LESSON 11: NUTRITION CHANGES IN FOOD FACTORS OF SCIENTIFIC LITERACY AND FOUNDATIONAL OBJECTIVES, LEARNING OBJECTIVES, SCIENCE 10 BIBLIOGRAPHY
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HOW DOES FOOD PROCESSING AFFECT THE NUTRITIONAL VALUE OF FOOD?

MOST OF THE FOOD THAT WE CONSUME HAS BEEN PROCESSED OR PREPARED IN SOME WAY BEFORE WE ACTUALLY EAT THE FOOD. KNOWING THIS, IT SHOULD BE OF INTEREST FOR US TO LEARN HOW PROCESSING AFFECTS THE VITAMINS AND MINERALS IN OUR FOOD. THIS KNOWLEDGE WILL EMPOWER US TO SELECT THE MOST NUTRITIOUS FOODS, BEFORE AND AFTER PROCESSING OCCURS.

FOOD PROCESSING IS NECESSARY TO MAKE FOOD SAFER AND TO ALLOW US TO CONSUME THE FOOD FOR A LONGER TIME PERIOD THAN WE COULD IF NO PROCESSING WAS DONE ON THE FRESH FOOD. THE PROCESSING NEEDED OFTEN REDUCES THE VITAMINS AND MINERALS THAT ARE PRESENT IN THE FOOD.

THE WATER SOLUBLE VITAMINS SUCH AS VITAMIN C, THIAMIN AND RIBOFLAVIN ARE OF GREAT CONCERN. THIAMIN TENDS TO BE STABLE IN THE PRESENCE OF ACID BUT THIAMIN IS DESTROYED WHEN SUBJECTED TO HEAT. THUS, LOW ACID FOODS LIKE CORN AND MEAT TEND TO LOSE THE MOST THIAMIN. RIBOFLAVIN ON THE OTHER HAND IS NOT AFFECTED BY HEAT BUT IS SENSITIVE TO LIGHT. ULTRAVIOLET RAYS IN SUNLIGHT OR LIGHT FROM FLUORESCENT BULBS IS KNOWN TO DESTROY RIBOFLAVIN. THE RIBOFLAVIN CONTENT OF FOOD CAN BE MAINTAINED BY PLACING THE FOOD IN A CONTAINER THAT BLOCKS THE LIGHT. VITAMIN C IS AN ACID AND IS BEST KEPT IN AN ACIDIC ENVIRONMENT AWAY FROM AIR. VITAMIN C IS ESPECIALLY SENSITIVE TO AN ENZYME KNOWN AS ASCORBIC ACID OXIDASE WHICH IS PRESENT IN ALL FRUITS AND VEGETABLES AS WELL AS IN MICROORGANISMS. CANNING WILL DESTROY THE ENZYME AND PROTECT THE VITAMIN C.

FAT SOLUBLE VITAMINS ARE DIFFERENT THAN THE WATER SOLUBLE VITAMINS IN THAT FAT SOLUBLE VITAMINS ARE UNAFFECTED BY HEAT. IF THE FOOD IS PREPARED IN THE PRESENCE OF FAT, THEN THE FAT SOLUBLE VITAMINS WILL DISSOLVE INTO THE FAT THAT THE FOOD IS PREPARED IN AS IS THE CASE WITH DEEP FRYING. MORE FAT SOLUBLE VITAMINS WILL DISSOLVE WHEN THE FOOD HAS MORE FRESHLY CUT SURFACES IN CONTACT WITH THE COOKING MEDIUM FAT.

MINERALS ARE DIFFERENT THAN VITAMINS IN THAT MINERALS ARE NOT DESTROYED BY HEAT. MINERALS AND VITAMINS ARE SIMILAR IN THAT BOTH TEND TO LEAK OUT INTO THE WATER SOLUTION IN WHICH THE FOOD IS USUALLY KEPT OR IN WHICH THE FOOD IS PREPARED. THIS WATER SOLUTION USUALLY CARRIES MANY NUTRIENTS THAT WERE ORIGINALLY IN THE FOOD. OFTEN, THE CONSUMER DOES NOT EAT OR DRINK THIS SOLUTION AND THUS THE NUTRIENTS FOUND IN IT ARE WASTED. CUTTING THE FOOD INTO SMALL PIECES PROVIDES MORE SURFACE CONTACT WITH THE SOLUTION AND MORE MINERAL AND VITAMIN LEAKAGE IS SEEN. TO MINIMIZE MINERAL AND VITAMIN LEAKAGE, IT IS BEST TO KEEP THE FOOD IN LARGER PIECES AND NOT TO SUBMERGE THE FOOD IN THE WATER. STEAMING VEGETABLES IS MUCH PREFERRED OVER HAVING THE VEGETABLES SIT IN WATER.

CLICK HERE TO SEE A TABLE SUMMARY OF SOME COMMON FOOD PRESERVATION TECHNIQUES AND THE EFFECTS THEY HAVE ON THE NUTRIENTS IN THE FOOD.

ACTIVITY

CHOICE 1:

SEARCH THE INTERNET AND FIND WEBSITES THAT DESCRIBE THE EFFECTS ON NUTRIENTS WHEN THE FOOD UNDERGOES THESE PROCESSES:

  • PICKLING - AS USED WITH PICKLES
  • SALTING OR CURING - AS IS OFTEN DONE WITH BACON AND HAM
  • VACUUM PACKING - AS IS DONE WITH MANY MEATS
  • COATING - AS IS DONE WITH APPLES

CHOICE 2:

READ THIS LESSON MATERIAL AGAIN. WRITE 10 QUESTIONS THAT WOULD LIKELY BE ASKED BY A TEACHER MAKING A TEST ON THIS TOPIC OF NUTRITION CHANGES IN FOOD. MAKE UP AN ANSWER KEY FOR YOUR QUESTIONS.

