HLTH 340 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Fabaceae, Breadfruit, Sauerkraut
5 Mar 2018
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Document Summary
Describe some of the technological methods used by humans to detoxify foods, minimizing potential damage from dangerous plant chemicals. Explain the importance of fire in food processing. Breaking up particles increases surface area & exposure to digestive enzymes. Possible removal or destruction of nutrients along with toxins. Fail to improve the metabolic balance (energy received from food versus energy required to process food) Heat provides energy to drive chemical reactions. Can convert toxic compounds into nontoxic forms. Can denature enzymes necessary to free compounds like glucosinolates or cyanogenic glycosides. Boiling and baking are most common worldwide. Roasting was 1st technique boiling required water-tight containers. The archaeological evidence is sketchy as to exact period of controlled fire use for cooking. Some argue for 40k bp, others 50m bp. The human fossil record gives us clues as it indicates the periods in which our biology changed with dietary shifts. Basic use as toxin remover involves leaching toxins from food.
