TASC Food and Nutrition Level 3 flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Energy value of fat

Fat supplies 9 kcal per gram, more than double the 4 kcal per gram from carbohydrate or protein, so fat-rich foods are energy dense.

Indispensable amino acids

Nine amino acids cannot be synthesised by adults in adequate amounts and must come from food; their balance determines protein quality.

Limiting amino acid

The indispensable amino acid present in the shortest supply relative to need; it caps the usefulness of the whole protein source.

Complementary protein pairing

Combining cereals, low in lysine, with pulses, low in methionine, produces a mixture covering both deficits within one meal.

Glycaemic index

A ranking of carbohydrate foods by blood glucose rise over two hours compared with a reference food, usually glucose or white bread.

Fat-soluble vitamins

Vitamins A, D, E and K dissolve in fat, need dietary lipid for absorption, and are stored in liver and adipose tissue.

Dietary fibre fractions

Soluble fibre forms gels that slow glucose absorption and lower cholesterol; insoluble fibre adds bulk and speeds intestinal transit.

Free sugars definition

Sugars added during manufacture plus those naturally present in honey, syrups and juice; sugars inside whole fruit are excluded.

Systematic review

A structured search, appraisal and synthesis of all relevant studies on one question, often pooling results statistically in a meta-analysis.

Randomised controlled trial

Participants are randomly allocated to intervention or control, which balances known and unknown confounders and supports causal inference.

Cohort study

A group free of the outcome is followed over time and exposure is measured, allowing incidence and relative risk to be calculated.

Internal validity

The extent to which a study design truly measures the effect it claims, free from bias and confounding, within that study sample.

Reliability versus validity

Reliability is consistency of repeated measurement; validity is measuring what is intended. A valid method must be reliable, but not the reverse.

Confounding variable

A third factor associated with both exposure and outcome that distorts the apparent relationship unless controlled by design or analysis.

Recall bias

Systematic error when participants remember past diet inaccurately or unevenly, common in retrospective questionnaires and case-control studies.

Weighed food diary

Participants weigh and record everything consumed, often over three to seven days; precise but prone to reactivity and under-reporting.

Food frequency questionnaire

A checklist asking how often listed foods are eaten over weeks or months; suited to large studies and habitual intake patterns.

Temporality criterion

The exposure must precede the outcome for a causal claim; this is the only Bradford Hill consideration widely treated as essential.

Maillard reaction

Browning between reducing sugars and amino acids at high heat, producing colour, flavour and aroma in baked and roasted foods.

Gelatinisation

Starch granules absorb water and swell when heated, releasing amylose and thickening the liquid; cooling sets the gel further.

Retrogradation

On cooling and storage, gelatinised starch chains reassociate and expel water, causing staling, firmness and syneresis in gels.

Emulsifier function

An amphiphilic molecule with fat-loving and water-loving ends that lowers interfacial tension and keeps oil and water droplets dispersed.

Danger zone temperatures

Bacteria multiply fastest between 5 °C and 63 °C; high-risk foods should be kept outside this range and chilled rapidly.

HACCP principles

A seven-step system identifying hazards, setting critical control points with limits, monitoring them, and correcting deviations to assure food safety.

Cross-contamination control

Separating raw and ready-to-eat foods using colour-coded equipment, separate storage and hand washing prevents transfer of pathogens.

Food cost percentage

Food cost divided by selling price, multiplied by 100; it expresses ingredient cost as a share of menu price for pricing decisions.

Portion cost formula

Total ingredient cost of a recipe divided by the number of portions produced gives the ingredient cost of one served portion.

Traffic-light labelling

Front-of-pack colour coding of fat, saturated fat, sugars and salt per 100 g or 100 mL, using low, medium and high thresholds.

Ingredient list ordering

Ingredients appear in descending order of weight, so the first items dominate the product and reveal its main composition.

Reference nutrient intake

The RNI is the intake meeting the needs of about 97.5% of a population group, used for planning diets for groups.

Allergen declaration rule

Fourteen major allergens must be emphasised in the ingredient list; advisory "may contain" wording signals possible cross-contact, not an ingredient.

Triangle sensory test

Three coded samples, two identical and one different, are presented; assessors identify the odd one to test whether a difference is detectable.