QCAA Food & Nutrition cheat sheet

Macronutrients supply energy: carbohydrate 17 kJ/g, protein 17 kJ/g, fat 37 kJ/g, alcohol 29 kJ/g; dietary fibre contributes roughly 8 kJ/g.

Estimated energy requirement = basal metabolic rate x physical activity level, plus thermic effect of food (about 5-10% of intake) and growth allowance in children.

Protein quality is scored by amino acid profile and digestibility; animal proteins and soy are complete, most cereals are limiting in lysine, legumes in methionine.

Glycaemic index ranks carbohydrate foods by blood glucose response; glycaemic load = GI x available carbohydrate (g) / 100.

Fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K require bile and micellar emulsification; water-soluble vitamins are absorbed into portal blood and are more readily lost in cooking water.

Digestion sequence: salivary amylase in mouth, gastric acid and pepsin in stomach, pancreatic enzymes and bile in duodenum, absorption mainly in jejunum, water reabsorption in colon.

Anaerobic glycolysis yields 2 ATP per glucose; aerobic respiration via Krebs cycle and electron transport yields about 30-32 ATP; beta-oxidation of fatty acids feeds acetyl-CoA into the same cycle.

Nutrient reference values include EAR (median requirement), RDI (2 SD above EAR covering 97-98%), AI (used when EAR is unknown) and UL (upper safe intake).

Diet-related conditions link to specific nutrients: iodine and iron deficiency, excess sodium with hypertension, excess saturated fat with LDL cholesterol, low calcium and vitamin D with osteoporosis.

Food security has four pillars: availability, access, utilisation and stability; food sovereignty adds control over production and culturally appropriate food.

The food supply chain runs production, processing, distribution, retail, consumption and waste disposal; losses at each stage reduce overall system efficiency.

Food miles measure distance travelled from production to consumption; they capture transport emissions but ignore production method, seasonality and processing impacts.

Life cycle assessment quantifies environmental impact across stages using indicators such as greenhouse gas emissions, water use, land use and eutrophication.

Sustainable diets (FAO definition) are protective of biodiversity and ecosystems, culturally acceptable, accessible, economically fair and nutritionally adequate.

Food loss occurs before retail (harvest, storage, transport); food waste occurs at retail and consumer level; global estimates place roughly one third of food produced as lost or wasted.

Primary processing converts raw commodities (milling, chilling, canning); secondary processing manufactures composite foods (baking, extrusion, formulating).

Preservation principles: reduce water activity (drying, salting, sugaring), control temperature (chilling, freezing, canning), lower pH (pickling, fermentation) or exclude oxygen (vacuum packing).

Australia's food system exports a large share of production while importing processed goods; transport distance, cold chain and packaging costs shape retail prices in remote areas.

Food choice is shaped by biological (hunger, taste, appetite), economic (price, income), physical (access, cooking facilities), social (family, peers) and psychological (mood, beliefs) determinants.

Culture defines acceptable foods, meal patterns, preparation methods and hospitality norms; what counts as breakfast or a celebration food varies between groups.

Acculturation describes dietary change after migration: staple foods may persist while meal timing and convenience foods shift, often increasing diet-related disease risk.

Food literacy comprises planning and managing, selecting, preparing, eating and knowing about food, plus the civic dimension of food systems awareness.

Consumer behaviour models distinguish habitual purchases from extended problem solving; labelling, price promotions and shelf position act as situational cues.

Sensory evaluation uses discriminative tests (triangle, duo-trio), descriptive tests (profiling) and affective tests (hedonic scales, preference ranking) to measure acceptability.

Food neophobia (reluctance to try unfamiliar foods) peaks in early childhood and declines with repeated exposure; repeated tasting is the most consistent strategy to increase acceptance.

Social determinants such as income, education, housing and remoteness drive diet quality; food insecurity is associated with lower fruit and vegetable intake and higher intake of energy-dense discretionary foods.

Religious and ethical frameworks (halal, kosher, vegetarianism, veganism) structure food rules; vegan diets require attention to vitamin B12, iron, zinc, calcium and long-chain omega-3 fats.

The design process for a food solution: define the brief and constraints, research, generate ideas, prototype, test, evaluate against criteria, refine, then document.

