Use of Chemistry in Food Production

Chemistry

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Science plays an incredibly important role in forming the taste, texture, and aroma of the food we eat every day. In this article, we will be focused on the role of chemistry in food production.

When produced at a large-scale, food needs to be safe and of high-quality. Moreover, the transportation of food should be feasible. To achieve all these goals, while not diminishing the quality and taste of food, manufacturers use various aspects of chemistry.

In order to ensure the safety of the food products, analytical chemistry is employed to identify the presence of various pesticides, contaminants, and harmful additives. Although some of these substances are permitted to use in agriculture, like pesticides, their concentration and frequency of usage should be minimized. In order to investigate their presence in food, various chromatographic techniques are employed.

Analytical chemistry is also used to investigate effects of newly discovered compounds that could potentially be used in the future. This is often used when carrying out research about newly found “E-numbers”, which are basically food additives. For instance, E-numbers beginning with 2 are coding for various preservatives (e.g E211-sodium benzoate). During the past decade, there were many changes in the policies regarding food safety. For instance, a white color E171, also known as titanium dioxide, was banned for use in food production on the territory of the EU from 2022. The reason behind this legislative change is in its potential ability to cause cancer.

Another application of chemistry is in advancing and creating new flavors, by the means of investigating molecular structures and interactions. Meat dishes have frequently been used together with some kind of acid, such as citric, in order to create balance between the flavors. For instance, cooking roasted chicken with lemon would place more emphasis on the taste of chicken and create a harmonious combination of tastes from spices. But what's the reason behind such an outcome of adding acidic ingredients? Well, if you look closer at the chemical composition of lemon juice, the picture will be much clearer. When consumed, the hydrogen ions are released, and when eaten together with meals like roasted chicken, the strong meat flavor is softened.

Chemistry is also playing a significant role in transforming properties of different raw products, like vegetables and grains, in order to achieve desirable characteristics. Indeed, this is often done in conjunction with biological principles. Such integration could allow developing resistance to pests, improved shelf life, or ability to withstand harsh weather conditions. By carrying out these investigations, high-quality food products could become more accessible to people all over the globe.

As you could have comprehended from all the aspects discussed above, chemistry is the cornerstone of the food production industry. Therefore, as our understanding of its principles will expand, more and more diverse flavors and textures could be created, as well as consumption will become more safe.