Food Chemistry

Module 5:
Food Matters
Chapter 7 Food Chemistry
Copyright Star Publishing Pte Ltd

7.1 How are substances extracted and separated
from mixtures?
7.2 What is a chemical reaction and what are its
applications in daily life?
7.3 What are acids and how can they be
identified?
7.4 What are the properties of food acids?
7.5 What is neutralisation and what are its
7.6 What are the effects of untreated wastewater
on the environment?
Objectives
Explain that substances can be extracted
and separated through the following

techniques:
(i) dissolving (ii) filtration (iii) evaporation (iv)
distillation and (v) paper chromatography
Describe the applications of the various
separation techniques in homes and food
industries
Use a measuring cylinder to measure
volume of liquids / solids
Separating Mixtures
A mixture is one that contains two

or more different substances that
are not chemically combined
together.
The food we eat usually consists of

mixtures of solids and liquids.
For example, orange juice is made

up of orange pulps, sugars, water
and many other substances
including Vitamin C.
The components in it can be

separated using separation
techniques.
curry gravy is a rich

mixture of spices
a home purification system

for clean drinking water
Separating Mixtures
Some separation
techniques are:
(a) Dissolving
(b) Filtration
(c) Evaporation
(d) Distillation
(e) Paper
chromatography
sugar cane juice is extracted

from sugar cane stems
Dissolving
A mixture of two solids can be separated by using a

solvent which dissolves only one of them.
For example, a mixture of salt and sand can be separated

by adding water to the mixture. Salt will dissolve in water
but sand will not.
We can obtain sand by filtration of the mixture and salt

from evaporation of the filtrate.
separating a mixture of salt and sand
Dissolving of solutes
Dissolving of solutes is commonly used
at home.
Some examples include:
(a) Cooking of soup

(b) Drinks sweetener
(c) Cleaning of the household
Cooking of soup
Soup stock (flavourings) either in solid or
liquid forms, is dissolved in water to flavour

the soup.
soup stock is added to water to make soup
Drinks sweetener
Sugar is dissolved in drinks (e.g. coffee
and tea) to make the taste better.
sugar is added to water when making tea
Cleaning of the household

Detergent is dissolved in water to remove dirt
from clothes, and clean oily dishes and the floor.
detergent is dissolved in water
Dissolving in the food industries

(a) Water is added in the
production of soft drinks,

to dissolve the mixture of
sweeteners, colourings
and flavourings.
Carbon dioxide gas is also
dissolved in the drink to

create the fizzy effect
which improves the taste
of the drink.
soft drinks contain a

mixture of sweetened
flavourings and colourings
Dissolving in the food industries

(b) In the production of
perfumes, flower
extracts such as
lavender and rose are
dissolved in alcohol to
manufacture perfumes.
(c) Chlorine is dissolved
in our drinking water
and swimming pools to
kill harmful bacteria.
perfumes are mixtures of

natural plant extracts
bacteria in swimming pools are destroyed when

chlorine is added
Filtration
Filtration is used to separate a

mixture of an insoluble solid from a
liquid.
In the diagram on the right, the

mixture is poured into a filter funnel
with a filter paper.
The filter paper allows the liquid to

pass through it but not the insoluble
solid particles of the mixture.
filtration experimental set-up
In this case, sand left on the filter

paper is called the residue and the
water that passes through it and
collected in the beaker is called the
filtrate.
Filtration
At home, filtration is
used in air-conditioners
to filter air that may
contain dust and smoke
particles.
When cooking pasta, the
fastest and easiest way

to separate the pasta
from the boiling water is
to pour the contents of
the pot into a strainer.
This separates the pasta
from the water.
a strainer is
used to separate the
pasta from water
Filtration
A cup of tea can be made by using a strainer to
prevent tea leaves from entering the cup.
filtering tea from insoluble

tea leaves
A simple filtration system
Activity Book Link

Activity 7.2
Water Purification
Simple filtration system

A simple filtration system can be set up to
purify water.
Impurities are removed by passing the water
through a bed of sand, gravel and pebbles.
The filtered water can then undergo further
stages (e.g. chlorine and UV treatment) to

