Food Availability, Selection, and Functional Properties

Vocabulary flashcards covering topics on food availability, technological advances, socio-economic factors, storage methods, and functional properties of nutrients.

Food Security

A human right that exists when all people at all times have access to necessary, safe, nourishing, and culturally appropriate food to sustain a healthy and active life.

Availability

Favourable conditions for growing foods and raising animals.

Access

Ability to reach supermarkets or places where food can be obtained easily, including cultural diets.

Utilisation

Using methods and knowledge to find and consume the most nutrient-dense foods possible.

Stability

The constant availability of food year-round.

Global Migration

The movement of people from one country to another, bringing with them the knowledge and desire for foods from their origin that can become daily staple foods over time.

AI Drones

Unarmed aerial vehicles equipped with sensors and cameras used in precision agriculture to monitor crop health, manage warehouse logistics, and target water, fertilizers, and pesticides.

Smart Collars

Wearable devices placed on livestock to monitor health, location, and grazing behaviour in real time as part of precision agriculture.

Cold Transport

The movement of temperature-sensitive food and perishable goods using vehicles equipped with active or passive cooling systems.

Affluence

A condition where high incomes combined with low levels of exercise and preferences for fast food and sugary drinks lead to high rates of overweight and obesity, costing the Australian government around $50 billion.

Economy

The structural framework of production, distribution, and consumption of food within a country.

Taxation

Mandatory financial charges imposed by the government to make specific foods more expensive relative to others.

Embargoes

Government-ordered or international prohibitions placed on trade, specifically restricting the importing and exporting of goods.

Subsidies

Financial aid provided by the government to producers and consumers to influence market prices.

Export

The process of sending food products, agricultural commodities, or beverages produced in one country to another country for sale or trade.

Hunger

A physical need for food that prompts a drive toward high-calorie, sugary, and high-fat foods to replenish energy.

Appetite

The desire for food, which drives preferences toward energy-dense foods when high and lighter foods when low.

Satiety

The feeling of fullness and lack of hunger after eating, which influences the timing and composition of the next meal.

Portion Size Effect

A phenomenon where larger server portions consistently lead to increased food intake regardless of an individual's actual hunger level, often leading to mindless eating.

Dry Storage

The practice of storing non-perishable foods in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area at temperatures between $10^\text{C}$ and $21^\text{C}$, kept $15\text{cm}$ off the ground and $5\text{cm}$ away from walls.

Cold Storage

Refrigeration of perishable foods maintained at $0^\text{C}$ to $4^\text{C}$ to slow bacterial growth and prevent cross-contamination.

Freezer Storage

Storage method keeping food below $-18^\text{C}$ in sealed and labeled containers to preserve nutrients over extended periods.

Conduction

A dry method of cooking where heat is transferred directly from the heat source to the food, such as cooking a steak on a pan.

Convection

A cooking method where heat is transferred through a liquid or air medium, such as boiling potatoes in a pot or baking in an oven.

Radiation

A cooking method that uses heat waves to transfer energy directly to food, such as microwaving popcorn.

Denaturation

The process where protein polypeptide chains unravel and snap apart into smaller chains due to heat, acid, agitation, enzymes, or salt.

Coagulation

The thickening of liquid protein into a solid form when acted upon by heat, acids, enzymes, or agitation.

Foaming

The process of beating air into a liquid to create a foam structure, such as whisking egg whites.

Gelation

The process of gel formation where liquid droplets become trapped within a protein or polymer matrix during heating and cooling.

Enzymatic Browning

A reaction where surface enzymes in food react with oxygen, causing the food to turn brown.

Maillard Reaction

A chemical reaction occurring between denatured proteins and sugars under dry heat that produces a brown colour and complex flavours.

Crystallisation

The process where a supersaturated sugar and water solution is heated, evaporated, and cooled to form solid sugar crystals.

Gelatinisation

The process where starch granules heated in liquid soften, swell, and burst between $86^\text{C}$ and $90^\text{C}$, trapping liquid and thickening the mixture.

Dextrinisation

The breakdown of starch molecules into smaller carbohydrate units called dextrins when exposed to dry heat.

Caramelisation

A chemical process where sugars are heated to high temperatures without water, breaking down to form new compounds with a rich brown colour and complex flavor.

Emulsification

The process of combining two immiscible liquids, such as oil and water, into a stable mixture using an emulsifying agent.

Aeration

The process of incorporating air into a mixture using fat to trap air pockets, producing a light and fluffy texture in baked goods.

Perishable Foods

Moist foods with a high water content that spoil in less than 7 days at room temperature and require refrigeration at $0^\text{C}$ to $4^\text{C}$ or freezing below $-18^\text{C}$.

Semi-perishable Foods

Foods with lower water content that resist rapid microbial growth, lasting from a week to a few months in refrigeration or cool storage.

Non-perishable Foods

Shelf-stable foods with low water content, such as flour, spices, and canned goods, that can be stored at room temperature without rapid spoilage.