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Food + Science
Natures Medicines
Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO)
Molecular Gastronomy
The Science Behind Cooking
Jude E. Mathews, Ph.D.
Nutraceutical, Phytochemical,
Antioxidant
The word Nutraceutical refers to foods or parts of
foods, (nutrient) that provide medical or health
benefits, including the prevention and/or treatment of
disease.
Phytochemical is a term that means plant chemical.
The word comes from the Greek root “phyto” meaning
plant. Phytochemical refers to a chemical substance
obtained from plants that is biologically active but not
nutritive.
An Antioxidant is a molecule capable of slowing or
preventing the oxidation of other molecules.
A Dietary Antioxidant is a substance in foods that
significantly decreases the adverse effects of reactive
species, such as reactive oxygen and nitrogen
species, on normal physiological function in humans.
The Healing Power Of Food
(Antioxidants)
• Back in 400 B.C., the Greek physician Hippocrates said, "Let food be
your medicine and medicine be your food." Today, good nutrition is
more important than ever. At least four of the 10 leading causes of
death in the U.S. (heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes) are
directly related to way we eat.
• Recent research has shown a significant relationship between
antioxidants and disease (mainly cancer) prevention.
The Power of Antioxidants
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Antioxidants are substances that may protect cells from the damage
caused by unstable molecules known as free radicals. Free radical
damage may lead to cancer.
In humans, the most common form of free radicals is oxygen. When an
oxygen molecule (O2) becomes electronically charged or “radicalized” it
tries to steal electrons from other molecules, causing damage to the DNA
and other molecules. Over time, such damage may become irreversible
and lead to disease including cancer.
Antioxidants interact with and stabilize free radical molecules and may
prevent some of the damage free radicals otherwise might cause.
Examples of antioxidants include beta-carotene, lycopene, vitamins C, E,
and A, and other substances.
Considerable laboratory evidence from chemical, cell culture, and animal
studies indicates that antioxidants may slow or possibly prevent the
development of cancer.
COmmon Reactive Species
hydroxyl radicals ( .OH)
superoxide anions (O2-)
singlet oxygen (1O2)
hydrogen peroxides (H2O2)
organic peroxides (R-OOH)
nitric oxide
peroxynitrite
Lycopene
Lycopene is a carotenoid present in
human serum and skin as well as the
liver, adrenal glands, lungs, prostate and
colon. Lycopene has been found to
possess antioxidant and antiproliferative
properties in animal and laboratory
studies, although activity in humans
remains controversial.
Lycopene has shown excellent results in
vitro but results in vivo are still being
studied.
Lycopene
There is a shortage of supportive evidence for the “antioxidant
hypothesis” as lycopene’s major in vivo mechanism of action.
It is belived that the metabolic products of lycopene, the lycopenoids,
may be responsible for some of lycopene’s reported bioactivity.
It is hypothesized that lycopenoid compounds are produced by an initial
cleavage by carotenoid monooxygenase (CMO) II in a manner similar to
how retinoids (retinal, retinol, and retinoic acid) are produced from the
initial cleavage of β-carotene by CMO I.
Blueberries
This recent study was designed to investigate the
chemopreventive activity of blueberry extract in
triple-negative breast cancer. Blueberry extract
was found to reduce cell proliferation in HCC38,
HCC1937, and MDA-MB-231 cancer cells with no
effect on noncancerous MCF-10A breast cells.
Ref: Cancer Research, April 2010
Acai
Acai is a Brazilian palm berry and has been reported as the new
superfood?
Food scientists report in a 2008 study that the berry has proven its
ability to be absorbed in the human body when consumed as a juice or
pulp.
The body can only absorb so much at a time, similiar to vitamin C.
In in vitro studies, scientists have shown that acai extracts can trigger
cancer cell death and lower inflamation.
ACAI: The Antioxident Leader
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Fruit
Total ORAC
Freeze Dried Acai Fruit
1027*
Cranberry
94
•
Blueberry (low bush)
92
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Plums (black)
73
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Plums
62
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Blueberry (cultivated)
62
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Blackberry
53
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Raspberry
48
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Apple, Red Delicious (with peel)
43
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Strawberry
36
*ORAC results are expressed in mMole Trolox equivalent (TE) per Liter
(ORAC) is a method of measuring antioxidant capacities in biological samples in vitro.
Broccoli
Current chemotherapies do not work against cancer stem cells, which is
why cancer recurs and spreads. Researchers believe that eliminating the
cancer stem cells is key to controlling cancer.
The NIH-funded study tested sulforaphane, a natural compound from
broccoli and broccoli sprouts, in both mice and cell cultures. Researchers
found sulforaphane targeted and killed the cancer stem cells and
prevented new tumors from growing.
This research suggests a potential new treatment that could be combined
with other compounds to target breast cancer stem cells.
