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No chapter abstract available.

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Food is vital for human existence. Food is defined as any nourishing substance that is eaten, drunk or otherwise taken into the body to sustain life. Food is the raw material from which our body is made. Food supplies nutrients to perform important functions in the body. The food we eat is digested and used for growth and development. Foods provide energy for doing work. Foods are classified on the basis of origin such as plant and animal, function and chemical composition. Plant-based foods are cereals, pulses, oil seeds and nuts, fruits and vegetables, spices and herbs and sugars. Animal-based foods are milk and milk products, eggs, fish and meat and meat products. Functional foods are energy yielding, bodybuilding and protective foods. Chemical composition includes carbohydrates, protein, fats, water, vitamins, minerals, etc.

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Carbohydrates are formed in the plants from carbon dioxide of the atmosphere and water by photosynthesis in sunlight. Thus, solar energy is stored as chemical energy in the form of carbohydrates (starch and sugar). Carbohydrates contain the elements carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. Each gram of carbohydrate consumed gives 4 kcal of energy to the body. Carbohydrates are found in the form of starch, sugar and fibre.

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Protein is a class of food nutrients which is a polymer of amino acids. It is composed of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen and often sulphur and phosphorus linked together by peptide bonds. Protein contains various amino acids.

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The ‘vita’ part of the word ‘vitamin’ means ‘life’. Vitamins are the organic substances occurring in natural foods either as such or as utilizable precursors which are required in minute quantity for normal growth, maintenance and reproduction. Plants are able to synthesize vitamins whereas animals depend on plants for their supply of vitamins. Vitamins defer from hormones which are supplied with the diet, whereas hormones are produced by glands in the body. Vitamins are usually found within the cell in minute amount and mostly function as co-factors in enzymatic reaction. Vitamins are vital and essential for life and health. They regulate metabolism, help in growth and protect against diseases.

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Minerals are inorganic substances present in food and play an important role in nutrition. Body needs variety of minerals for a variety of function and maintaining proper health.

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Plant-based foods are cereals, pulses, fruits, vegetables, spices and herbs, nuts and oil seeds, fats and oils, sweetening agents and beverages. The nutritive values of these foods are discussed in this chapter.

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Animal-based foods are milk and milk products, eggs, meats and fish. The nutritive values of these foods are discussed in this chapter.

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The significance of nutrition at specific times of growth, development and aging is becoming very important. Nutrient requirement is the minimum amount of the absorbed nutrient which is necessary for maintaining normal physiological function of the body. Recommended dietary allowances (RDA) is a nutrient present in the diet which satisfy the daily requirement of nearly all individuals in a population. These requirements depend on several factors such as age (adult requires more than child), sex (male requires more calories than female), physical work (hard working persons requires more calories than sedentary workers) and physiological stress (more nutrient required in pregnancy and lactation period). Dietary allowances for different age groups, work and stress period can be classified into various groups. The life cycle of each person consist of five basic stages that are adulthood, pregnancy, infancy, childhood and adolescence. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has made recommendation for the dietary allowances of the Indian population by physical activity, sex and age which are discussed in this chapter.

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Dietary allowances for the treatment of various diseases or disorders need modification in the diet. This is required as the metabolism of the individual changes in different disorders with respect to one or more nutrition. Modifications are change in the diet in disorders or diseases may involve changes in different constituents such as elimination of food in the diet that causes allergic reaction, omitting spices and including bland diets, high or low carbohydrate diets, high or low fat diets, high or low calorie diets, high or low protein diets, high or low fibre diets and low purine and low sodium diets.

Pages: 114

No chapter abstract available.

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Food is the basic necessity of life. Food is a nutritious organic substance solid or liquid which is eaten to meet the requirements of the body for energy, growth, development, reproduction and maintenance of health. Plants and animals are the major sources of food. Most of the foods have plant origin such as cereals, pulses, nuts and oil seeds, fruits, vegetables, spices and herbs. Even animals which are food sources derive their food from plant origin. Foods of animal sources are milk and milk products, meat, poultry, eggs and fish. Some foods such as beverages are of both plant (tea, coffee, cocoa, fruit and vegetables) and animal (milk based beverages) origin. Both plants and animals are also the source of fat and oils. Some foods which are not of plant and animal origin are mushroom (fungi origin), spirulina (algae origin) and inorganic substances such as salts and baking soda. The important sources of foods are as follows: Plant-based food sources Animal-based food sources Food of other sources

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Food preparation is an important step in meeting nutritional needs of the people. With limited food resources, it is important to get maximum food value out of every bit of food. This can be achieved by enhancing the nutritive value of foods, preventing the loss of nutrients in food preparation and avoiding food losses/wastage.

