Food for Life PDF
Preview Food for Life
FOOD FOR LIFE. FOOD FOR LIFE. f E. DEATHERAGE Department of Biochemistry Ohio State University PLENUM PRESS, NEW YORK AND LONDON Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Deatherage, Fred E 1913- Food for life. Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Food. 2. Food supply. I. Title. TX353.D38 1975 641.3 75-15502 ISBN-13: 978-1-4684-0750-1 e-ISBN-13: 978-1-4684-0748-8 DOl: 10.1007/978-1-4684-0748-8 © 1975 Plenum Press, New York Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1975 A Division of Plenum Publishing Corporation 227 West 17th Street, New York, N.Y. 10011 United Kingdom edition published by Plenum Press, London A Division of Plenum Publishing Company, Ltd. Davis House (4th Floor), 8 Scrubs Lane, Harlesden, London, NWIO 6SE, England All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfllming, recording, or otherwise without written permission'from the Publisher To my wife NELLIE LOU PREFACE This book is addressed to the university student who is not a science major and to the general reader. An attempt is made to present an integrated view of some of the basic concepts of physical, biological, and social sciences relevant to the problem of providing people with food. The application of these disciplines has led to our present technologies of medicine, agriculture, and food science on which modern civilization rests. Technical information concerning foods has increased enormously in the less than a century that the basic concepts of the science of nutrition have been recognized. Scientific agriculture to provide food for an ever-growing population is scarcely a century and a half old. Feeding oneself is a very personal matter, and at the same time feeding large groups is the concern of society as a whole. Therefore, it is understandable that, in one way or another, the problems offood produc tion and distribution underlie the actions of politicians, bureaucrats, the leaders of government, and business managers. These situations of our modern life make rational and sound solutions to food problems difficult and often contribute to alarmism founded on partial scientific "truth" taken out of context. The trend toward more "consumerism" is unmistakable. But to serve the individual best, such movements must be based on sound judgments and reasoned scientific principles rather than on the often emotional compromises of opportunistic politicians, lawyers, and businessmen. That man requires wholesome, nutritious food is indisputable. A popular tactic of the scare monger is to recite the chemicals used in the growth, processing, and distribu tion of food. But all foods are chemical, as are all material things-living and dead. The" good" and" bad" dichotomy applies to chemicals as well as to anything else-there are required chemicals and there are dangerous chemicals. There can also be too much of any good and necessary thing in life or not enough. Similarly, some "bad" things may be good or even necessary at times and insignificant at other times. Under such circumstances, I can only vii viii PREFACE attempt in this book to relate some of the key concepts that are important in providing people with food. I hope th:~t the reader will in some measure become more confident in his own ability to properly evaluate the constant barrage of piecemeal information that has been the result of the communica tions explosion. Many college students are required to enroll in science courses even though they are not interested in scientific careers. These beginning courses are discipline oriented and are often taught as though every student were going to be a professional in the discipline. Many students are repelled by the depth of detail necessary in such courses, with the result that for these students the relevance of science to our culture is lost. Some even become antiscience in their attitudes to problem solving. Since everyone must eat and everyone has personal knowledge of food, we have developed a science course con ceptually centered around the fundamental problem of survival-feeding ourselves. The ability of individuals and nations to feed themselves adequately rests on the interacting principles of the biological, physical, and social sciences. No single discipline can show the way to feed the ever-increasing population of the world. As the course has developed, we have limited ourselves to the concepts that can be found in beginning college texts of the various disciplines and have related them to food problems. Although the course was originally intended for the general or non science students, surprisingly a significant