HSC Food Technology cheat sheet

Food security exists when all people at all times have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food meeting dietary needs and food preferences for an active healthy life.

Food availability depends on the food supply chain stages: production (agriculture, aquaculture), processing, distribution/transport, retail and consumption; a failure at any stage reduces availability.

Factors affecting food selection group into physiological (hunger, appetite, nutritional needs, allergies, health status), psychological (values, beliefs, attitudes, habits, emotions), social (family, peers, culture, religion, education, income) and economic (price, availability, location).

Income influences selection via both amount available to spend and proportion spent on food; low-income households allocate a higher share of income to basic staples and have less discretionary choice.

Culture and religion set food rules: for example halal and kosher laws, Hindu vegetarianism, and Lenten or Ramadan fasting practices, which restrict or schedule particular foods.

Media, advertising and food trends shape demand; marketing targets demographic segments and can normalise convenience and discretionary foods.

Availability is shaped by seasonality and geography: locally out-of-season foods depend on transport, cold chain and importation, affecting price and freshness.

Government and industry influence availability and selection through food standards, labelling laws, import controls, subsidies and nutrition policy.

Food quality is assessed through sensory properties (appearance, colour, texture, flavour, aroma), nutritional value, safety, shelf life and convenience.

Sensory evaluation methods include difference tests (paired comparison, triangle test), ranking, scoring and profiling; panels must be screened, trained and tested under controlled conditions (booths, standard light, coded samples).

Functional properties of food determine quality: emulsification (lecithin in egg yolk), gelation (pectin, gelatin), aeration (egg white foaming), thickening (starch gelatinisation), crystallisation (sugar) and denaturation (heat, acid, mechanical action).

Maillard browning occurs between reducing sugars and amino acids at high heat, producing brown colour and flavour; caramelisation is sugar breakdown on heating without protein.

Enzymatic browning in cut fruit and vegetables is caused by polyphenol oxidase acting on phenols in the presence of oxygen; it is controlled by heat (blanching), acid, low temperature or excluding oxygen.

Quality deterioration mechanisms include microbial spoilage, oxidation (rancidity of fats), enzymatic reactions, moisture transfer, and physical damage; preservation targets these mechanisms.

Preservation principles: high temperature (canning, pasteurisation), low temperature (chilling, freezing), reduced water activity (drying, salting, sugaring), acidification, fermentation, irradiation, modified atmosphere packaging and chemical preservatives.

Shelf-life testing measures changes in sensory, microbial and chemical quality over storage time under defined temperature and packaging conditions.

The six nutrient groups are carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, vitamins, minerals and water; macronutrients supply energy, micronutrients do not.

Energy values: carbohydrate 17 kJ/g, protein 17 kJ/g, fat 37 kJ/g, alcohol 29 kJ/g; energy needs vary with age, sex, body size, activity level and physiological state (pregnancy, lactation, growth).

The Australian Dietary Guidelines (2013) comprise five guidelines covering variety and adequacy, limiting discretionary foods, physical activity, breastfeeding, and food safety; they are translated into the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating pie chart.

The AGHE models five food groups: grain foods (mostly wholegrain), vegetables and legumes, fruit, milk/yoghurt/cheese and alternatives, lean meats and alternatives; discretionary foods are limited and not a group.

Nutrient Reference Values include EAR (estimated average requirement), RDI (recommended dietary intake), AI (adequate intake) and UL (upper level of intake); the RDI is set to meet the needs of nearly all healthy people in a group.

Diet-related conditions include obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, dental caries, iron-deficiency anaemia and osteoporosis; risk rises with excess energy, saturated fat, added sugar and sodium and low fibre.

Food consumption patterns in Australia show overconsumption of discretionary foods and sodium, and underconsumption of vegetables, fruit and wholegrains relative to guideline recommendations.

Labelling tools support informed consumption: the Nutrition Information Panel, ingredient list (descending order by weight), percentage daily intake (%DI) and the Health Star Rating front-of-pack system.

The food industry sectors are agriculture and fisheries (primary production), food processing and manufacturing, food retail, and food service and catering (including hospitality).

The food industry supply chain runs from input supply and production through processing, packaging, distribution, retail and consumption, with support sectors such as transport, cold storage and research.

Industry scale and significance: food and beverage manufacturing is one of Australia's largest manufacturing sectors, and agriculture, fisheries and forestry contribute a substantial share of exports.

The agri-food chain includes the farm, the processor, the wholesaler, the retailer and the consumer; value is added at each stage, and margins are unevenly distributed.

Key policy and regulatory bodies: Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) sets the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code; the ACCC enforces consumer law; state health authorities enforce food safety; DAFF oversees agriculture and biosecurity.

Emerging technologies include precision agriculture, robotics and automation, modified atmosphere packaging, high-pressure processing, plant-based proteins and alternative proteins, and digital traceability.

Industry trends include growth in convenience foods, online grocery retail, demand for 'free-from' and functional foods, sustainability and food-waste reduction, and export market development into Asia.

Career and employment areas include food technologists, dietitians, quality assurance officers, production managers, agricultural scientists, food service managers and packaging technologists.