Food Chemistry - Term Paper Example

Food Chemistry s Summary Breakfast is the most important meal that helps one start the day in an healthy way and therefore it is important to make our breakfast choices after putting a though behind what we require. At present I consume Hubbard Berry Berry Nice Toasted Muesli which meets the demands for fibre and essential vitamins and minerals. Each of the ingredients that are used has some important function and has good effects on the overall health of the consumer. The company has already gained a tick from the Tick foundation however it needs to lower sugar and gluten content. Introduction Breakfast has been labelled as the most important meal of the day. It allows the person to kick start his day. A healthy breakfast is known to be beneficial for the overall health and well being of a person. Scientific studies have shown that consuming a healthy breakfast correlated positively with weight, nutritional adequacy and academic performance (Rampersaud et al, 2005, p.743).Many people want their breakfasts to be light yet packed with energy and nutrition. However few people have the time to pay much attention to what they consume early in the morning given to the time constraints before going out to school, college or for work. Breakfast is one meal that I do not pay much attention to. At a personal level I like to consume a flavourful breakfast which fills me up and provides me with a lot of energy. The Tick Programme in New Zealand recommends that one eats a substantial amount of breakfast with increased levels of dietary fibre, calcium and key ingredient content (fruit/vegetable) and decrease the intake of trans fat, sodium and high calorie food (Tick heart Foundation, 2013). Ingredients Personally I consume Hubbard’s cereals and try to buy different flavours each month. This month I have tried the Hubbard Berry Berry Nice Toasted Muesli. The ingredients have been listed below: Hubbard Berry Berry Nice ingredients 1. Wholegrain oats (72%) 2. Berry fruits flakes (strawberry, raspberry) (4.5%) 3. Blackberry puree (3%) 4. Coconut (contains sulphites) 5. Freeze dried Cranberries (1.4%) 6. Yoghurt Compound Sultanas (contains milk and soy) 7. Canola oil 8. Sugar (artificial sweetening) According to the package the cereal is a very good source of fibre and has been baked in berry puree. Wholegrain oats Wholegrain oats make up 72% of the breakfast cereal that I consume. This ingredient is the main source of fibre. Grains are considered an essential part of one’s daily diet since it contains almost negligible fat and has high content of vitamins and minerals. Oats are known to lower cholesterol levels owing to the presence of beta-glucan. Therefore eating oats can considerably decrease risks of developing cardiovascular diseases. Scientific studies conducted to see the effect of wholegrain oats on health have shown that diet containing these kinds of fibre-rich oats improves the BP and regulates glucose and lipid levels in the body (Pinn et al, 2002). Wholegrain oats is known to lower the blood glucose level and contribute substantially to a low- gyceamic load diet and is also potential probiotic (Connolly et al, 2012). Blackberry puree Blackberry is a dark-purple colored and flavourful berry. The blackberry puree in this case adds to the taste factor of the cereal. Blackberry has a number of nutritional benefits. Blackberry is a rich source of antioxidants which can help capture free radicals generated in the body and improve the health of a person. In fact blackberries are considered the richest source of antioxidants with an Oxygen Absorbance Capacity Value of 5347 µmol TE per 100 grams (Wang and Lin, 2000). It is already known that phenolic compounds have a profound effect on our health especially on cardiovascular system and the metabolic system. Blackberry has been found to consist of several phenolic compounds such as gentisic acid, ferulic acid, gallic acid, p-coumaric acid, sinapic acid, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, delphinidin, cyanidin, vanillic acid, delphinidin gallate, gallocatechin gallate, quercetin, rutin, myricetin, catechin, epicatechin, and several glycosides of anthocyanidins (Wu-yang et al, 2012). Blackberry is also a major source of vitamins A, vitamins B complex, vitamin C and vitamin K. It is also known to have some anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory and anti-viral properties making it an potential candidate to treat complement periodontal therapies (Gonzalez et al,2013). Coconut (contains sulphites) Coconut is an added ingredient that lends flavour and texture to the cereal mix. It has a high fat content. The coconut in this case contains sulphites which is an allergen. Therefore, individuals with sulphite sensitivity may not consume cereals such as this which have added sulphites. Yoghurt compound sultanas (contains milk and soy) Yoghurt covered sultanas provide texture to the cereal and adds a sweetness quotient. Sultanas are dried seedless grapes which are packed with energy, potassium and are rich in antioxidants (Kaliora et al, 2009). Given to the addition of small amount of yoghurt, it adds about 47% of saturated fat to this ingredient. One of the drawbacks of sultanas is that it might contain a toxin named Ochratoxin A especially if the sultanas being used is unprocessed (Meyvaci et al, 2005). The presence of this ingredient may cause problem to people with lactose intolerance. Freeze dried Cranberries and berry fruit flakes of Strawberry and Raspberry Berries are the most important ingredient of this cereal since it lends all the flavour, taste and texture to the cereal. All forms of berries are rich in antioxidant properties however each berry on its own also has some nutritive value