Acidulants

  • Acids and alkalis in foods
    The reactions between acids and alkalis are important in the production of food. Sherbert contains citric acid and sodiumSodium is […]
  • Baking scones
    Foods containing flour must be baked before they can be eaten, to enable the starchStarch or amylum is a carbohydrate […]
  • Boiling dumplings
    Students carry out practical activities to investigate raising agents, and how they are affected by different pHA measure of acidity […]
  • Citric acid
    Foods like oranges, lemons, yogurt and apples have a sharp taste because they contain naturally occurring acids. Citrus fruits contain […]
  • Reactions between acids and alkalis
    Citric acid and sodiumSodium is a chemical element and is the sixth most abundant … bicarbonate are dissolved in water […]

Anti-caking agents

Antioxidants

  • Fats
    Many foods contain fatsCompounds which contain the elements carbon, hydrogen and ox… and unsaturated fatsWhen there is one carbon-carbon double […]
  • Oxygen: friend or foe?
    Oxygen is essential for life but oxidationA chemical reaction that involves the loss of electrons, the… More reactions are not […]

Colours

  • Chromatography
    Students produce a chromatogram using the colour extracted from jelly babies in the practical experiment C2. This shows that food […]
  • How do you colour a jelly baby?
    The manufacturers of jelly babies add colours to the sweets. In this investigation, students remove the colours from different jelly […]
  • Looks good enough to eat
    Food colourings are often added to make food look attractive and enhance its appeal. Students look at a range of […]

Emulsifiers

  • Making salad dressing
    Emulsifiers and stabilisersFood additives which help to retain the physical and textura… help to keep foods that contain oil and […]
  • The function of emulsifiers and stabilisers
    StabilisersFood additives which help to retain the physical and textura… and emulsifiers are used in foods such as salad dressings, […]

Flavour

  • What’s in a flavour?
    Students make vanilla-flavoured drinks and set up a tasting panel to judge which drink is the best in terms of […]

Gelling agents

  • An introduction to pectin
    In this paper-based activity, students are introduced to the polysaccharides known as pectins, their extraction from fruits and purification for […]
  • Jamming session
    Making jam is a traditional method of preserving fruit.  Students investigate the best conditions to form a gelGels are systems […]

Introduction to food additives

  • Finding the additives
    Students are given the ingredients list from a vinaigrette salad dressing, and have to identify the different additives it contains.
  • Food ingredients card games
    A fun selection of card games to test students’ knowledge of different foods and their ingredients
  • Food safety
    In this text-based activity, students look at the preparation of a buffet lunch for a school fete. They are asked […]
  • Guess the food from the labels
    Students are given copies of ingredients labels from several common foods, including baked beans, cornflakes, ice cream and naan bread. […]
  • Reading the label
    By law, food manufacturers must list, on the packet, the ingredients in their products. Ingredients are usually listed in descending […]
  • What can be added to the food you buy?
    Students will learn about the main classes of food additives, and their purpose
  • Would you eat these for breakfast?
    The purpose of this activity is to illustrate that all foods are chemicals.Students are given lists of ingredients from five […]

Preservatives

  • Conditions necessary for the growth of microbes
    Food spoilageThe rotting of food as a result of the action of bacteria. is often caused by microbial growth. During […]
  • Food preservation
    Students investigate the effects of a range of preservativesSubstances capable of slowing down or preventing the reactio… on the storage […]
  • Methods of preservation
    This paper-based revision activity asks students to summarise all the different methods of food preservation and how they work.

Sweeteners

  • Controlling the level of glucose in the blood
    In the text-based activity, students look at the levels of glucoseA simple sugar. This monosaccharide is the most common subst… […]
  • Diabetes mellitus
    This is a text-based activity introducing students to diabetesA disorder of carbohydrate metabolism caused by a deficiency… mellitus.
  • Diabetes mellitus: a case history
    This text-based activity describes a person who is experiencing some unusual, early symptoms of diabetesA disorder of carbohydrate metabolism caused […]
  • Diagnosis of diabetes mellitus
    GlucoseA simple sugar. This monosaccharide is the most common subst… in the urine is an indication of diabetesA disorder of […]
  • Foods for diabetics
    In this lesson, students are given basic information on the dietary requirements of a person with diabetesA disorder of carbohydrate […]
  • Sweeter than sugar
    In this lesson, students look at artificial sweeteners in carbonated drinks. This is done by comparing the density of normal […]

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