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Food beyond nutrients, contribution provide health benefits when they are eaten on a regular basis in adequate amount. Food selection is an important aspect for deciding the kinds or variety, amount, cost, suitability, quality, nutritive value and ease of preparation. This is a first stage in ensuring better nutrition for the family. The criteria used for selection of various foods prior to purchase are discussed in this chapter.

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Unless food is properly stored or preserved, much of it would be unfit for human consumption. Therefore, it is not important only to raise production but also to avoid wastage by proper storage so that every bit of food produced is utilized for human consumption. If the goal of nutrition, high eating quality, wholesomeness and economy are to be achieved, storage of food requires as much care as its purchase in the market. The main objectives of the storage are to increase the period of consumption, check losses, reduce glut, regulate supply and to obtain better price. Foods when properly stored, retain their freshness longer, have better nutritive quality and acceptability. Some practical hints for storage of commonly used foods are as follows.

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Spoilage of food is a major problem and it occurs at any stage of food production, transport, storage, marketing and processing or preparation. Food spoilage refers to decay and decomposition of undesirable nature. Foods undergo chemical and physical changes when spoiled and become hazardous and unfit for human consumption. Most of the foods deteriorate, some are faster than others. On the basis of ease of spoilage, foods are classified into three categories that are highly perishable, semi-perishable and low perishable.

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Enzymes are organic biocatalysts which govern, initiate and control biological reactions important for the life process. These are produced by the living organisms and are present in very small amount in various cells. The function of body such as breathing, digestion, synthesis and break down of protein, carbohydrates and fats are catalyzed and controlled by specific enzymes. The substance upon which an enzyme acts is called substrate. The enzyme convert substrate into the product or products. There are thousands of different enzymes found in bacteria, yeast, moulds, plants and animals. Even after harvested food or slaughtered animal, most of the enzymes continue to promote specific chemical reactions and most food contain a greater number of active enzymes.

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Food additives are a part and parcel of processed foods. Food additives are defined as a substance or mixture of substances other than the basic food stuff, which is present as a result of any aspects of production, processing, storage and packaging. These are various groups of chemicals added to food generally in small quantities. The substances to be used as food additive should be of good grade and must meet the standard specification. The food additives are non-nutritive substances added intentionally to food generally in small quantities to decrease the risk of contamination by certain microbe, maintain or improve nutritional quality, enhance appearance and flavours, retaining colour, increase shelf life and reduce waste. The additives may be natural or may be synthetics. The principal category of food additives are as follows.

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Food preservation is defined as the science that deals with the process of preventing spoilage of food or food products to be stored in a good condition for future consumption. In other words, the measures that can be adopted or used to keep food healthy and normal for longer period of time is called preservation. Foods are preserved for various reasons which are as follows: Reducing post-harvest losses by consuming surplus produce for value addition Availability of seasonal food throughout the year Obtaining stable income Adding variety to the diet and meat dietary requirement Saving time by reducing preservation time Ensuring intensive protection Providing employment opportunities Establishing agro-based industries

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Quality is the measures of excellence or degree of acceptability by the consumers. In other words, quality is the ultimate criteria of the desirability of any food. Food quality can be evaluated by two methods: sensory evaluation and objective methods.

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Packing makes a bridge between production and marketing. Packaging is defined as a techno-economic means for minimizing cost of delivery and maximizing the sales. In other words, it is a means of ensuring safe delivery to the consumers in safe and sound condition at an affordable cost. Packaging has gained importance in recent years. Packaging industry has made excellent strides to develop more and more varieties of packaging material and packaging machinery. This is mainly due to growth of consumer awareness and increase of willingness to pay for value and hygienic product, growth of export market and growth of innovations in fresh and processed foods. Packaging has great role and contribution that how best fresh and processed products could be delivered to the consumer in right quantity with a right quality. Packaging provides three basic functions: Preservation: Packaging does not improve the quality but it retains quality. Protection: Packaging protects from mechanical and environmental hazards. Presentation: Adds value and assists sale.

Pages: 206

No chapter abstract available.

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Cereals are major source of calories and protein in the diet of Indian population. Cereal processing particularly grain processing is the biggest component in the food sectors. The principal cereals are wheat, rice, maize, jwar, bajra, ragi and barley. Wheat and rice have been used as staple food. Earlier wheat has been used as wheat flour. Now, refined wheat flour/maida finds greater application in the preparation of bakery foods such as breads, biscuit, cakes, etc. Traditionally rice has been used as whole cooked grain, but now several products are processed. A gradual change in processing and utilization of cereals has taken place in the country. The common cereals and their products are given in the following sections.

Pages: 7

Various types of pulses are cultivated throughout the country. Most of the pulses produced are milled into dal. Use of pulses is very common in Indian diet. Pulses are used in different forms such as whole, split with skin and without skin, germinated or fermented, etc. Pulses are rich in protein and B vitamins. Pulses improve the quality of cereal protein. Pulses provide safety due to high protein and fibre content. They are also rich in carbohydrates and minerals. The important pulses are pigeon pea, Bengal gram, black gram, peas, cow peas, green gram and lentil. The common pulses and their products are discussed in the following sections.

