (measured in grams), namely carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.

Micronutrients

Essential nutrients required by the body in small/minute amounts (measured in milligrams or micrograms), namely vitamins and minerals.

Balanced Diet

A diet containing all the essential nutrients (carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, water, and fiber) in the correct proportions and amounts to suit the individual's needs.

Malnutrition

A state resulting from an unbalanced or incorrect intake of nutrients, encompassing both under-nutrition and over-nutrition.

Dietary Reference Values (DRVs)

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

Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)

The minimum amount of energy required by the body to maintain vital involuntary life functions (breathing, heartbeat, temperature control) when completely at rest.

Energy Balance

The physiological state achieved when total energy intake from food equals total energy expended through metabolism and physical activity.

Lipase

An enzyme operating in the small intestine (duodenum) that chemically digests fats (lipids) into fatty acids and glycerol.

Amylase

An enzyme found in the mouth (salivary amylase) and small intestine (pancreatic amylase) that breaks down starch into maltose.

Maltase

An enzyme located in the small intestine that breaks down maltose into glucose.

Glucose

The final, simplest absorbable carbohydrate unit produced during carbohydrate digestion.

Sucrase

An enzyme in the small intestine that breaks down sucrose into glucose and fructose.

Lactase

An enzyme in the small intestine that hydrolyzes lactose into glucose and galactose.

Pepsin

A protein-digesting enzyme in the stomach, activated from inactive pepsinogen by hydrochloric acid, that breaks down proteins into peptides (polypeptides).

Trypsin

A protein-digesting enzyme active in the small intestine that breaks down proteins into peptides (polypeptides).

Peptidases

Enzymes in the small intestine that break down peptides into amino acids, the final building blocks of protein.

Bile

A fluid produced in the liver and stored in the gall bladder that neutralizes acidic chyme and emulsifies large fat globules into tiny droplets in the duodenum.

Lacteal

A central lymph vessel within each villus of the ileum specifically structured to absorb fatty acids and glycerol.

Mechanical Digestion

The physical breakdown of food into smaller pieces without altering its chemical structure (e.g., chewing, churning), thereby increasing surface area for enzymes.

Chemical Digestion

The breakdown of large, insoluble food molecules into small, soluble molecules through the action of enzymes, water, and digestive juices.

Peristalsis

Rhythmic, wave-like muscular contractions of the alimentary canal walls that push food along the digestive tract.

Chyme

The semi-liquid mass of partially digested food formed by the muscular churning action of the stomach.

Villi

Tiny, finger-like projections lining the ileum featuring one-cell-thick walls, a massive surface area, and rich capillary networks to optimize nutrient absorption.

Folic Acid (Vitamin B9)

A vital nutrient required during the first trimester of pregnancy to prevent fetal neural tube defects such as spina bifida.

Positive Energy Balance

A condition in which energy intake exceeds energy expenditure, causing surplus energy to be stored as adipose tissue and increasing risks of obesity and CHD.

Negative Energy Balance

A condition in which energy intake is lower than energy expenditure, forcing the body to break down fat and muscle stores, potentially leading to marasmus.

Shortening

The baking property where fat coats flour particles with a waterproof barrier, preventing gluten formation and yielding a crumbly, melt-in-the-mouth texture.

Aeration

The process of trapping fine air bubbles inside fat when beaten with sharp sugar crystals during the creaming method, yielding a light, fluffy cake structure.

Lamination

The repetitive rolling and folding of pastry dough to trap alternating layers of fat and dough, which expand from steam during baking to form crisp flakes.

Proving (Fermentation)

The bread-making stage where dough is left in a warm environment so yeast ferments sugar into $\text{CO}_2$ gas and alcohol, expanding the gluten framework.

Strong Flour

Flour containing a high gluten protein content (around $12\%$–$14\%$) that creates a stretchy framework to retain gas bubbles in yeast breads and choux pastry.

Plain Flour

Soft flour containing a medium-to-low gluten content (around $8\%$–$10\%$) and no added raising agents, used for shortcrust pastry, biscuits, and sauces.

Self-Raising Flour

Plain flour pre-blended with chemical raising agents (such as baking powder) that react to release $\text{CO}_2$ gas when exposed to moisture and heat.

Wholemeal Flour

Flour produced by grinding the entire cereal grain, retaining $100\%$ of the bran and germ, high in NSP fiber but producing heavier bakes because bran cuts gluten strands.

Cornflour (Cornstarch)

A fine, gluten-free white flour milled strictly from the pure starch endosperm of maize, used to thicken sauces and custards via gelatinization.

Bran

The tough, protective outer husk of a cereal grain (comprising about $13\%$ of the grain), exceptionally high in non-starch polysaccharides (fiber), B vitamins, and iron.

Endosperm

The largest storage compartment of a cereal grain (approx. $85\%$ of the grain), consisting mainly of starch granules embedded in a protein matrix.

Germ

The nutrient-dense embryo at the base of a cereal grain (approx. $2\%$ of the grain), rich in protein, vitamin E, B group vitamins, iron, and unsaturated fat.

Gelatinization

The process occurring when cereal starch granules are heated in liquid between $60^\circ\text{C}$ and $100^\circ\text{C}$, causing them to absorb water, swell, burst, and thicken the liquid.

Dextrinization

The chemical breakdown of surface starch molecules into simpler, sweeter carbohydrates called dextrins when subjected to dry heat, producing a golden-brown crust.

Non-Starch Polysaccharides (NSP)

Indigestible dietary fiber that adds bulk to feces, stimulates peristalsis, and prevents constipation, diverticular disease, and bowel cancers.

Coeliac Disease

A condition characterized by an intolerance to gluten that requires complete exclusion of wheat, barley, and rye flours in favor of gluten-free alternatives like cornflour or rice flour.