Eduqas GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition key terms

Meeting present food needs without damaging the ability of future generations to meet their needs.

The release of water from a set mixture when its protein network contracts, often because of excessive heating.

Packaging with a feature, such as a seal or plastic wrap, that shows whether it has already been opened or interfered with.

Resetting scales to zero with a container in place, so that the reading shows only the mass of the ingredient added.

A cluster of sensory taste cells found mainly on the tongue, whose receptors respond to chemicals from food and drink.

A structure on a taste cell that detects chemicals dissolved in saliva, stimulating signals that allow the brain to recognise taste.

A group of people who assess food samples using agreed instructions and a recording method.

A thermometer with a probe inserted into food to measure its internal temperature.

Making food, particularly meat, softer and easier to chew.

Using dry heat to brown and crisp food, such as bread, nuts or seeds.

A poisonous substance produced by an organism; some bacteria produce toxins that cause food poisoning.

A mineral needed by the body in particularly small quantities. Iodine and fluoride are examples.

A condition in which blood glucose remains too high because the body responds inadequately to insulin or produces insufficient insulin.

A savoury or meaty basic taste found in foods such as cheese, tomatoes and soy sauce.

Fat whose fatty acids contain one or more carbon–carbon double bonds. Sources include olive and rapeseed oils, nuts, seeds and oily fish.

A date indicating the last day a food can safely be eaten when its storage instructions have been followed.

Removing air from a food pack and sealing it to reduce oxygen exposure and inhibit oxygen-dependent microbial growth.

A person who avoids all foods of animal origin, including meat, fish, dairy products, eggs and honey.

A person who does not eat meat, poultry, game, fish or shellfish, or slaughter by-products such as animal gelatine.

A sauce made by thickening stock rather than milk using a roux.

A liquid’s resistance to flowing. A sauce with higher viscosity is thicker and flows less readily.

A nutrient needed in small quantities to support normal body processes. Vitamins are classified as fat-soluble or water-soluble.

The space occupied by an ingredient, usually measured in millilitres (ml) or litres (l) when measuring liquids.

A vitamin that dissolves in water, such as vitamin C or the B vitamins. Some can pass from food into its cooking water.

The liquid separated from curds during cheese-making.

A cereal grain or product containing all parts of the grain. Wholegrain choices generally provide more fibre than refined versions.

A food’s useful behaviour during preparation and cooking, such as starch thickening a liquid or egg protein setting when heated.

A living microorganism used in bread-making that ferments sugars, producing carbon dioxide and alcohol.