Food Science Glossary

Brief heat treatment (steam or boiling water) applied to fruits and vegetables to inactivate enzymes, set color, and reduce microbial load before freezing or drying.

A potentially fatal illness caused by Clostridium botulinum toxin, associated with improperly canned low-acid foods.

Non-enzymatic browning of sugars at high temperatures, producing brown color and characteristic flavors.

An international collection of food standards, guidelines, and codes of practice established by FAO and WHO to protect consumer health and ensure fair food trade.

A system in which fine particles of one substance are dispersed throughout another, such as emulsions, foams, and gels in food.

A step in food processing where control can be applied to prevent, eliminate, or reduce a food safety hazard to an acceptable level.

The time required at a given temperature to destroy 90 percent of a specific microorganism population.

A surface-active substance that stabilizes emulsions by reducing interfacial tension between immiscible phases.

Browning caused by polyphenol oxidase catalyzing the oxidation of phenolic compounds to brown melanin pigments.

Any substance intentionally added to food for a specific technological purpose, such as preservation, coloring, flavoring, or texturizing.

The swelling and disruption of starch granule crystalline structure in the presence of heat and water, forming a viscous paste.

Generally Recognized as Safe. A U.S. FDA designation for food substances considered safe based on a long history of use or scientific evidence.

A mechanical process that reduces the size of fat globules in a liquid (e.g., milk) to create a uniform, stable dispersion.

A substance that forms a gel or thickens a solution when dispersed in water. Commonly used as food thickeners and stabilizers.

A chain reaction in which unsaturated fatty acids react with oxygen, producing off-flavors, rancidity, and degradation of nutritional quality.

Freeze-drying; a dehydration process that freezes food and then removes ice by sublimation under reduced pressure.

A chemical reaction between amino acids and reducing sugars that produces browning, flavors, and aromas during cooking.

Toxic secondary metabolites produced by molds (e.g., aflatoxins from Aspergillus) that can contaminate food and pose serious health risks.

Relating to the sensory properties of food, including taste, smell, appearance, and texture, as perceived by human senses.

A heat treatment that destroys pathogenic microorganisms in food without major changes to nutritional value or flavor.

The re-crystallization of gelatinized starch molecules over time, causing firming and staling in starch-based foods.

The science of flow and deformation of matter, applied in food science to characterize texture and processing behavior.

The period during which a food product remains safe, retains desired sensory qualities, and meets its labeled nutritional value.

A thermodynamic measure of the energy status of water in a food, indicating its availability for microbial growth and chemical reactions.

The temperature change required to achieve a tenfold change in the D-value of a microorganism, used to compare thermal resistance.