Posts

Showing posts from March, 2015

Food Chemistry: The browning reaction or reactions of amino acids during cooking

Image
Food Chemistry: The browning reaction or reactions of amino acids at higher temperatures during cooking Home > Biological Chemistry > Food Chemistry > Food Chemistry: The browning reaction or reactions of amino acids during cooking Food Chemistry: Chemical reactions in cooking It is well known from experience that food flavor develops during the heating process (cooking) of foods. For example the caramelization reactions are responsible for the flavors of: chocolate and coffee, freshly baked bread, cakes, cooked meats and others. Reactions at elevated temperatures are important during the preparation of food . Roasting , frying , boiling and baking develop the typical aromas of many foods in which amino acids participate as precursors . Studies with food and model systems have shown that the characteristic odorants are formed via the Maillard reaction and that they are subsequent products, in pa

Strong Acids & Bases: pH Calculations involving mixtures of strong acids and bases

Image
pH Calculations involving mixtures of strong acids and bases Home > Ionic Equilibrium - Strong Acids and Bases – A general relation for the pH of a strong acid. > Strong acid and bases - Weak acid and bases - Dissociation constants and pK's > pH of a strong acid – Examples > Strong Acids & Bases: pH Calculations involving mixtures of strong acids and bases   Strong Acids & Bases: Calculations involving mixtures of strong acids and bases Solutions containing two or more strong acids or two or more strong bases or a strong acid and a strong base are encountered very frequently in many practical applications of chemistry or in the chemical laboratory. In most cases like these chemistry intuition is needed to calculate the pH or pOH values of the solutions. In previous posts entitled " Strong acid and bases - Weak acid and bases - Dissociat

Hyaluronic Acid (Hyaluronan) chemistry, properties, functions and benefits

Image
Hyaluronan (Hyaluronic Acid) chemistry and its applications Hyaluronic acid , also known as hyaluronan , is a hydrated gel and comprises repeating units of glucuronic acid (GlcUA) and N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) (Fig. I.1).  Production and recovery of hyaluronic acid has gained great importance due to its numerous clinical applications. Hyaluronic acid is present in all vertebrates. High concentrations are found in the synovial fluid between joints, umbilical cord, skin, and the vitreous body of the eye. It is estimated that in the body of a person of 70 kg, about 15 g hyaluronan is found in different tissues, of which one third is turned over every day. The human skin contains almost half of the hyaluronan in the body.   Fig. I.1: Repeating unit of hyaluronan Although hyaluronic acid has a very simple structure, almost everything else concerning the molecule is unusual. Sometimes its role is mechanical and structural (as in the umbilical cord, synovial fluid and the vitreou