Design criteria should be measurable and split into must-haves (constraints) and want-to-haves (desirable attributes) so prototypes can be scored objectively.

Standard recipe format lists ingredients in order of use with exact quantities, yield, equipment, method steps and critical control points for safety.

Mise en place organises ingredients and equipment before cooking; it reduces cross-contamination risk and sequencing errors.

Heat transfer methods: conduction (contact with pan), convection (air or liquid currents), radiation (grill, microwave) and induction (magnetic).

Cooking changes food: protein denatures and coagulates, starch gelatinises, fibre softens, Maillard browning creates flavour and colour above about 140-150 degrees Celsius.

Food safety: keep high-risk foods out of the 5-60 degrees Celsius danger zone, cool cooked food rapidly, separate raw and ready-to-eat items, and wash hands before handling.

Sensory evaluation of a prototype uses appearance, aroma, flavour, texture and overall acceptability; a hedonic scale or scoring rubric converts judgements into comparable data.

Nutrition analysis of a recipe divides total nutrient content by number of portions; modification strategies include substitution, portion adjustment, ingredient reduction and cooking-method change.

Research question structure: specify the population, the food or intervention, the outcome measured and the context, so the question is answerable with available methods.

Study designs differ in strength: randomised controlled trials establish causation, cohort studies show associations, cross-sectional surveys show prevalence and case studies explore depth.

Sampling choices (random, stratified, convenience) affect generalisability; convenience samples support exploration but not population inference.

Validity means measuring what is intended; reliability means consistency on repeat measurement; triangulation of methods or sources strengthens both.

Data types: categorical (nominal, ordinal) versus continuous (interval, ratio); descriptive statistics summarise with mean, median, mode, range and standard deviation.

Ethics in food research require informed consent, confidentiality, safe handling of food samples, honest reporting and acknowledgement of sources.

Referencing uses a consistent style (for example APA) with in-text citations matched to a reference list; primary sources report original data, secondary sources interpret them.

Evaluation compares outcomes against the original criteria, states strengths and limitations of the method, and proposes specific, justified improvements rather than general comments.

Macronutrients supply energy: carbohydrate 17 kJ/g, protein 17 kJ/g, fat 37 kJ/g, alcohol 29 kJ/g; dietary fibre contributes roughly 8 kJ/g.

Estimated energy requirement = basal metabolic rate x physical activity level, plus thermic effect of food (about 5-10% of intake) and growth allowance in children.

Protein quality is scored by amino acid profile and digestibility; animal proteins and soy are complete, most cereals are limiting in lysine, legumes in methionine.

Glycaemic index ranks carbohydrate foods by blood glucose response; glycaemic load = GI x available carbohydrate (g) / 100.

Fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K require bile and micellar emulsification; water-soluble vitamins are absorbed into portal blood and are more readily lost in cooking water.

Digestion sequence: salivary amylase in mouth, gastric acid and pepsin in stomach, pancreatic enzymes and bile in duodenum, absorption mainly in jejunum, water reabsorption in colon.

Anaerobic glycolysis yields 2 ATP per glucose; aerobic respiration via Krebs cycle and electron transport yields about 30-32 ATP; beta-oxidation of fatty acids feeds acetyl-CoA into the same cycle.

Nutrient reference values include EAR (median requirement), RDI (2 SD above EAR covering 97-98%), AI (used when EAR is unknown) and UL (upper safe intake).

Diet-related conditions link to specific nutrients: iodine and iron deficiency, excess sodium with hypertension, excess saturated fat with LDL cholesterol, low calcium and vitamin D with osteoporosis.

Food security has four pillars: availability, access, utilisation and stability; food sovereignty adds control over production and culturally appropriate food.

The food supply chain runs production, processing, distribution, retail, consumption and waste disposal; losses at each stage reduce overall system efficiency.

Food miles measure distance travelled from production to consumption; they capture transport emissions but ignore production method, seasonality and processing impacts.

Life cycle assessment quantifies environmental impact across stages using indicators such as greenhouse gas emissions, water use, land use and eutrophication.

Sustainable diets (FAO definition) are protective of biodiversity and ecosystems, culturally acceptable, accessible, economically fair and nutritionally adequate.

