Dr.

Raza Hussain

Associate Professor/HOD
Department of Food Science and Technology

1
 FOOD CONSTITUENTS

Vitamins exist in foods as organic substances

These participate in chemical and biochemical reactions.
These are essential in minute quantities in the human body
for normal growth and maintenance.
Vitamins are generally classified into two groups
 based on their solubility in fat or water, the fat-soluble
vitamins and the water-soluble vitamins

2
 1. FAT SOLUBLE VITAMINS

The fat-soluble vitamins are soluble in fats. Included in this

category are vitamins A, D, E and K.

These vitamins are stored in the body fat and can be drawn

whenever needed.

3
 1.1. Vitamin A (Retinol)
Vitamin A is a pale-yellow solid
 abundantly found in foods of animal origin like halibut liver oil,
cod liver oil, beef liver, butter, cheese and eggs
. In plant foods such as carrots, spinach, tomatoes cabbage
and peas, substances known as carotenoids are found
When food containing it is consumed, it is converted into
retinal in the body and serves the same functions as vitamin A.
Some other carotinoids like lycopene have no vitamins A
activity but contribute red colour to such food items as tomatoes
and watermelons.

4
 Vitamin A continued....
 Vitamin A is an essential for growth and metabolism of all
body cells.
 It aids the eyes to adjust to vision in dim light.
 It also helps to keep the skin smooth and provides
resistance against infection to the linings of the mouth, nose,
throat and digestive tract.
 Deficiency of vitamin A in children causes retarded growth,
while in general it is associated with night blindness.

5
 Vitamin A continued....
 Vitamin A (Retinol) and carotene are quite stable and are
unaffected by normal cooking.
However, during frying and dehydration some of it may be lost.
 Oxidation of retinol during storage will result in loss of this
vitamin.
This can, however, be minimized by the use of antioxidants or

by refrigeration.

6
 1.2.Vitamin D
The natural form of vitamin D, cholecalciferol or vitamin D-3,
is a white crystalline compound.
 It closely resembles cholesterol. It is soluble in lipids and
found in foods of animal origin such as fish liver oil, eggs,
butter, liver and cheese.
 It is also produced in the human body by the action of
ultraviolet rays of the sun. Vitamin D helps the body in its
utilization of calcium and phosphorus. Hypovitaminosis (deficiency
of Vit D)
 It is of critical importance for growing children and pregnant
and lactating mothers.
Deficiency causes softening of bones, a condition known as
rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults.

7
 Vitamin D continued....

Vitamin D is quite stable to processing.

Therefore, cooking or other processing techniques
do not appreciably affect this vitamin in foods.

8
 1.3. Vitamin E
 Vitamin E (alpha tocopherols) is present in many foods as
tocopherols.
 The alpha tocopherols act as antioxidants and as such
protect fats and oils from becoming oxidized.
 Vitamin E is found in foods such as oil seeds, vegetable
oils, wheat (in the germ), eggs and milk.
 This vitamin is essential to properly regulate reproductive
function in both men and women.
 It is needed for the maintenance of a healthy immune
system.

9
 Vitamin E continued....
As an antioxidant it protects hormones from
oxidation.
 It also prevents degeneration of tissues.
 Vitamin E activity is lost during processing of
vegetable oils to products such as margarine
and shortening.
 It is also extensively decreased if
autooxidation of lipids in foods is severe.

10
 1.4. Vitamin K
Vitamin K has three forms, K-1, K-2 and K-3
 Vitamin K-1 is yellow, viscous oil, while K-3
(menadione, a synthetic product) crystallizes as
yellow needles from alcohol and petroleum ether.
 This vitamin is widely distributed.
Some good sources are green vegetables such as
cabbage, kale, cauliflower and spinach.
 It is also found in olive and soybean oils, beef liver
and green peas.

11
 Vitamin K continued....
Some bacteria present in the intestines also synthesise this
vitamin.
 Vitamin K is anti-hemorrhagic and is associated with
normal clotting of blood.
 Its deficiency will cause liver damage and a haemorrhagic
condition in which the blood does not clot readily after an
injury or operation.
This vitamin is photo-reactive and little is known of its
chemical behaviour in foods.