improve the water quality to be fit for
drinking.
Evaporation
Evaporation is used to
separate a dissolved solid

from a liquid. The dissolved
solid must not decompose
when heated.
For example, salt can be
obtained from salt solution

by evaporation.
Solid salt will be left behind
water in a salt solution

evaporates, leaving
the salt crystals behind
in the evaporating dish.
Decomposition of sugar
sugar blackens upon heating
Sugar cannot be separated from sugar
solution by evaporation because it

decomposes and turns black upon heating.
Obtaining salt by evaporation

Activity Book Link
Activity 7.3
Making Table Salt
piles of salt in salt pans
Evaporation is used in salt mines. When
temperatures are high, the salt water in the

salt pans are evaporated leaving the salt
behind. The salt is then piled up to dry.
Condensation
When the water boils in the kettle, it changes into
steam. When the steam touches a cold surface, e.g.

metal pot or spoon, it cools down and changes into
water.
The change from a gas to a liquid is called
condensation.
steam from boiling water condenses on

the lid of the container
Distillation
Distillation is used to separate a liquid from a solution. It

can also be used to separate a liquid from a mixture of
liquids having different boiling points.
distillation experimental setup
Distillation
Pure water can be obtained from
seawater using distillation.
Distillation can also be used to separate
a mixture of ethanol and water.
Ethanol will be distilled first from the
mixture because of its lower boiling

point 78C) as compared to water
(100C).
Process of distillation
Activity Book Link

Activity 7.4
Simple Distillation
Chromatography
Chromatography is a method of using a solvent to

separate a mixture into its components.
Food colourings are often used to improve the

appearance of our food and drinks. Food colourings are
usually a mixture of coloured dyes.
Chromatography can be used to test if the dyes in food

colourings are safe for consumption. Chromatography
can also be used to detect banned drugs in urine
samples
Paper chromatography
(a) A small drop of ink is placed on one end of the
chromatography paper.
(b) When this end of the chromatography paper is
soaked in a solvent, the solvent travels up the paper,
carrying with it the dyes in the ink.
Activity Book Link
Activity 7.5
Investigating the
Components of Food
Dyes
separating ink using chromatography
Paper chromatography
(c) There are two coloured
spots formed on the
chromatogram. This shows
that
the ink sample is a mixture and it
contains two different coloured
dyes.
(d) The dyes that are more
soluble will move faster and
further up the
chromatogram
whereas the dyes that are less
soluble
will move slower and
form spots at lower positions.
different coloured dyes

appear on the
chromatogram after
the ink has dissolved in the
solvent

from mixtures?
identified?
on the environment?
Objectives
Describe a chemical reaction as a
process that leads to the formation of
new products
Give examples of everyday changes that
involve chemical reactions : (i) decaying
of food (ii) burning (iii) rusting (iv) cooking
of food
Give examples of everyday situations in
slowing down / preventing chemical
reactions (e.g. Preserving food, reducing
amount of heat, fuel and air supply for
burning, tin plating against rusting)
What is a chemical reaction?

Chemical reactions
even inside us.
happen around us and
Digestion of food is an example of a
chemical reaction and is an important

process before we can derive energy from
food.
All chemical reactions lead to new products
being formed.
Chemical reactions in everyday life
Ways to slow down chemical reactions

from mixtures?
identified?
on the environment?
Objectives
Describe the properties of acids by their
taste and effects on litmus paper and
universal indicator
Describe acidity, neutrality and alkalinity
in terms of the pH scale (whole numbers
only)
Measure the pH of various common
household substances and food using
homemade pH indicator, litmus paper,
universal indicator and a pH meter
Properties of Acids
Acids are present in

everyday items. Acids can
be identified by the
following properties:
(a) Sour taste
Lemons, oranges and
grapefruits contain
an acid called citric acid
which gives them their sour
taste. Vinegar tastes sour
because it contains ethanoic
acid.
foods containing acids
Properties of Acids
(b) Turns blue litmus paper red
When both red and blue litmus papers are placed in an
acidic solution (e.g. lemon juice), the blue litmus paper
turns red, while the red litmus paper remains red.
blue litmus turns red in acid while red