Clinical Cancer Research, Vol. 16, No. 9; May 1, 2010
Definition of GMO
GMOs - Genetically modified organisms
GMO - an organism that expresses traits that result
from the introduction of foreign DNA
Major Players in GMO Field
 Monsanto
 BASF
 Calgene
 AstraZeneca
 Adventis
Example of GMO’s
 Golden rice – rice that contains beta-carotene (Vitamin
A), which is not found in regular rice.
 Bt corn – corn that contains a chemical normally found
in a bacterium (Bacillus thuringiensis) that is toxic to
insects but not to humans.
Herbicide resistant plants.
Example of GMO

Flavor Savor Tomato (Calgene)
•
Keeps fresh longer than traditional tomatoes, first
sold in US market in 1994. Taken off market two
years later because of poor quality.
FlavrSavr TM
Six Primary Areas of GMO
Insect Resistant
Herbicide Resistant
Viruses Resistance
Delayed Fruit Ripening
Altered Oil Content
Pollen Control
What Are Genetically Modified Foods?
• Involves the insertion of DNA from one organism into
another OR modification of an organism’s DNA in order
to achieve a desired trait.
Arctic fish DNA
& Strawberry =
A strawberry resistant to frost
Modifying Genes
 Also called recombinant DNA technology,
molecular cloning, and genetic engineering.
 Restriction enzymes
are used to “cut” DNA
segments from one genome.
 DNA ligases
are used to “paste” them into
another genome.
Foreign
DNA
How are genes transferred?
A particle gun is used to shoot small bits of
metal coated with the gene into the plant.
Gold is metal of choice.
•
Benefits of GM
Foods
 Easing World Hunger
 Reduced Use of Pesticides
and
Herbicides
 Improved Crop Quality
 Improved Nutritional Quality
 Reduce Strain on Nonrenewable
Resources
Possible Risks of GM Foods
 Insects May Develop Resistance to
Pesticide Producing Crops
 Herbicide Tolerant Crops may
Cross-Pollinate Weeds, Resulting
in Super Weeds
 Certain Gene Products May be
Allergens and Could Cause Harm
to Humans
Example of GMO Product
on the Market Today
RoundUp Ready Corn
Before
After
Future of GMO’s Edible Vaccines
•Works like any vaccine
• A transgenic plant with a pathogen protein gene is developed
• Potato, banana, and tomato are targets
• Humans eat the plant
• The body produces antibodies against pathogen protein
• Humans are “immunized” against the pathogen
• Examples:
Diarrhea
Hepatitis B
Measles
Creating a Balance
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So are GM foods a
good or bad thing?
It depends on each
individual case.
Consumers,
the
government
and
scientists should be
responsible
for
weighing the benefits
against the costs.
Leaders in Molecular Gastronomy
Ferrán Adriá of El Bulli,
Roses, Spain
Heston Blumenthal, The Fat Duck, Bray UK
Chef Grant Achatz of Alinea, Chicago, IL
Adrià, who has been called “the Salvador Dali of the kitchen,” has won
global acclaim as one of the most creative and inventive culinary geniuses
in the world.
Chef Wylie Dufresne, WD~50 NY, NY
Caviar?
Grapefruit Caviar
Apple Caviar
Caviar - Procedure
 Juice mixed with Sodium Alginate
 Disolve Calcium Chloride in distilled water
 Place small drops of juice solution into CaCl
solution, wait one minute then remove and rinse
NaCl vs CaCl
EMULSIONS
Mayonnaise is an emulsion, which is a mixture of two liquids that
normally can't be combined.
Mayonnaise is made by combining lemon juice or vinegar with
egg yolks. Eggs (containing the emulsifier lecithin) bind the
ingredients together and prevent separation.
The two liquids would quickly separate again if an emulsifier were
not added. Eggs and gelatin are among the foods that contain
emulsifiers.
Mayonnaise without
an emulsifier
Lecithin and How it Works
Lecithin's binding power (along with that of other emulsifiers) comes from
its molecular structure, one part is hydrophobic, making it soluble in oils
or fats, while another part is hydrophilic, soluble in water. In essence,
lecithin reduces the surface tension of oil and water molecules, which
allows them to mix together more easily.
EMULSIONS
Chemically, emulsions are colloids, heterogeneous mixtures composed of
tiny particles suspended in another immiscible (unmixable) material.
Emulsions are used in many different ways:
•by pharmacists, as a vehicle for medication
•in photography, to coat plates, film and paper
•in explosives, paints, coatings, make-up and detergents
•in food, including baked goods and confectionery products
What does adding water to scrambled eggs
do?
What is the Role of Salt in
Taste?
Salt is used in every cuisine around the world
It is widely believed that salt intensifies the desirable flavors in food
Taste test using Urea and sucrose sloutions, tasting with and without
salt