number of science majors have enrolled, indicating that they wish to under stand better how their specialties fit into the total food picture. Our experience in this teaching venture has indicated that students need a text and a ready reference book, and so this book was written. Some of my colleagues would have suggested that this book be useful as an introductory text for students in food science and technology. In addition to the university student, this book is intended for the general reader who is interested in food problems at what ever level-personal, national, or global. More detailed treatments of the ideas expressed here may be found in textbooks and scientific journals, which will not be referred to in detail. Quite naturally, the text reflects the experiences of the author. At times, my scientific colleagues may condemn my oversimplification. Nonscientific readers may equally cringe at my simplistic view of other areas. I accept this as the harvest one reaps in attempting a conceptualization of such a basic and complex subject as food. But I do not write to make my readers agree with me but rather to inspire critical inquisitiveness from those who care to reflect on the nature of the food problems confronting both the people of highly developed countries and those of the less developed areas. I want to thank many students, friends, and colleagues who have con tributed in diverse ways to this work. Many authors and publishers have PREFACE ix kindly granted permission to use some of their materials, and they are gratefully acknowledged as noted. I am particularly grateful to those who have critically read parts of the manuscript and made many pertinent sug gestions for improvement. Among these are George Banwart, Jack Cline, Robert Feeney, Masao Fujmaki, Wilbur Gould, Euripedes Malavolta, Harold Olcott, Ivan Rutledge, Bernard S. Schweigert, John Sitterley, Junius Snell, John R. Whitaker, Eugen Wierbicki and Eva Wilson. I hope that readers of these pages will share their comments, criticisms, and suggestions with me, for it is only in this way that improvements can be made. F. E. Deatherage Columbus, Ohio CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 3 2 SOME CHARACTERISTICS OF BIOLOGICAL ORGANISMS 5 Dynamic Nature of Organisms 5 3 CELLS, THE FUNDAMENTAL BIOLOGICAL UNITS /I Organelles of Plant Cells 23 . Organelles of Animal Cells 28 • Conclusions 29 4 ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS FOR LIFE 31 Water 33 . Temperature 34 • Hydrogen Ion Concentration, Acidity, pH 40 . Osmotic Pressure, Water Activity 52 . Nutrients 59 Summary 63 5 NUTRITION 67 Our Nutrients 73 • Energy 77 • Proteins 82 . Fats 94 . Salt and Other Minerals 96 . The Vitamins 99 . Benefits to Man from the Science of Nutrition 106 6 WHAT IS OUR FOOD MADE OF? III The Carbohydrates 118 . Lipids 127 • Proteins 141 . Nucleic Acids 148 • Other Substances 156 • Conclusion 161 7 THE SEPARATION AND UTILIZATION OF NUTRIENTS FROM THE MULTIPLICITY OF SUBSTANCES NATURALLY PRESENT IN FOODS 163 Principles 164 . Digestions and Absorption 167 xi xii CONTENTS Separation of Nutrients from Unneeded Substances in Digested Food 174 • Maintenance of the Cellular Environment in the Body 182 • Conclusion 185 8 THE BIOLOGY OF SOME FOOD ORGANISMS 187 Characteristics of Ecosystems 189 . Some Properties of Ecosystems Directly Relating to Food Organisms 194 • Plants 211 • Animals 228 9 FOOD SPOILAGE AND THE REQUIREMENTS FOR PRESERVATION AND DISTRIBUTION 245 Preservation of Food from Attack by Biological Organisms 250 Principles of Food Preservation and Processing to Control Microorganisms 257 • Chemical Deterioration of Foods and Its Control 272 • Conclusion 281 10 E.CONOMIC AND SOCIAL CONDITIONS CONTROLLING THE SUPPLY AND UTILIZATION OF FOOD 283 Factors Contributing to the Cost of Food to the Consumer 284 • Food Costs, Economic Development, and Social Change 288 Some Characteristics of Economically Developed and Underdeveloped Countries in Relation to Food Supplies 295 Relief of Hunger and Malnutrition 302 . The Relation of Cultural Attitudes and Economic Resources to Food Habits 308 • Conclusion 315 II GOVERNMENT REGULATION OF FOOD 317 Consumer Protection 318 • National Regulatory Agencies 336 • Role of Governments in the Control of International Commerce 347 12 WORLD POPULATION GROWTH AND FUTURE FOOD SUPPLIES 351 Population 351 • Increased Production of Traditional Food Organisms 356 • Potential But Unused Food Organisms 361 Population Growth and Changing National and Regional Food Supplies 369 APPENDIX 375 Composition of Foods 375 INDEX 395 FOOD FOR LIFE.
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