What Is Food Chemistry?

Cakes are made with food chemistry.

Food chemistry is the study of what food is made of in its most basic components and how that makeup changes as food is prepared and cooked. This includes the study of nutrients in food, the study of flavor and color, and the study of processes that contribute to food safety.

Examples of Food Chemistry At Work

Food chemistry is behind the information printed on the nutrition labels on a bag of chips. It is also behind the development of the artificial cherry flavoring in lollipops and a baker's understanding of how to make a cake as light and fluffy as possible.

Practical Benefits

Knowledge of the chemistry of food -- from farm to fork -- is useful for both the food industry and for home cooks.

Kitchen Science

Baking, broiling, roasting and frying are all common means of chemically changing food by applying heat. The precise chemical effects of adding baking soda, yeast or lemon juice to a dish are also explained by food chemistry.

Food Safety

When new food additives designed to enhance color and flavor are the product of food chemistry, government regulators use food science to study the safety and health implications of the new products.

Flavor

Food chemistry can tackle topics such as freezer burn by detailing the changes food undergoes while frozen, explaining how and why this would alter a food's flavor and texture.

References

• The Science of Food
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration
• Agricultural and Food Chemistry Division of The American Chemical Society

Resources

• Food Chemistry