About Book

Food science refers to understand food from a scientific perspective. It’s not so much focused on health and nutrition, but instead look at the manner in which food is made, and why it is done that way. Food science involves the study of all the processes related to food harvesting, storage, packaging, preparation, and consumption. The basis of the discipline lies in an understanding of the chemistry of food components, such as proteins, carbohydrates, fats and water and the reactions they undergo during processing and storage. Food science is still a relatively new and growing discipline, brought about mainly as a response to the social changes taking place in the world. This increased reliance of society on ready-to-eat foods has led to greater responsibility for processors in terms of quality, safety and nutrition. In order to ensure high quality and competitive products, scientific principles and new technologies are being applied to food manufacturing and the body of knowledge required has become that discipline called food science. In this book using case studies and examples, constant effort has been made to make the understanding of the difficult concept of food science and nutrition as easy and informative as possible, for the readers. This book provides thorough information about food science and nutrition. It deals with food matrices, diet therapy, dietary fiber, food nutritional quality and integrated nutrient management. The aim of this book is to present researches that have transformed this discipline and aided its advancement. It will help the readers in keeping pace with the rapid changes in this field. Different approaches, evaluations, methodologies and advanced studies on food science and engineering have been included in this book. It aims to serve as a resource guide for students and experts alike and contribute to the growth of discipline.

Preface............................................................................................................v

Chapter 1 Integrated Nutrient Management in Corn Production: Symbiosis for Food Security and Grower’s Income in Arid and Semiarid Climates.........................................................................................................1

Abstract...................................................................................................1

1. Economic importance of maize..........................................................2

2. Maize response to chemical fertilizers (N, P, and K)...................2

3. Maize response to foliar nutrition.....................................................5

4. Maize response to organic matter.....................................................6

5. Maize response to biofertilizers (beneficial microbes)...................7

6. Maize response to integrated nutrient management.....................8

7. Conclusions............................................................................................8

Chapter 2 Effects of Radiation Technologies on Food Nutritional Quality..14

Abstract.................................................................................................14

1. Introduction..........................................................................................15

2. Nonionizing radiation........................................................................17

3. Ionizing radiation................................................................................20

4. Effects of radiation on food nutritional composition..................21

5. Conclusions..........................................................................................26

Acronyms and abbreviations ..........................................................26

Chapter 3 Dietary Fiber and Availability of Nutrients: A Case Study on Yoghurt as a Food Model.......................................................................34

1. Introduction..........................................................................................34

2. Definition and composition of dietary fiber..................................36

3. Classification of dietary fiber............................................................38

4. Analytical methods for studying dietary fibers............................40

5. Dietary fiber and human health......................................................41

6. Digestive and absorptive functions of the gastrointestinal tract

and dietary fibers................................................................................46

7. In vitro chemical experimental models..........................................48

8. Work objective.....................................................................................49

9. Materials and methods......................................................................49

10. Results and discussion.......................................................................53

11. Conclusion............................................................................................62

Acknowledgement..............................................................................62

Chapter 4 Food, Nutrition and Health....................................................................78

1. Introduction..........................................................................................78

2. Soybean: foods and bioactive compounds....................................79

3. Functional Food...................................................................................86

4. Digestion and Absorption.................................................................87

5. Health....................................................................................................88

6. Conclusion............................................................................................96

Acknowledgements.............................................................................96

Chapter 5 Food and Nutrition in Embera Indigenous People........................109

1. Introduction........................................................................................109

2. Critical steps in the research on food and nutrition.................113

3. Ethnography, interdisciplinary and intercultural approaches.117

4. Conclusions and new perspectives...............................................135

5. Acknowledgement............................................................................137

Chapter 6 Food, Nutrition and Diet Therapy in Psoriasis..............................143

1. Introduction........................................................................................143

2. Influence of calorie intake, periods of fasting and vegetarian

diet.......................................................................................................144

3. Polyunsaturated fatty acids............................................................145

4. Gluten..................................................................................................146

5. Oxidative stress and antioxidants.................................................147

6. Selenium.............................................................................................148

7. Vitamin D ..........................................................................................148

8. Vitamin B12........................................................................................149

9. Zinc ....................................................................................................149

10. Alcoholic beverages..........................................................................149

11. Obesity ...............................................................................................150

12. Psoriasis and metabolic syndrome................................................153

13. Conclusion..........................................................................................153

Chapter 7 Improving Nutrition Through the Design of Food Matrices......163

1. Introduction........................................................................................164

2. Why improving the nutritional performance of foods?

Past and present situation...............................................................166

3. Understanding the main food components and their

structures............................................................................................172

4. Digestion: A step-by-step process controlled by different food

structures............................................................................................179

5. Structuring food matrices to improve bioavailability...............185

6. Conclusion..........................................................................................191

7. Acknowledgment..............................................................................192

Citation......................................................................................................203

Index...........................................................................................................205

About Author

Ivy McClain received her M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Food Science and Technology from Technical State University, Leipzig. She is an Associate Professor at University College, Pavia. McClain is conducting her research in the food processing techniques to optimize food quality and nutrition. She has attended numerous food science conferences and symposiums. She has authored and edited a number of academic periodicals, journal papers, articles and books in the field of food science. McClain also serves as a member of a prestigious editorial board for an international journal and has also given over 20 presentations at international conferences on food engineering.