Food Science

The study of food science emphasis on the composition of foods and the changes that occur when exposed to food processing. Functional foods are foods that promote health beyond providing basic nutrition. Our nutritional status, health, physical and mental abilities are dependent on the food we eat and how we eat it. Access to good quality food has been man’s main concern from the earliest days of human existence. Food safety is a basic requirement of food quality. “Food safety” implies absence or acceptable and safe levels of pollutants, manipulated naturally occurring toxins or other substances that may make food injurious to health on an acute or chronic basis. Food quality can be regarded as a complex characteristic of food that determines its value or acceptability to consumers. In addition to safety, quality attributes include: nutritional value and taste, such as appearance, color, texture, taste, and functional characteristics. Food security in developing countries are not always as well organized and developed in the industrialized world. In addition, problems with the growing population, urbanization, lack of resources dealing with pre and post-harvest losses in food, and the problems of environmental and food means that food in developing countries Continue stressed, adversely affect quality and safety of food supplies. People in developing countries countriesare therefore in a broad spectrum of potential food quality and safety. 2020, world population will probably amount to 7. 6 billion, an increase of 31% in mid-1996 population of 5th 8 billion. Approximately 98% of the projected population growth during this period will occur in developing countries. It has also estimated that between 1995 and 2020 the developing world’s urban population will double, amounted to 3. 4 billion. This increase in population and in the urban population in particular, poses major challenges to food systems. Intensification of agriculture and animal husbandry, more efficient food handling, processing and distribution, introduction of newer technologies to increase food availability to meet the needs of growing populations. Some of these methods and techniques can also cause problems for food safety and nutritional quality and requires special attention to ensure consumer protection.