VCE Food Studies flashcards

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

Food origins

The classification of foods by source: plant foods such as cereals, fruits and pulses, and animal foods such as meat, fish, eggs and dairy.

Cereal grain structure

Bran is the outer fibre-rich layer, endosperm the starchy energy store, and germ the nutrient-rich embryo; refining removes bran and germ.

Pulses

Dried edible seeds of legumes such as lentils, chickpeas and dried beans, valued for plant protein, dietary fibre and B-group vitamins.

Fire-stick farming

An Indigenous Australian land-management practice using controlled burning to encourage fresh plant growth and attract grazing animals for hunting.

Australian Guide to Healthy Eating

A national food-selection guide showing five food groups plus discretionary choices, indicating the proportion each group should contribute to daily intake.

Food choice determinants

The physical, social, psychological and economic factors such as hunger, culture, income, mood and knowledge that shape what a person eats.

Grazing food pattern

An eating pattern of frequent small snacks and meals across the day rather than three structured main meals, common in contemporary Australian diets.

Convenience foods

Partially or fully prepared products that reduce preparation time, such as frozen meals, pre-cut vegetables and ready-made sauces.

Food system stages

The linked stages of production, processing, distribution and retail, consumption, and waste disposal, each with social, economic and environmental effects.

Ultra-processed foods

Industrial formulations built from extracted ingredients and additives, often high in added sugar, salt and fat, such as soft drinks and flavoured snacks.

Temperature danger zone

The range from 5°C to 60°C in which bacteria multiply most rapidly; high-risk moist protein foods should be kept outside this range.

High-risk foods

Moist, protein-rich foods such as cooked meat, poultry, seafood, dairy and cooked rice that readily support bacterial growth if temperature-controlled poorly.

Food security

Reliable physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food for an active and healthy life for all people.

Food miles

The distance food travels from production to consumption; a measure used to discuss transport emissions but not the only indicator of sustainability.

Ingredient list order

Australian labelling rule that ingredients are listed in descending order by weight, so the largest component appears first.

Nutrition information panel

A mandatory label table reporting energy, protein, fat, saturated fat, carbohydrate, sugars and sodium per serve and per 100 grams.

Energy values of nutrients

Carbohydrate and protein supply about 17 kilojoules per gram, fat about 37, alcohol about 29, and dietary fibre about 8.

Protein complementation

Combining plant foods with different limiting amino acids, such as rice with legumes, to provide a fuller essential amino acid profile.

Saturated fat

A fatty acid with no double bonds, mostly from animal sources and some plant sources, solid at room temperature and linked to raised blood cholesterol.

Fat-soluble vitamins

Vitamins A, D, E and K, which need dietary fat for absorption, can be stored in body tissue and are relatively stable to normal cooking heat.

Haem versus non-haem iron

Haem iron from animal foods is absorbed more efficiently than non-haem iron from plants; vitamin C consumed with plant iron improves absorption.

Gelatinisation

The thickening of starch when heated in liquid, as granules absorb water, swell and burst, releasing starch that sets on cooling.

Emulsification

The dispersion of one liquid into another that would not normally mix, aided by an emulsifier such as lecithin in egg yolk.

Denaturation

The permanent change to a protein's structure caused by heat, acid or mechanical action, altering texture and function but not the amino acid sequence.

Maillard browning

A reaction between amino acids and reducing sugars under dry heat that produces brown colour and savoury flavours, as in toasted bread.

Caramelisation

The browning and flavour development of sugars alone when heated above their melting point, without involvement of protein.

Animal welfare

An ethical concern about how farm animals are housed, fed, transported and slaughtered, influencing consumer purchasing and certification schemes.

Genetically modified food

Food from organisms whose genetic material has been altered using biotechnology to gain traits such as pest resistance or longer shelf life.

Food fortification

The addition of nutrients to foods to restore or increase levels, such as iodine in salt or folic acid in bread-making flour.

Nutrient content claim

A label statement such as low fat or high fibre that must meet defined nutrient thresholds set in food standards.

Plant-based meat analogues

Products formulated from plant proteins such as soy or pea, designed to mimic the texture, appearance and cooking behaviour of meat.

Triple bottom line

An evaluation framework judging a food enterprise on economic, social and environmental outcomes rather than financial profit alone.