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basics
• Moisture and Total Solids
• Ash
• Protein Analysis
• Vitamin Analysis
• Lipid (Fat) Analysis
• Carbohydrate Analysis
• Secondary Metabolites and Nutraceuticals
AOAC International
• Established in 1884 by USDA as the Association
of Official Agricultural Chemists
• Now the Association of Official Analytical
Chemists (reflects membership)
• Includes microbiologists and food scientists
• Most of the accepted methods to analyze foods
have been developed and/or validated by AOAC
• Three methods validation programs, the AOAC®
Official Methods Program® Peer-Verified
Methods Program, and the AOAC®
Performance Tested Methods Program
Moisture content and total solids
• Necessary to know when computing nutritional
value
• May affect stability of dehydrated foods
• Moisture content may be specified in
compositional standards
– (i.e. cheddar cheese must be < 39% moisture)
• 3 forms of water in food products
– free water
– adsorbed – held tightly in cell walls or to proteins
– hydrates – some proteins or salts exist as hydrates
• Best method depends on primary form and may
be specified by AOAC guidelines
Methods to determine water
content/total solids
• Sample handling must be controlled to avoid inadvertent
moisture loss
• Oven drying – sample heated under specified conditions,
weight determined by difference
– convection, forced draft or vacuum ovens
– sample may be steam-dried or air dried prior to oven drying
– particle size & surface area affects rate of loss
– high temp. (250oC) dries more completely, lessens time required,
but may cause decomposition, loss of volatiles
– carbohydrate decomposition also possible
• Vacuum ovens allow drying at a lower temp, shorter time
• Freeze-drying can prevent thermal decomposition
– requires sample be pre-frozen
Methods to determine water
content – non-oven
• Microwave analysis
• Infrared drying
• Distillation
– sample is co-distilled with high bp solvent
• Karl Fischer titration
– more accurate for low-moisture foods
– 2H2O + SO2 + I2 C5H2SO4 + 2HI
– pyridine & methanol used to dissolve reagents
– Unreacted iodine is measured visually or by potentiometry
• Electrical methods
• Refractometry
• Water activity – measure of vaporization
Ash
• Inorganic matter remaining after oxidation or
ignition of a sample
• Ash content = total mineral content
• Dry ashing converts most minerals (Fe, Se, Pb,
etc.) to oxides, sulfates, phosphates, chlorides &
silicates
• Wet ashing used for minerals where
volatilization is an issue
• Uses mixtures of HNO3, H2SO4/H2O2 and HClO4
to oxidize materials completely
• Fresh foods usually low in ash; high-ash foods
linked to digestive issues
Basic protein analysis
Nielsen, Ch. 9
• Protein concentration
determined by comparison to std curve for BSA
Advantages: even more sensitive than Lowry
and no interference from sugars or polyphenols