Food loss occurs before retail (harvest, storage, transport); food waste occurs at retail and consumer level; global estimates place roughly one third of food produced as lost or wasted.

Primary processing converts raw commodities (milling, chilling, canning); secondary processing manufactures composite foods (baking, extrusion, formulating).

Preservation principles: reduce water activity (drying, salting, sugaring), control temperature (chilling, freezing, canning), lower pH (pickling, fermentation) or exclude oxygen (vacuum packing).

Australia's food system exports a large share of production while importing processed goods; transport distance, cold chain and packaging costs shape retail prices in remote areas.

Food choice is shaped by biological (hunger, taste, appetite), economic (price, income), physical (access, cooking facilities), social (family, peers) and psychological (mood, beliefs) determinants.

Culture defines acceptable foods, meal patterns, preparation methods and hospitality norms; what counts as breakfast or a celebration food varies between groups.

Acculturation describes dietary change after migration: staple foods may persist while meal timing and convenience foods shift, often increasing diet-related disease risk.

Food literacy comprises planning and managing, selecting, preparing, eating and knowing about food, plus the civic dimension of food systems awareness.

Consumer behaviour models distinguish habitual purchases from extended problem solving; labelling, price promotions and shelf position act as situational cues.

Sensory evaluation uses discriminative tests (triangle, duo-trio), descriptive tests (profiling) and affective tests (hedonic scales, preference ranking) to measure acceptability.

Food neophobia (reluctance to try unfamiliar foods) peaks in early childhood and declines with repeated exposure; repeated tasting is the most consistent strategy to increase acceptance.

Social determinants such as income, education, housing and remoteness drive diet quality; food insecurity is associated with lower fruit and vegetable intake and higher intake of energy-dense discretionary foods.

Religious and ethical frameworks (halal, kosher, vegetarianism, veganism) structure food rules; vegan diets require attention to vitamin B12, iron, zinc, calcium and long-chain omega-3 fats.

The design process for a food solution: define the brief and constraints, research, generate ideas, prototype, test, evaluate against criteria, refine, then document.

Design criteria should be measurable and split into must-haves (constraints) and want-to-haves (desirable attributes) so prototypes can be scored objectively.

Standard recipe format lists ingredients in order of use with exact quantities, yield, equipment, method steps and critical control points for safety.

Mise en place organises ingredients and equipment before cooking; it reduces cross-contamination risk and sequencing errors.

Heat transfer methods: conduction (contact with pan), convection (air or liquid currents), radiation (grill, microwave) and induction (magnetic).

Cooking changes food: protein denatures and coagulates, starch gelatinises, fibre softens, Maillard browning creates flavour and colour above about 140-150 degrees Celsius.

Food safety: keep high-risk foods out of the 5-60 degrees Celsius danger zone, cool cooked food rapidly, separate raw and ready-to-eat items, and wash hands before handling.

Sensory evaluation of a prototype uses appearance, aroma, flavour, texture and overall acceptability; a hedonic scale or scoring rubric converts judgements into comparable data.

Nutrition analysis of a recipe divides total nutrient content by number of portions; modification strategies include substitution, portion adjustment, ingredient reduction and cooking-method change.

Research question structure: specify the population, the food or intervention, the outcome measured and the context, so the question is answerable with available methods.

Study designs differ in strength: randomised controlled trials establish causation, cohort studies show associations, cross-sectional surveys show prevalence and case studies explore depth.

Sampling choices (random, stratified, convenience) affect generalisability; convenience samples support exploration but not population inference.

Validity means measuring what is intended; reliability means consistency on repeat measurement; triangulation of methods or sources strengthens both.

Data types: categorical (nominal, ordinal) versus continuous (interval, ratio); descriptive statistics summarise with mean, median, mode, range and standard deviation.

Ethics in food research require informed consent, confidentiality, safe handling of food samples, honest reporting and acknowledgement of sources.

Referencing uses a consistent style (for example APA) with in-text citations matched to a reference list; primary sources report original data, secondary sources interpret them.

Evaluation compares outcomes against the original criteria, states strengths and limitations of the method, and proposes specific, justified improvements rather than general comments.