12
 2. WATER SOLUBLE VITAMINS
 Chemically all water-soluble vitamins differ from one another.
Vitamins included in this category are those of the B group and
vitamin C.
 The vitamins of the B group are thiamine, riboflavin, nicotinic
acid, pyridoxine, folic acid, biotin, cyanocobalamin, choline,
para-aminobenzoic acid and inositol.
These are required in minute quantities and are not stored in
the body—hence are always needed.

13
 2.1.Thiamine (B-1)
Vitamin B-1 or thiamine is a white solid, soluble in
water, and made up of a thiazole and a pyrimidine
moiety.
 It is found in all cereals grains (bran and germ contain
the major part), meat (especially heart, kidney and
liver), potatoes, peas, dry beans, pulses, nuts and milk.
 It occurs in yeasts and other plant and animal tissues
 in the form of thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP), also
known as cocarboxylase, and as the diphosphate ester
of thiamine.

14
 Thiamine continued....
Thiamine participates as a coenzyme in the oxidation of glucose.
 It helps body cells to obtain energy from food, keeps the nerves
in a healthy condition and promotes good appetite and digestion
 A deficiency causes beri beri, characterized by muscular
weakness, palpitation of heart and degeneration of nerves owing
to accumulation of pyruvic acid in the blood.
 Inflammation of multiple nerves (polyneuritis), heart disease
(cardiopathy), and edema (swelling) due to a deficiency of
thiamine (vitamin B1) in the diet.
 This disease is prevalent in areas where polished rice is
consumed as a staple food.

15
 Thiamine continued....
 Since thiamine is water-soluble it can be lost in cooking
water.
 It is also sensitive to high temperature and is partially
destroyed during boiling, cooking, canning, roasting, baking,
etc.

 sodium bicarbonate are especially detrimental to this

vitamin during food preparation.

16
 2.2. Riboflavin (Vit B-2)
 Riboflavin or vitamin B-2 is a yellow crystalline water-soluble
compound.
 Milk, liver, kidney, heart, lean meat, eggs, cheese and dark
leafy vegetables are good sources.
Riboflavin occurs naturally as a free compound as well as in
the form of a coenzyme, flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD).
 Similar to thiamine, riboflavin is involved in the release of
energy in the cell.
It also keeps the eyes healthy and the skin around mouth and
nose smooth.
The deficiency of riboflavin causes glossitis in man—a
condition in which the tongue and lips are swollen and
scaliness at the corners of the mouth occurs.
17
 Riboflavin continued....

1. Riboflavin is slightly soluble in water and fairly

stable to heat.
2. As such the losses during processing are less
than thiamine.
3. It is lost during trimming, milling and leaching
operations
4. It is more stable under acid than alkaline
conditions,
5. but is particularly sensitive to light and is readily
lost if the food is exposed to sunlight.

18
 2.3. Nicotinic Acid (B3)
 Nicotinic acid or niacin is a white crystalline, water-soluble
solid.
 It exists in food either as nicotinic acid, as nicotinamide, or

as one of the nicotinamide coenzymes (NAD, NADP).

 In the body, nicotinic acid is converted to nicotinamide,
which can also be formed from the amino acid, tryptophan.
 This vitamin is widely distributed in plant and animal foods.
 Especially rich are liver, lean meat, poultry, fish, leafy
vegetables, groundnuts, beans, pulses, whole cereal grains
and enriched breads.

19
 2.3. Nicotinic Acid
Nicotinic acid is involved in the oxidation of
glucose in the body
and helps the body cells to use oxygen to produce
energy (cellular oxidation).
It is involved in the maintenance of the health of
skin, tongue, digestive tract and nervous system.
 Its deficiency causes pellagra.
The symptoms of this disease include diarrhoea,
dermatitis (scaling and discolouration of the parts of
skin exposed to sun) and dementia (mental
disorders).
20
 Nicotinic Acid continued....
Niacin is relatively resistant to heat, acid, or alkali.
Its losses from foods occur through trimming,
leaching, etc.
and almost parallel to those of other water-soluble
vitamins.
Small amounts are lost during cooking by leaching
into cooking water and by the loss of juice from
cooking meats.