TRADE QUESTIONS WITH A CLASSMATE. HAVE THE CLASSMATE ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS AND YOU ANSWER THEIRS. WHEN YOU HAVE ANSWERED THE QUESTIONS COMPLETELY, RETURN THE QUESTIONS TO YOUR CLASSMATE FOR MARKING. IF YOU DISAGREE WITH YOUR CLASSMATE WHEN THEY MARK YOUR WORK, CONTACT YOUR TEACHER.

ASSIGNMENT

CHOICE 1:

SELECT ONE OF THE WEBSITES THAT YOU FOUND IN YOUR ACTIVITY AND WRITE A SUMMARY OF THE INFORMATION CONTAINED THERE. YOUR SUMMARY SHOULD BE IN TABLE FORMAT WITH THE FOLLOWING COLUMN TITLES: PROCESSING TECHNIQUE, EFFECTS, WAYS TO MINIMIZE THE ADVERSE EFFECTS, REFERENCE(S) AND CONTRIBUTED BY.

TRADE SUMMARIES WITH THREE OTHER CLASSMATES WHO FOUND DIFFERENT INFORMATION THAN YOU DID SO THAT YOU CAN COMPILE A LARGER LIST OF THE EFFECTS OF FOOD PROCESSING ON NUTRITIONAL VALUE OF FOOD.

COMPILE YOUR SUMMARIES IN A TABLE FORMAT. BE SURE TO RECORD IN YOUR TABLE THE NAMES OF THE CONTRIBUTORS OF THE INFORMATION.

CHOICE 2:

ANSWER MY ONLINE QUESTIONS. CLICK HERE!

WRITE A PARAGRAPH ANSWER TO ONE OF THESE QUESTIONS. AT THE BOTTOM OF YOUR ANSWER, INCLUDE THE WEB ADDRESSES OF THE SITES THAT YOU USED TO HELP YOU DEVELOP YOUR ANSWER. EMAIL YOUR ANSWER TO YOUR TEACHER.

1. PRETEND THAT YOU HAVE JUST FINISHED PICKING AND SHELLING GREEN PEAS FROM YOUR GARDEN. EXPLAIN WHAT SHOULD BE DONE WITH THESE PEAS SO THAT YOU CAN ENJOY THEM THROUGHOUT THE UPCOMING MONTHS AND MAINTAIN THEIR NUTRITIONAL VALUE.
2. LET'S PRETEND THAT YOU HAVE FROZEN VEGETABLES IN YOUR FREEZER THAT YOU PLAN TO COOK FOR SUPPER. DESCRIBE IN DETAIL HOW YOU CAN PREPARE THESE VEGETABLES SO THAT THE MAXIMUM VITAMIN AND MINERAL CONTENT IS MAINTAINED.
3. LET'S PRETEND THAT YOU LOVE APRICOTS. SO, WHEN THEY ARE IN SEASON YOU DECIDE TO PRESERVE THESE APRICOTS. IDENTIFY TWO WAYS THAT THESE APRICOTS COULD BE PRESERVED. THEN COMPARE THE AMOUNT OF NUTRIENT LOSS EXPERIENCED BY THE APRICOTS IN THESE TWO PROCESSES.

ASSESSMENT

CHOICE 1:

YOUR ASSIGNMENT WILL BE SCORED OUT OF 20 MARKS AS FOLLOWS:

  • GAVE A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PROCESSING TECHNIQUE (SIMILAR TO WHAT I WROTE IN THE ATTACHED TABLE) - 4 MARKS
  • LISTED THE EFFECTS ON THE NUTRIENTS IN THE FOOD WHEN PRESERVED THROUGH THE METHOD YOU CHOSE - 4 MARKS
  • LISTED THE WAYS TO MINIMIZE THE ADVERSE EFFECTS ON THE METHOD YOU CHOSE - 4 MARKS
  • LISTED YOUR REFERENCES (TRY TO HAVE MORE THAN ONE REFERENCE) - 5 MARKS
  • COMPILED THE WORK BY YOUR CLASSMATES, INCLUDING THE NAMES OF EACH CONTRIBUTOR - 3 MARKS
  • YOU WILL HAVE TEST QUESTIONS THAT ASK YOU TO IDENTIFY CHANGES IN THE NUTRITIONAL VALUE OF FOOD THROUGH COOKING OR THROUGH PRESERVATION TECHNIQUES.

CHOICE 2

YOUR SCORE WILL DEPEND ON THE NUMBER OF CORRECT RESPONSES THAT YOU GIVE TO THE ASSIGNMENT QUESTIONS. THIS ASSIGNMENT CAN EARN YOU 20 MARKS IN TOTAL. 10 OF THESE MARKS WILL BE BASED ON THE CORRECT ANSWERS TO THE TRUE/FALSE QUESTIONS AND THE OTHER 10 MARKS WILL BE BASED ON YOUR PARAGRAPH ANSWER.

YOU WILL HAVE TEST QUESTIONS THAT ASK YOU TO IDENTIFY CHANGES IN THE NUTRITIONAL VALUE OF FOOD THROUGH COOKING OR DURING PRESERVATION TECHNIQUES.