food production

FOOD THICKENING AGENTS Thickening agents, or thickeners, are substances which, when added to an aqueous mixture, increase its viscosity without substantially modifying its other properties, such as taste. They provide body, increase stability, and improve suspension of added ingredients. Examples of thickening agents include: polysaccharides (starches, vegetable gums, and pectin), proteins (eggs, collagen, gelatin, blood albumin) and fats (butter, oil and lards). All purpose flour  is the most popular food thickener, followed by  cornstarch  and  arrowroot  or  tapioca.  All of these thickeners are based on starch as the thickening agent. Cornstarch  -- Cornstarch is actually a flour. It is the endosperm of corn kernels that has been dried and ground. Corn starch is used as a thickening agent in soups and liquid-based foods, such as sauces, gravies and custard. It is sometimes preferred over flour because it forms a translucent mixtu...

FATS AND OILS · Oils are liquid at room temperature but solidify at - temperature. The commonly used cooling oils are - oil , sesame oil , cotton sew oil, olive oil , peanut oil . corn oil and sunflower oil. Hydrogenation of oils: Whale oil, cotton seed oil, soya been oil , peanut oil, etc are sold as shortening of varying consistencies . The conversion of oil into fat is brought about by a process known as the hydrogenation . Treating oil under presence of a catalyst, usually   under these condition the unsaturated fatty acids present in the oil combine with hydrogen. This chemical process beings about a physical change, the liquid of become solid fat. Fats are used in covering either as shortening agent or as frying medium. Fats are used in confection any to enrich the food and to import to them short eating qualities. Collectively they are referred to as shortening agent. There effect is to be breakdown or destroy the toughness of gluten , so that in...