What is Food Chemistry?

Food preservation, any of a number of methods by which food is kept from spoilage after
harvest or slaughter. Such practices date to prehistoric times. Among the oldest methods of
preservation are drying, refrigeration, and fermentation. Modern methods
include canning, pasteurization, freezing, irradiation, and the addition of chemicals. Advances in
packaging materials have played an important role in modern food preservation.

Food chemistry is the study of chemical processes and interactions of all biological and non-
biological components of foods. The biological substances include such items as meat, poultry,
lettuce, beer, and milk as examples.

Macromolecule Definition

Macromolecules are large, complex molecules. They are usually the product of smaller
molecules, like proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates.

Another name for a macromolecule is a polymer, which derives from the Greek prefix poly-to
mean “many units.” In broken-down terms, a macromolecule is the product of many smaller
molecular units.

Examples of Macromolecules

Energy from Carbohydrates

The small molecular units that make up macromolecules are called monomers. Monomers are
usually single-celled, and isolated after a polymer, or macromolecule, is broken down in a
chemical process.

Metabolism, or the conversion of food into energy, is the most common of these chemical
processes. When you metabolize food, your body breaks the macromolecules found within the
food into smaller units, which are then used to propel the body through the day.

Carbohydrates constitute one of the most-studied macromolecules in biology. Simple or

complex, they yield glucose, or “blood sugar,” as their primary energy unit. Furthermore, both
simple and complex carbohydrates are, at the most basic level, chains of glucose molecules.

Metabolizing carbohydrates, therefore, necessitates that the body break down these glucose
chains. The body does so by releasing enzymes, like amylase, which adhere to the glucose
chains to detach them and isolate the glucose molecule. This process culminates in the
macromolecule’s yielding energy, as well as small amounts of H2O and CO2, for the body to
consume.

Synthetic Fibers

Shopping for new clothes is a pass-time for some, and torture for others. Regardless of how you
feel about shopping, however, you have probably encountered synthetic garments. Nylon, rayon,
and Spandex among the most well-known, these non-breathable fabrics consist almost entirely
of macromolecules.

Page 1 of 3
 We will examine Spandex more closely to better understand the macromolecular qualities of
synthetic fibers. The first step in creating Spandex fiber involves reacting monomers to make
a prepolymer, or a liquid, primitive macromolecule. Next, in a process called “spinning” these
prepolymers are fed through a cell to solidify and attain a desired thickness. Nylon and rayon,
although chemically different, are manufactured using similar techniques.

To relate to other concepts, Spandex and other synthetic fabrics are created using a process
diametrically opposed to metabolism: rather than its macromolecular structure being broken
down, it is built from smaller components.

Genetic Transfer

As surprising as it seems, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is technically a set of macromolecules.

The nucleic acids (A, T, C, and G) that act as codes for genetic material are made of monomers
called nucleotides, which also carry genetic materials.

DNA separates during meiosis, or sex cell formation. Since the macromolecular structure is no
longer whole, the monomers that remain, the nucleotides, become responsible for carrying
genetic information into the gametes, or sex cells, that result.

Two tie this example to those that precede it, DNA is a macromolecule that functions at first like
a carbohydrate, and then like a synthetic fabric. The body first breaks it down into its smallest
functional element, the monomer nucleotide, to rebuild it, if fertilized, into another mass of
macromolecules.

Related Biology Terms

Polymer – A linked group of monomers. If particularly large, these groups repeat in series.

Monomer – The simplest unit of a polymer.

Prepolymer – A molecular unit reduced to the degree that it can be manipulated before
polymerization.

There are three classes of chemical preservativescommonly used in foods:

 Benzoates (such as sodium benzoate)
 Nitrites (such as sodium nitrite)
 Sulphites (such as sulphur dioxide)
Preservation step by step
1. Preservation planning. Portico analyzes the formats and packaging of the content and establishes a
custom preservation plan, including the development of any necessary new tools.
2. Receipt and inventory management. ...
3. Processing and archival deposit. ...
4. Monitoring and engagement. ...
5. Content delivery.

Page 2 of 3
 Comparing the Biological Macromolecules
Macromolecule Basic Monomer Examples Uses
Formula, key
features
Proteins CHON Amino acids Enzymes, Storage;
Signals;
−NH2 + some Structural;
−COOH +R hormones Contractile;
group Defensive;
Enzyme;
Transport;
Receptors
Lipids C:H:O Fatty acid and Butter, oil, Energy
glycerol storage;
Greater than cholesterol, Protection;
2:1 H:O beeswax Chemical
(carboxyl messengers;
group) Repel water

Carbohydrates C:H:O Glucose, Energy

Monosaccharides Fructose, storage;
1:2:1 Starch, Structure
Glycogen,
Cellulose

Nucleic Acids CHONP Nucleotides DNA, RNA Genetic

information
pentose,
nitrogenous
base,
phosphate

Page 3 of 3