Food Science

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Food Science

• Natures Medicines
• Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO)
• Molecular Gastronomy
• The Science Behind Cooking

Jude E. Mathews, Ph.D.
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Nutraceutical, Phytochemical, Antioxidant
The word Nutraceutical refers to foods or parts
of foods, (nutrient) that provide medical or
health benefits, including the prevention and/or
treatment of disease.

Phytochemical is a term that means plant
chemical. The word comes from the Greek root
phyto meaning plant. Phytochemical refers to a
chemical substance obtained from plants that is
biologically active but not nutritive.
An Antioxidant is a molecule capable of slowing
or preventing the oxidation of other
molecules. A Dietary Antioxidant is a substance
in foods that significantly decreases the adverse
effects of reactive species, such as reactive
oxygen and nitrogen species, on normal
physiological function in humans.
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The Healing Power Of Food (Antioxidants)

• Back in 400 B.C., the Greek physician Hippocrates
  said, "Let food be your medicine and medicine be
  your food." Today, good nutrition is more
  important than ever. At least four of the 10
  leading causes of death in the U.S. (heart
  disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes) are
  directly related to way we eat.
• Recent research has shown a significant
  relationship between antioxidants and disease
  (mainly cancer) prevention.

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The Power of Antioxidants

• Antioxidants are substances that may protect
  cells from the damage caused by unstable
  molecules known as free radicals. Free radical
  damage may lead to cancer.
• In humans, the most common form of free radicals
  is oxygen. When an oxygen molecule (O2) becomes
  electronically charged or radicalized it tries
  to steal electrons from other molecules, causing
  damage to the DNA and other molecules. Over
  time, such damage may become irreversible and
  lead to disease including cancer.
• Antioxidants interact with and stabilize free
  radical molecules and may prevent some of the
  damage free radicals otherwise might cause.
  Examples of antioxidants include beta-carotene,
  lycopene, vitamins C, E, and A, and other
  substances.
• Considerable laboratory evidence from chemical,
  cell culture, and animal studies indicates that
  antioxidants may slow or possibly prevent the
  development of cancer.

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COmmon Reactive Species
hydroxyl radicals ( .OH) superoxide anions (O2-)
singlet oxygen (1O2) hydrogen peroxides (H2O2)
organic peroxides (R-OOH) nitric
oxide peroxynitrite
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Lycopene
Lycopene is a carotenoid present in human serum
and skin as well as the liver, adrenal glands,
lungs, prostate and colon. Lycopene has been
found to possess antioxidant and
antiproliferative properties in animal and
laboratory studies, although activity in humans
remains controversial. Lycopene has shown
excellent results in vitro but results in vivo
are still being studied.
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Lycopene
There is a shortage of supportive evidence for
the antioxidant hypothesis as lycopenes major
in vivo mechanism of action. It is belived that
the metabolic products of lycopene, the
lycopenoids, may be responsible for some of
lycopenes reported bioactivity.
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It is hypothesized that lycopenoid compounds are
produced by an initial cleavage by carotenoid
monooxygenase (CMO) II in a manner similar to how
retinoids (retinal, retinol, and retinoic acid)
are produced from the initial cleavage of
ß-carotene by CMO I.
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Blueberries
This recent study was designed to investigate the
chemopreventive activity of blueberry extract in
triple-negative breast cancer. Blueberry extract
was found to reduce cell proliferation in HCC38,
HCC1937, and MDA-MB-231 cancer cells with no
effect on noncancerous MCF-10A breast cells.
Ref Cancer Research, April 2010
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Acai

• Acai is a Brazilian palm berry and has been
  reported as the new superfood?
• Food scientists report in a 2008 study that the
  berry has proven its ability to be absorbed in
  the human body when consumed as a juice or pulp.
• The body can only absorb so much at a time,
  similiar to vitamin C.
• In in vitro studies, scientists have shown that
  acai extracts can trigger cancer cell death and
  lower inflamation.

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ACAI The Antioxident Leader

• Fruit Total ORAC
• Freeze Dried Acai Fruit 1027
• Cranberry 94
• Blueberry (low bush) 92
• Plums (black) 73
• Plums 62
• Blueberry (cultivated) 62
• Blackberry 53
• Raspberry 48
• Apple, Red Delicious (with peel)
  43
• Strawberry 36

ORAC results are expressed in mMole Trolox
equivalent (TE) per Liter (ORAC) is a method of
measuring antioxidant capacities in biological
samples in vitro.
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Broccoli
Current chemotherapies do not work against cancer
stem cells, which is why cancer recurs and
spreads. Researchers believe that eliminating the
cancer stem cells is key to controlling cancer.
The NIH-funded study tested sulforaphane, a
natural compound from broccoli and broccoli
sprouts, in both mice and cell cultures.
Researchers found sulforaphane targeted and
killed the cancer stem cells and prevented new
tumors from growing.
This research suggests a potential new treatment
that could be combined with other compounds to
target breast cancer stem cells.
Clinical Cancer Research, Vol. 16, No. 9 May 1,
2010
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Definition of GMO
GMOs - Genetically modified organisms
GMO - an organism that expresses traits that
result from the introduction of foreign DNA
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Major Players in GMO Field

• Monsanto
• BASF
• Calgene
• AstraZeneca
• Adventis

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Example of GMOs

• Golden rice rice that contains beta-carotene
  (Vitamin A), which is not found in regular rice.
• Bt corn corn that contains a chemical normally
  found in a bacterium (Bacillus thuringiensis)
  that is toxic to insects but not to humans.
• Herbicide resistant plants.