as well. Cranberry is an extremely important berry since it is loaded with nutritional value. Cranberries are rich source of vitamins as vitamin A, D,E and K. It is also a source of riboflavin, niacin, choline, betaine thiamine and folate. Reserach studies have shown that cranberries are protective agents against different types of cancer and vascular diseases such as atherosclerosis, ischemic stroke, and neurodegenerative problems (Neto,2007). Raspberry, contains a raspberry ketone (4-(4-hydroxyphenyl) butan-2-one which had an anti-obese action and is known to alter lipid metabolism (Moromtoto et al, 2005).It is also an excellent source of vitamin C. Raspberry is also source for minerals such as copper, iron, manganese and potassium. Strawberry is an important source of vitamins and minerals such as calcium, phosphorus and potassium. Strawberry also have a very high folate content and have hypouriceamic effect on human health (Tulipani et al,2009). Canola oil Canola oil has been used in minute amount for baking. It is one of the healthiest vegetable oil for heart health. It contains 55% of the monounsaturated fatty acid; oleic acid, 25% linoleic acid and 10% alpha-linolenate [polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA)], and only 4% of the saturated fatty acids (SFAs) (Dupont et al,1989). Sugar Sugar is perhaps the most important ingredient since it adds the sweet taste to the cereal which makes it all the more flavoursome and popular as well. However, since the fruits added in the cereal already have natural sugars in them the addition of artificial sweetening maybe detrimental to health. Sugar adds extra calories and therefore the global paediatric obesity has been associated with artificial sweetening in food such as breakfast cereals (Brown et al, 2010). Sugar is also known to have behavioural and neurochemical effects that leads to addiction to sugar which in turn is more detrimental (Avena et al, 2008). Therefore, children must be kept away from high-sugar added cereals for breakfast and need to be given natural fresh fruits instead. Conclusion Analyzing all the different benefits that the cereal contains one might feel that it is a healthy breakfast since it is loaded with fibre and berries which have very good effect on health. Having the cereal with milk meets the calcium demands as well. However after understanding the recommendation for breakfast I feel that even though this particular cereal meets most of the standards set for a healthy breakfast i.e. high fibre and high vitamin content, I can make minute changes to make my breakfast a healthier meal. The sole problem I find with this cereal is the addition of sugar which obviously adds to the taste but is detrimental as well to the blood glucose level. For me, this is not a problem since I am active and will burn down the calories however for a aging person or for people with sedentary lifestyle I think that intake of whole meal oats with fresh form of berries will be a better option since I will be getting all of the nutrients and benefits mentioned above without added calories in form of sugar. References Avena,N.M. et al.(2008). Evidence for sugar addiction: Behavioral and neurochemical effects of intermittent, excessive sugar intake. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral reviews, 32 (1), 20-39. Brown.,R.J. et al.(2010). Artificial Sweeteners: A systematic review of metabolic effects in youth. International Journal of pediatric Obesity, 5 (4), 305-312. Connolly,M.L. et al.(2012). Wholegrain oat-based cereals have prebiotic potential and low glycaemic index. The British Journal of Nutrition, 108 (12), 2198-2206. Dupont,J.et al.(1989). Food safety and health effects of canola oil. Journal of American college of Nutrition, 8 (5), 360-375. Gonzalez, O.A., et al.(2013). Antibacterial effects of blackberry extract target periodontopathogens. Journal of periodontal research. 48 (1), 80-86. Kaliora,A.C. et al.(2009). Antioxidant properties of raisins (Vitis vinifera L.). Journal of Medicinal Food, 12 (6), 1302-1309. Meyvaki,K.B. et al.(2005). Ochratoxin A in sultanas from Turkey I: Survey of unprocessed sultanas from vineyards and packing-houses. Food Additive and Contaminants, 22 (11), 1138-1143. Morimoto, C et al.(2005). Anti-obese action of raspberry ketone.Life Sciences, 77 (2), 194- 204. Neto, C.C.(2007). Cranberry and blueberry: evidence for protective effects against cancer and vascular diseases.Molecular nutrition and Food research, 51 (6), 652-664. Pinns,J.J. et al.(2002). Do whole-grain oat cereals reduce the need for antihypertensive medications and improve blood pressure control?. The Journal of Family Practice, 51 (4), 352-359. Tick Heart Foundation.(2013). Tick nutrient Criteria. Retrieved from http://www.heartfoundation.org.nz/programmes-resources/food-industry-and-hospitality/tick-programme/tick-criteria on 10 Nov, 2014. Tulipani,S., Mezzetti,B., and Battiano.,M.2009. Impact of strawberries on human health: insight into marginally discussed bioactive compounds for the Mediterranean diet. Public Health nutrition, 12 (9A),1656-1662. Rampersaud,G.C.(2005). Breakfast habits, nutritional status, body weight, and academic performance in children and adolescents. Journal of American Diabetic Association, 105 (5), 743-760. Print. Wang,S.Y and Lin,H.S.(2000). Antioxidant activity in fruits and leaves of blackberry, raspberry, and strawberry varies with cultivar and developmental stage.Journal of agricultural and Food chemistry, 48 (2), 140-146. Wu-yang et al (2012). Survey of antioxidant capacity and phenolic composition of blueberry, blackberry, and strawberry in Nanjing. Journal of Zhejiang University of Science, 13 (2), 94-102. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3274736/. Read More