FOOD AND NUTRITION

Learning Objectives
At the end of this chapter, you should be able to:
1. Outline the different classes of food and describe a balanced diet.
2. State the effects of malnutrition.
3. Explain the need to fortify and enrich food.
4. Outline the health benefits of water.
WHAT IS NUTRITION?
Nutrition is the scientific discipline that studies how food and its
nutrients affect the body and overall health.
FOOD
Food refers to any solid or liquid substance that is consumed to provide
nutritional support for the body.
Functions:
• Food serves as the source of nutrients and energy for body functions.
• To maintain a healthy body (for protection against disease).
• To build and repair body tissues.
• It also provides sensory enjoyment and cultural significance.
.
 GENERAL CLASSES/TYPES OF
FOOD
• Energy foods e.g. carbohydrates and fats. These types of food
give us energy to move and keep us warm. They are sometimes
called body fuels.
• Body-building foods e.g. proteins. These foods provide the
important chemicals we need to grow and to repair the worn-out
parts of our body.
• Maintenance foods eg.vitamins,minerals and water. These foods
are needed in smaller quantity to control our metabolism and
keep our bodies running smoothly.
The seven essential
components of food
(Nutrients)
• Carbohydrates
• Protein
• lipids(fats/oil)
• Vitamins
• Roughages (fibres)
• Water
• Minerals
 CARBOHYDRATES
Carbohydrates are the major sources of energy needed in the body to perform
any activity.
They are divided into units of
• Monosaccharide e.g.glucose,fructose,galactose,ribose,deoxyribose, mannose
• Disaccharide e.g. lactose and maltose
• Polysaccharide e.g. starch, cellulose, glycogen and chitin
GENERAL FORMULA FOR
CARBOHYDRATES
• CX(H2O)y.
• Example: C6H12O6
• The main elements present in carbohydrates are Carbon, Hydrogen
and Oxygen
• H and O are in the ratio 2:1
 FUNCTIONS OF
CARBOHYDRATES
• They provide energy.
• They help in the maintenance of the structure of cell walls.
• They serve as the origin of other organic molecules like amino acids.
• Excess carbohydrates are stored as starch in plants and glycogen in animals
for later use.
Effects and dangers of excess
carbohydrates
• Weight gain and obesity.
• Insulin resistance and Type 2 Diabetes.
• Dental problems.
 Exercise
1. Define the following terms
a. Food
b. Nutrition
2. List six essential food nutrients.
3. State three functions of food.
Characteristics or Properties of
Monosaccharide
• They have very sweet taste.
• They are soluble in water
• They can crystallize from solution
• The can easily diffuse through semipermeable membrane.
Characteristics or Properties of
Disaccharide
• They have very sweet taste.
• They are soluble in water
• They can crystallize from solution.
• They are crystalline in nature.
• They Osmotically active
ANSWER THE FOLLOWING
QUESTIONS
1.Maltose is composed of two monosaccharides …………………… and
………………

2.Which of the following is a disaccharide a.galactose b.fructose

c.lactose d.ribose.

3.Sucrose is composed of …………………….. and……………………..

4.All the follow are monosaccharides except…………. a.glucose

b.ribose c.lactose d.deoxyribose
Characteristics or Properties of
Polysaccharide.
• Generally insoluble in water.
• Have no reducing properties
• Osmotically inactive
FOOD SUBSTANCE REAGENT ACTIVITY OBSERVATION INFERENCE/
CONCLUSION
TEST FOR
Carbo.(glucose)
FOODSample
Benedict’s or
SUBSTANCES
+ drops of Brick-red precipitate Reducing sugar
Fehling’s solution Benedict’s or present.
Fehling’s solution
and heated

Protein(egg albumen) Biurets Sample +NaOH Purple or violet Proteins

Solution. + drops of colouration. present
CuSO4.
Sample dissolve in A white curdy
Protein Millon’s reagent water+ Millon’s precipitate formed Proteins
reagent and heated which turns deep present
for 1 Min. red upon heating.

Fats(fat extract from Ethanol and Sample dissolve in Milky/Cloudy Fats present.
meat) distilled. Water ethanol + distilled suspension on top of
water and shake. the of the mixture.

