ANALYSIS OF FOOD PRODUCTS
1. 1.
Introduction
Food analysis is the discipline dealing with the
development, application and study of analytical procedures
for characterizing the properties of foods and their
constituents. These analytical procedures are used to provide
information about a wide variety of different characteristics of
foods, including their composition, structure, physicochemical
properties and sensory attributes. This information is critical
to our rational understanding of the factors that determine the
properties of foods, as well as to our ability to economically
produce foods that are consistently safe, nutritious and
desirable and for consumers to make informed choices about
their diet. The objective of this course is to review the basic
principles of the analytical procedures commonly used to
analyze foods and to discuss their application to specific food
components, e.g. lipids, proteins, water, carbohydrates and
minerals. The following questions will be addressed in this
introductory section: Who analyzes foods? Why do they
analyze foods? What types of properties are measured? How
does one choose an appropriate analytical technique for a
particular food?
1.1. Reasons for Analyzing Foods
Foods are analyzed by scientists working in all of the
major sectors of the food industry including food
manufacturers, ingredient suppliers, analytical service
laboratories, government laboratories, and University research
laboratories. The various purposes that foods are analyzed are
briefly discussed in this section.
1.1.1. Government Regulations and
Recommendations
Government regulations and recommendations are
designed to maintain the general quality of the food supply, to
ensure the food industry provides consumers with foods that
are wholesome and safe, to inform consumers about the
nutritional composition of foods so that they can make
knowledgeable choices about their diet, to enable fair
competition amongst food companies, and to eliminate
economic fraud. There are a number of Government
Departments Responsible for regulating the composition and