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India occupies a prominent position in oil seeds. Oil seeds are considerably higher in protein than cereal grains. It is also higher in fat. Oil seeds contain 20–40% protein and 20–50% fat. The important oil seeds crops grown are groundnut, rapeseed, mustard, sesame and sunflower.

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Fats have high melting point and are solid at room temperature. Oils have lower melting point and are liquid at room temperature. Fats and oils do not occur free in nature. They occur in animal tissue and in seeds and fruits from which they are isolated, refined and processed for specific use. Fats and oils are good source of energy, excellent source of fats soluble vitamins A, D, E and K and provide essential fatty acids which are component of membrane of living cells. In addition to their nutritional value, fats and oil play an important role as medium of cooking improving texture of food, improving palatability of food, influence flavour and one of the essential constituents in food emulsions.

Pages: 61

Fruits have special significance to human beings as protective food. They are rich source of mineral and vitamins in diet. Fruit are available only for a limited period during the season; hence, they need to be processed and preserved for consumption during off season. India produces a variety of fruits such as mango, banana, citrus, grape, guava, litchi, papaya, pineapple, pomegranate, aonla, jackfruit, ber, bael, jamun, karonda, apple, pear plum, apricot, strawberry, etc. The products from various fruits and their preparation technique are given in the following sections.

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Vegetables are an indispensable part of human diet. These are the natural source of protective food supplying all the nutrients, specially vitamins, minerals and crude fibre. Vegetable production not only contributes to food and nutritional security but also to income generation. A variety of vegetables are produced in the country. Plant parts normally used as vegetable include roots, tubers, bulbs, fruits, flower, seeds, stems and shoots. Vegetables being perishable in nature processing is very vital to reduce the post-harvest losses. Common vegetables and tier products are given in following sections.

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Spices are used for flavouring, seasoning and imparting, aroma in foods. India is known as the home of spices, producing a wide variety of spices such as black pepper, cardamom, ginger, garlic, chilli, turmeric, onion and a variety of tree and seed spices. Spices and herbs have tremendous importance in everyday life, as ingredients in food, alcoholic beverage, medicine, perfumery, cosmetic and colouring. Spices are credited with preservative, antioxidant, appetizing and digestive properties. Common spices and their products are discussed in the following sections.

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Sugarcane is the main source of sugar and holds a prominent position as a cash crop. Sugar has high potential for export. Sugarcane products are the source of instant energy.

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Tea is the most important refreshing, drink in many countries. India tops the list in production and export of tea. Fresh tea leaves contain polyphenols (22.2%), caffeine (4.3%), protein (17.2%), fibre (27%), starch (0.5%) and ash (5.6%). Fresh tea leaves also contain little carotene, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid and ascorbic acid. It is rich in sodium (44 mg/100 g) and potassium (2160 mg/100 g).

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Milk is the most complete of all foods. It is an excellent source of protein, fat, carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins. It is universally regarded as ideal food for nourishing infants and young children. This is also good supplementary food in the diet of adults. Milk and milk products are now the second largest contributor to the agriculture produce of the country. Indian dairy industry has shown remarkable growth over the past few decades. Dairy development has been recognized as the modern India’s most successful development programme. About 45% milk produced is consumed as liquid milk and remaining 55% is converted into wide range of dairy products.

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Meat provides high-quality protein of biological value. It is also a fair source of iron, phosphorus and vitamin A, riboflavin, thiamine and niacin. Meat industry constitutes beef and veal (cow family), buffalo, pig (pork), sheep and goat (chevon) meat, poultry, fish and value-added products.

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The fishery resources of India are grossly underutilized. A wide variety of fish are found in Indian inland waters, coastal areas and deep seas. More than 60% production of fish in India is from marine sources. Marine fish found in India include prawns, shrimps, tuna, cattle fish, mackerel, red snappers, ribbon fish and countless other varieties.

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Food-processing industries generate, some amount of waste and causes serious problem of its disposal. This results environmental pollutions and reduces the economy in cost of production of products. Therefore, processing waste utilization is important for removing problem of pollution, achieving high per cent of raw material utilization and converting into value-added by-products for additional benefit or economy of the industry. Some of the by-products which can be manufactured from various processing waste are discussed in the following sections.

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Food is the prime necessity of life. Food contains several chemical constituents which are known as nutrients including water, protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals and roughages. These are required to sustain life. Food directly affects human health and safety. The safety of food is utmost important and has gained a worldwide attention. The food safety crisis exists in several part of the world including India. Our food is devitalized, coloured, filled with chemicals, drugs and synthetic ingredients and polluted by agricultural and environmental chemicals.