Starch(piece of bread) Iodine solution Few Drops of iodine Blue-black Starch present.
TEST FOR STARCH
TEST OF REDUCING SUGARS
PROTEINS
• Proteins are complex biological molecule with the general formula
• RCH(NH2)COOH with the elements Carbon, Hydrogen,
Oxygen. ,Nitrogen.
• Proteins are formed from long-chain molecules of amino acids.
• Amino acids are joined together to form molecule of protein by a
special bond called peptide bond.
• Essential amino acids valine,lysine,methionine and histidine..
• Sources: eggs,milk,meat,fish
Functions/importance of protein
• Proteins control the rate of metabolism
• Proteins help us to grow.
• They repair and replacement of worn-out tissues

• VARIETIES OF PROTEIN
• blood protein e.g. fibrinogen,globulins,albumen.
• proteins in muscle e.g.actin and myosin
• protein in hair.
• proteins in bones and cartilages.
Effects and dangers of lack of
protein
• Lack of protein leads to diseases like Kwashiorkor,Marasmus and
Stunted growth.
KWASHIORKOR,MARASMUS AND
STUNTED GROWTH
• Kwashiorkor is characterized by symptoms such as edema (swelling),
an enlarged liver, thinning hair, skin depigmentation, and a swollen
belly. It typically occurs in regions where there is a lack of protein in
the diet, despite an adequate caloric intake.
• Marasmus: It is characterized by significant weight loss, muscle
wasting, and a lack of energy
• Stunted growth: Insufficient protein intake can impair normal
growth and development in children, leading to stunted growth and
delayed puberty.
TEST FOR PROTEINS –Biuret
Test.
MILLON’S TEST
FATS AND OIL
• Fats are biological molecule with the general formula
CH3(CH2)nCOOH containing the elements carbon, hydrogen and
oxygen.
• Each molecule of fat and oil is made up one molecule of glycerol and
attached to three molecules of fatty acids.
• Fats are used for energy storage and thermal insulation in the body.
Functions of fat
• Thermal insulation
• Protection of internal organs
• Provide energy .
• They act a medium for fat-soluble vitamins.
TEST FOR FATS AND OIL
• Sudan III test forms stained globules with oil and floats on surface
oil the oil indicating the presence of oil.
• Emulsion test
• Spot test
TEST FOR FATS USING ETHANOL
Spot test
TAKE NOTE OF THIS SPECIAL
CASES.
• When a piece of carbohydrate such as bread is chewed for
sometime and removed out of the mouth the starch in it is
converted to maltose by salivary amylase which is a reducing
sugar and hence will show a positive test with Benedict’s or
Fehling’s solution to give a brick-colouration.

• However it will show a negative test with iodine solution retaining

the original yellowish-brown colour of iodine solution. This is due
to the absence of starch.
 WASSCE 2020 TEST OF PRACTICAL QUESTION 4.
The table below illustrates test carried out on glucose and a suspension of a
substance X.The substance X was confirmed.complete the table and answer the
questions that follow.
a Test observation inference

(i) 2 cm3 of glucose solution in test tube

+
2 cm of Benedict’s solution
3

………………………………………… …………………………………………

(ii) Mixture in (i) heated

…………………………………………. ………………………………………….

2 cm3 of suspension of X test tube

+
1 cm of dil.NaOH
3

+
1% solution of CuSO4 ……………………………………..... ………………………………………...
b.State two precautions to be taken in carrying out test (a) (iii)
…………………………………………………… ……………………………………………
c.Name any other reagent that could have been used in test (a)(i) to obtain the
same result………………………………………………

d.Describe briefly the process that X goes through in the stomach of humans.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

e.Name one disease caused by the deficiency of X.

………………………………………………………………………….
Topics covered in this semester.
• Ecology
• Skeletal system
• Food and nutrition.

TIPS FOR THE END OF SEMESTER EXAMS

• Paper 1 (5O objectives 13 Bio,13 Agric,12 Physics ,12 chemistry) =1HOUR ONLY

• Paper 2( Essay 6 questions answer 4 which are a blend of Bio,Agric,Physics and Chem.)=
1HR:30MINS=80marks

• Paper 3=TEST OF PRACTICAL =2HRS AND WRITTEN SEPARATELY=60 marks

‘’before anything else preparation is the key to success.”

Alexander Graham Bell

I WISH ALL OF YOU THE VERY BEST OF LUCK IN YOUR SEMESTER EXAMS.