MAIN NUTRIENTS

Nutrient Elements present Use in the body Good food sources

Carbohydrate C, H, O Source of energy (glucose is a source Rice, potato, bread, sugary
of immediate energy) food
Fat/oil (lipids) C, H, O  Source of energy (twice as much Butter, milk, cheese, egg yolk,
as carbohydrate) – energy store animal fat, peanuts
 Insulation against heat loss
 Some hormones
 Cell membranes
 Insulation of nerve fibres
Protein C, H, O, N  Enzymes Meat, fish, eggs, soya, peanuts,
Sometimes S or P  Cell membranes beans
 Some hormones
 Haemoglobin
 Growth & tissue repair
 Hair & nail
 Can be broken down to provide
energy

These are all made of CARBOHYDRATES

many units of glucose.

Polysaccharides
 Made up of many monosaccharides
linked together Monosaccharides
 Insoluble; too large to pass through Simplest sugar; soluble & can
cell membrane pass through cell membrane
 Plants store sugar as starch; animals Examples: glucose & fructose
store sugar as glycogen

Disaccharides
Made up of two monosaccharides
Examples:
1) maltose (made of 2 glucose molecules)
2) sucrose (1 glucose + 1 fructose)

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FATS/OILS
(LIPIDS)

PROTEINS

Protein: long chained molecule made up of many

amino acids chemically bonded together amino acids

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 FOOD TESTS FOR STARCH, GLUCOSE & PROTEIN

Crush food with water filter

 Add a few drops  Add a few drops of

of iodine solution Biuret Reagent
 Shake gently  Shake mixture gently

 Add 2 cm3 of
Benedict’s Reagent
 Heat mixture for 2 – 3
minutes in a boiling
water bath

Blue-black colour Purple/mauve colour

Starch is present. Protein is present.

Test for starch Test for protein

Blue green yellow orange brick-red

Test for glucose

A control is needed to make sure that results are valid.

To show that the test solutions are not contaminated,
each test should be carried out on a sample of water. Note: The only food test that needs
This should give a negative test. heating is the Benedict’s test.

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 FOOD TEST FOR LIPIDS (FATS & OIL)

Fats & oils are insoluble in water.

This means that you cannot crush food with water to make an aqueous solution on which to carry out a biochemical
test. However, the fact that fats & oils are insoluble in water forms the basis of this physical test.

Transfer crushed food to test- Pour the lipid/alcohol

Crush food tube containing some alcohol. mixture into an equal
Shake mixture gently. volume of water.

A milky white emulsion

forms if lipid is present.

OTHER NUTRIENTS
Vitamins and minerals, although needed only in small quantities, are important for maintaining good health.
A shortage can result in a deficiency disease.
Fibre is needed in much larger quantities. Although it has no nutritional value to us, we need it in our diet.
Water is also a vital part of our dietary requirement.

Nutrient Function Effect of deficiency Good food sources

Vitamin C Needed to maintain healthy skin & gums Scurvy – bleeding under skin, Citrus fruits, cabbage, tomato,
bleeding gums guava, mango
Vitamin D Needed to maintain hard bones. Helps in Rickets – soft bones that Milk, cheese, egg yolk, fish-
absorption of calcium from small intestine. become deformed. Sufferers liver oil. Can be made in the
may be bow-legged. skin when exposed to
sunlight.
Calcium Needed to form healthy bones & teeth & for Rickets & slow blood clotting Milk, cheese, fish
normal blood clotting.
Iron Needed for formation of haemoglobin in red Anaemia – constant tiredness, Red meat, liver, kidney, eggs,
blood cells. lack of energy green vegetables
Fibre This is cellulose. It adds bulk to undigested food Constipation. Long-term Vegetables, fruit, wholemeal
passing through the intestines, maintaining deficiency can lead to bowel bread
peristalsis. cancer.
Water Needed for formation of blood, cytoplasm, as a Dehydration Drinks, fruits, vegetables
solvent for transport of nutrients & removal of
wastes (as urine). Enzymes only work in solution.

FOOD ADDITIVES

Additive Uses
Antioxidants Stop foods reacting with oxygen, which may spoil the taste of food or change its colour.
Improve the appearance of the food. But some colourings can cause hyperactivity in children as well as
Colourings
triggering allergic reactions such as asthma.
Flavourings Enhance the taste of food.
Give processed food a longer shelf life by preventing the growth of microorganisms such as bacteria &
Preservatives
fungi that would otherwise make the food go bad & cause food poisoning.

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HUMAN DIET

Balanced diet A diet that contains all the main nutrients in the correct amounts
and proportions
Malnutrition This is the result of not eating a balanced diet. There may be too
little food or too much, or the diet could be lacking in one or
more key nutrients.

Dietary requirements
 Your dietary requirements depend on your age, sex and activity.
 The amount of energy needed is provided mainly by our carbohydrate and fat intake.
 Generally, males use up more energy than females, and the energy demand increases until we stop growing.
 Someone doing physical work will use up more energy than an office worker.
 While children are growing they need more protein per kilogram of body weight than adults do.
 Pregnant women need extra nutrients for the development of the foetus.

Malnutrition
 Too much carbohydrate, fat or protein can lead to obesity. This can lead to coronary heart disease and diabetes
(which can cause blindness).
 Too much animal fat in the diet results in high cholesterol levels. Cholesterol can stick to the walls of arteries,
gradually blocking them. The result can be angina & coronary heart disease.
 Too little food can result in starvation, extreme slimming diets, such as those that avoid carbohydrate foods, can
result in the disease anorexia nervosa.
 Sometimes the balance of food is wrong, e.g. too much carbohydrate and too little protein. This can lead to
kwashiorkor in young children.
 Constipation is caused by lack of fibre in the diet. It can lead to bowel cancer.
 Vitamin and mineral deficiency

WORLD FOOD SUPPLIES

There is not always enough food available in a country to feed the people living there. Food may have to be brought in
(imported). Fresh food has a limited storage life, so it needs to be transported quickly or treated to prevent it going
rotten.
The transport and redistribution of surplus food from first world countries to a poorer one can have a detrimental
effect on that country’s economy.
Some food grown by countries with large debts may be exported as cash crops, even though local people desperately
need the food.

Other problems that can result in famine (shortage of food) include:

 Climate change and natural disasters such as flooding or drought
 Pollution
 Shortage of water through its use for other purposes, the diversion of rivers, building dams to provide
hydroelectricity
 Poor soil, lack of inorganic ions or fertiliser
 Desertification due to soil erosion, as a result of deforestation
 Urbanisation
 An increasing population
 Pest damage or disease

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