food science vocab

milk

an opaque white or bluish-white liquid secreted by the mammary glands of female mammals, serving for the nourishment of their young

cream

the fatty part of milk, which rises to the surface when the liquid is allowed to stand unless homogenized

casein

a phosphoprotein, precipitated from milk by rennin, forming the basis of cheese

curd

a substance consisting mainly of casein and the like, obtained from milk by coagulation, and used as food or made into cheese

whey

the watery liquid that separates from the curd when the milk is clotted, as in making cheese

probiotic

a food, usually dairy, or a dietary supplement containing live bacteria that replace or add to the beneficial bacteria normally present in the gastrointestinal tract

lipid

an organic compound that is greasy to the touch, insoluble in water, and soluble in alcohol and ether

carbohydrate

any of a large group of organic compounds, including sugars, such as sucrose, and polysaccharides, such as cellulose, glycogen, and starch, that contain carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, with the general formula C_n(H₂O)_nn: an important source of food and energy for animals

protein

any of a large group of nitrogenous compounds of high molecular weight that are essential constituents of all living organisms. They consist of one or more chains of amino acids linked by peptide bonds and are folded into a specific three-dimensional shape maintained by further chemical bonding

fat

any of several white or yellowish greasy substances, forming the chief part of adipose tissue of animals and also occurring in plants, that when pure are colorless, odorless, and tasteless and are either solid or liquid esters of glycerol with fatty acids; fats are insoluble in water or cold alcohol but soluble in ether, chloroform, or benzene: used in the manufacture of soap, paints, and other protective coatings and in cooking

saturated fat

a fat with a triglyceride molecule containing three saturated fatty acids connected by single bonds

unsaturated fat

a triglyceride fat containing at least one unsaturated fatty acid. Fats derived from plants are often unsaturated fats. Eating foods high in unsaturated fats can reduce the amount of cholesterol in the blood

sugar

a white crystalline sweet carbohydrate, a disaccharide, found in many plants and extracted from sugar cane and sugar beet. Formula: C₁₂H₂₂O₁₁

starch

a white, tasteless, solid carbohydrate occurring in the form of minute granules in the seeds, tubers, and other parts of plants, and forming an important constituent of rice, corn, wheat, beans, potatoes, and many other vegetable foods. Formula: C₆H₁₀O₅

lactose

Also called: milk sugar. a white crystalline disaccharide occurring in milk and used in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals and baby foods. Formula: C₁₂H₂₂O₁₁