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Example of GMO

• Flavor Savor Tomato (Calgene)
• Keeps fresh longer than traditional tomatoes,
  first sold in US market in 1994. Taken off
  market two years later because of poor quality.

FlavrSavr TM
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Six Primary Areas of GMO

• Insect Resistant
• Herbicide Resistant
• Viruses Resistance
• Delayed Fruit Ripening
• Altered Oil Content
• Pollen Control

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What Are Genetically Modified Foods?

• Involves the insertion of DNA from one organism
  into another OR modification of an organisms DNA
  in order to achieve a desired trait.

Strawberry
Arctic fish DNA
A strawberry resistant to frost
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Modifying Genes

• Also called recombinant DNA technology, molecular
  cloning, and genetic engineering.
• Restriction enzymes are used to cut DNA
  segments from one genome.
• DNA ligases are used to paste them into
  another genome.

Foreign DNA
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How are genes transferred?

• A particle gun is used to shoot small bits of
  metal coated with the gene into the plant. Gold
  is metal of choice.

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Benefits of GM Foods

• Easing World Hunger
• Reduced Use of Pesticides and Herbicides
• Improved Crop Quality
• Improved Nutritional Quality
• Reduce Strain on Nonrenewable Resources

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Possible Risks of GM Foods

• Insects May Develop Resistance to Pesticide
  Producing Crops
• Herbicide Tolerant Crops may Cross-Pollinate
  Weeds, Resulting in Super Weeds
• Certain Gene Products May be Allergens and Could
  Cause Harm to Humans

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Example of GMO Product on the Market Today
RoundUp Ready Corn
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Future of GMOs Edible Vaccines

• Works like any vaccine
• A transgenic plant with a pathogen protein gene
  is developed
• Potato, banana, and tomato are targets
• Humans eat the plant
• The body produces antibodies against pathogen
  protein
• Humans are immunized against the pathogen
• Examples
• Diarrhea
• Hepatitis B
• Measles

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Creating a Balance

• So are GM foods a good or bad thing?
• It depends on each individual case.
• Consumers, the government and scientists should
  be responsible for weighing the benefits against
  the costs.

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Leaders in Molecular Gastronomy
Ferrán Adriá of El Bulli, Roses, Spain
Adrià, who has been called the Salvador Dali of
the kitchen, has won global acclaim as one of
the most creative and inventive culinary geniuses
in the world.
Heston Blumenthal, The Fat Duck, Bray UK
Chef Wylie Dufresne, WD50 NY, NY
Chef Grant Achatz of Alinea, Chicago, IL
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Caviar?
Grapefruit Caviar
Apple Caviar
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Caviar - Procedure

• Juice mixed with Sodium Alginate
• Disolve Calcium Chloride in distilled water
• Place small drops of juice solution into CaCl
  solution, wait one minute then remove and rinse

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NaCl vs CaCl
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EMULSIONS
Mayonnaise is an emulsion, which is a mixture of
two liquids that normally can't be combined.
Mayonnaise is made by combining lemon juice or
vinegar with egg yolks. Eggs (containing the
emulsifier lecithin) bind the ingredients
together and prevent separation.
The two liquids would quickly separate again if
an emulsifier were not added. Eggs and gelatin
are among the foods that contain emulsifiers.
Mayonnaise without an emulsifier
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Lecithin and How it Works
Lecithin's binding power (along with that of
other emulsifiers) comes from its molecular
structure, one part is hydrophobic, making it
soluble in oils or fats, while another part is
hydrophilic, soluble in water. In essence,
lecithin reduces the surface tension of oil and
water molecules, which allows them to mix
together more easily.
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EMULSIONS
Chemically, emulsions are colloids, heterogeneous
mixtures composed of tiny particles suspended in
another immiscible (unmixable) material.

• Emulsions are used in many different ways
• by pharmacists, as a vehicle for medication
• in photography, to coat plates, film and paper
• in explosives, paints, coatings, make-up and
  detergents
• in food, including baked goods and confectionery
  products

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What does adding water to scrambled eggs do?
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What is the Role of Salt in Taste?
Salt is used in every cuisine around the world

• It is widely believed that salt intensifies the
  desirable flavors in food

Taste test using Urea and sucrose sloutions,
tasting with and without salt