21
 2.4 Vitamin B-6
Pyridoxine, pyridoxal and pyridoxamine are related
compounds, commonly referred to as vitamin B-6.
 Pyridoxine is crystalline in nature, very soluble in water
and soluble in alcohol.
 This vitamin is found in many foodstuffs: rice bran, yeast,
seeds, cereals, egg yolk, meat, liver and kidney are good
sources.
In the body it functions as a part of an enzyme system in
the form of pyridoxal phosphate involved in transamination,
a vital step in amino acid metabolism.

22
 2.4. Vitamin B-6 continued....
Vitamin B-6 is lost in sterilized milk possibly due
to its reaction with cysteine resulting in the
formation of a biologically inactive substance.
 It is also sensitive to light, especially in the
presence of oxygen.

23
 2.5. Folic Acid

Folic acid is slightly soluble in water and soluble

in hot water.
 It crystallizes from water as yellow-orange
needles.
This vitamin is found in liver, green vegetables,
yeast and kidney.

24
 2.5. Folic Acid

Folic acid is concerned with the synthesis of nucleic

acid and formation of red blood cells in the body.
 Its deficiency results in megaloblastic anaemia—a
condition characterized by decreased synthesis of red
blood cells.
 Persons suffering from anaemia are usually unable
to engage in strenuous and sustained exercise.
 Folic acid is lost in stored milk by oxidation.

25
 2.6. Biotin
Biotin or vitamin H is water-soluble and
crystallizes in needles from water.
 It is found in a wide variety of foods particularly in
egg yolk and liver.
It is also synthesized by bacteria present in the
intestinal tract, hence is not a mandatory dietary
requirement.
 Biotin participates as a coenzyme for
carboxylation and transcarboxylation reactions.

26
 2.7. Biotin continued....
 Biotin is able to combine with avidin, a protein
present in raw egg white, which makes this vitamin
unavailable to the human body.
Cooking of egg white prevents this reaction. This
vitamin is stable to heat and light.
 It is unstable in strong acid or alkali, with
optimum stability in pH range 5-8.

27
 2.8 Cyanocobalamin B-12
Cyanocobalamin or vitamin B-12 is red in colour and
water-soluble.
 It is found only in foods of animal origin (animal
tissues) and fermented vegetable products (pickles).
It is involved in some enzyme systems in the body
and is necessary for growth and formation of red
blood cells.
 Deficiency results in pernicious anaemia. The only
people known to have a dietary deficiency of this
vitamin are the strict vegetarians.

28
 Cyanocobalamin continued....
Cyanocobalamine is quite stable in the pH range
of 4 – 6
 and only small losses occur in this range even
after heat processing of foods.
 At higher pH or in the presence of reducing
agents, such as ascorbic acid or sulphite, losses
may be severe.

29
 2.9. Ascorbic Acid

Ascorbic acid or vitamin C is a white crystalline

substance,
which is highly soluble in water and found almost
entirely in foods of plant origin,
 especially fruits and vegetables.
Good sources are citrus fruits (orange, lime,
grapefruit), guava, mango, green pepper, cauliflower,
spinach, cabbage, green peas, tomatoes and
potatoes.

30
 Ascorbic Acid continued....
Ascorbic acid is essential for the formation of all
tissues in the body and helps to strengthen the
blood vessels.
It aids in the absorption of iron from the
intestines, in healing of wounds and in tooth and
bone formation.
 A deficiency of this vitamin results in scurvy—
symptoms are bruising and spontaneous
haemorrhage just under the skin, failure of the
wounds and fractures to heal, bleeding of gums
and anaemia. 31
 Ascorbic Acid continued....
Vitamin C is easily destroyed by oxidation.
It is lost during preparatory operations such as peeling,
trimming, size reduction, etc.
 It is also destroyed by exposure to high temperature during
baking, conventional cooking, commercial sterilization, frying
and other similar techniques.
To avoid losses in this vitamin, it is advisable that foods be
stored in a cool, dark place and handled carefully to prevent
external damage.
 Preparation of the food material should commence just prior
to consumption.
Cooking should be done in least amount of water for the
minimum length of time possible.
32