What are balance studies?

Balance studies are based on the principle of the conservation of energy and matter. In terms of body metabolism, the balance method is simply a comparison of nutrient intake and output (loss from body) and thus is a measurement of body gain or loss.

Metabolic balance studies have been used at least since the 1920s. A thorough accounting of calcium balance methodology was reported in 1945 by a group of authors that included Fuller Albright for whom the highest award given by the American Society for Born and Mineral Research.

Balance studies calculate net retention as intake minus excretion. The technique is applicable only when a stable component is under study or when end products of metabolism are clearly recognized.

For example heat is the end product of energy metabolism and all forms of energy may be expressed as heat. Therefore the balance experiment may be used in studies of energy exchange.

Protein balance is determined by measurement of its metabolically stable component, nitrogen. Balance studies should be performed for several days on a constant protein intake in steady-state conditions.

Mineral elements are stable substances and therefore led to themselves to the balance technique.
What are balance studies?

Read more...

What is the meaning of food processing?

Food as a material should not be studied in isolation; individual foods and the process of making food products are interlinked.

These processes may be relatively simple such as the milling of wheat to produce flour or highly complex such as creating a pizza that be cooked in a toaster.

Developing new complex today involves a lot of research experimentation, testing , testing and trialing.

A small scale recipe for a chicken korma cannot simply be multiplied up and used on a production line to create tens of thousands of meals.

Large scale machinery may affect food in a different way to a domestic cooker, causing meat to become tough or a sauce to runny.

The changes that are needed may only be subtle but they can make the difference between a profitable new product and a costly failure.

Processing foods can also involve preserving them and the latest techniques include accelerated freeze drying, irradiation and the production of dried fruits that do not require soaking.

Some preservation methods stem from the past when people had to preserved foods in order to have sufficient food all year round.

Fruits were turned into jam, onions were pickled and meals were cured.

Processed food has changes dramatically as the needs of consumers have altered and as advances in food technology have occurred.
What is the meaning of food processing?

Read more...