Carbohydrate Chemistry Other Physical Methods

Some basic food analytical methods such as determination of °brix, pH, titratable acidity, total proteins and total lipids are basic to food analysis and grounded in procedures which have had wide-spread acceptance for a long time. Others such as analysis of cell-wall polysaccharides, analysis of aroma volatiles, and compressive measurement of solids and semi-solids, require use of advanced chemical and physical methods and sophisticated instrumentation. In organizing the Handbook of Food Analytical Chemistry we chose to categorize on a disciplinary rather than a commodity basis. Included are chapters on water, proteins, enzymes, lipids, carbohydrates, colors, flavors texture/ rheology and bioactive food components. We have made an effort to select methods that are applicable to all commodities. However, it is impossible to address the unique and special criteria required for analysis of all commodities and all processed forms. There are several professional and trade organizations which focus on their specific commodities, e.g., cereals, wines, lipids, fisheries, and meats. Their methods manuals and professional journals should be consulted, particularly for specialized, commodity-specific analyses. 

Three branches of science deal with colloids and macromolecules colloid science, surface science, and macromolecular science. CoUoid science is the study of physical, mechanical, and chemical properties of colloidal systems. Surface science deals with phenomena involving macroscopic surfaces. Macromolecular science investigates the methods of syntheses in the case of synthetic polymers (or isolation and purification in the case of natural products such as proteins, nucleic acids, and carbohydrates) and the characterization of macromolecules. It includes, for example, polymer chemistry, polymer physics, biophysical chemistry, and molecular biology. These three branches of science overlap. What one learns from one branch can often be apphed to the others. 

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