Advances in Food Biochemistry

Food is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body. It is usually of plant or animal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals. The substance is ingested by an organism and assimilated by the organism’s cells to provide energy, maintain life, or stimulate growth. Food Science can be defined as the application of the basic sciences and engineering to study the fundamental physical, chemical, and biochemical nature of foods and the principles of food processing. Much of biochemistry deals with the structures, functions and interactions of biological macromolecules, such as proteins, nucleic acids, carbohydrates and lipids, which provide the structure of cells and perform many of the functions associated with life. This book presents the recent research from around the world in this field. Students learn to use the scientific method as they study the biological and chemical basis of food and nutrition. This textbook combines scientific principles with real-life applications of food preparation and nutrition. It is taught by the Family and Consumer Sciences teacher, a Science teacher, or by the two together.