litmus paper remains unchanged
Properties of Acids
(c)
Acids also produce colour change in universal

indicator. The table below shows the colour change of
the universal indicator when tested with some sample
substances which are acidic.
Colour changes of the universal indicator in

different acid conditions
The pH Scale
pH is a measure of the strength of an acidic
or alkaline solution.
The pH scale is a range of numbers from 0
to 14 that shows how acidic, alkaline or

neutral a substance is.
Neutral solutions have a pH of 7.

Acidic solutions have pH values of less than
7.
The pH Scale
A solution with a lower pH is more acidic than
one with a higher pH.
Alkalis have pH values of more than 7.

A solution with a higher pH is more alkaline
than one with a lower pH.
The pH scale
Activity Book Link

Activity 7.6
Testing for Acids
Indicators
Indicators can be used to test for the
presence of acids and alkalis.
An indicator will change colour depending
on whether the solution tested is acidic or

alkaline.
There are many types of indicators
commonly used in the laboratory to

indicate the pH of solutions.
Litmus indicator
The commonly used litmus

indicators are the red and blue
litmus.
Litmus is a dye obtained from

plants and can be used as a
solution or in paper form.
Blue litmus turn red in acidic

solutions, and red litmus turn blue
in alkaline solutions.
litmus solution and

litmus paper
In neutral solutions, both the red

and blue litmus will not change
colour.
Natural indicators
Some flowers, vegetables and berries can
be used as natural indicators.
For example, the coloured juice extracted
from the red cabbage turns pink when

tested with acidic substances and green
when tested with alkaline substances.
Other examples include extracts from
grape peels and orchid flowers.
Natural indicators
red cabbage juice is a natural indicator as it

changes colour in different pH
orchid flowers are natural indicators
berries, grapes and are natural indicators

Universal indicator
The universal indicator is a mixture of several
different types of indicators. It can show a

variety of colours depending on how acidic or
alkaline a substance is.
Each colour corresponds to a pH value. The
universal indicator is used in the form of a

solution or a paper.
The pH of the acid of or alkali can be
determined by comparing the colour of the

universal indicator against the colour chart.
Universal indicator solution

and universal indicator paper
pH meter
A pH meter is an instrument used to measure
the pH of a substance accurately.
A pH meter consists of a pH probe which is
connected to a datalogger.
A pH probe is placed in a solution to determine
its pH value and the pH value of the solution is

recorded on the datalogger.
Among the four indicators, the pH meter gives
the most accurate pH reading of a solution.
pH meter can measure an

accurate pH reading of a solution

from mixtures?
identified?
on the environment?
Objectives
Describe the characteristic properties of
food acids on the following items that

are commonly found at home
(i) metals ( e.g. cooking utensils )
(ii) bases ( e.g. antacids )
(iii) carbonates ( e.g. baking soda,
effervescent Vitamin C tablets)
Reaction of Food Acids with Metal

Utensils
Some common examples of acids found in
food are lemon and orange juice (citric acid), tea

(tannic acid) and soft drinks (carbonic acid).
soft drinks contain carbonic acid
lemons contain citric acid
Acid reaction with metals

Acids react with some metals to produce a salt and
hydrogen gas.
For example, when some magnesium strips are
added to a test tube of lemon juice, bubbles can be

observed to form on the magnesium strips.
The bubbles on the magnesium strips are hydrogen
gas.
The presence of hydrogen gas can be tested using a
lighted splint. Hydrogen gas will extinguish a

lighted splint with a pop sound.
Testing for hydrogen gas
Acid reaction with metals
The general word equation to represent the reaction of a

metal with acid is:
acid + metal salt + hydrogen gas
Most cooking utensils are made of metal.
Over time, these utensils may become rusty. The rust can
be removed by soaking the rusty utensils in vinegar or
rubbing them with lemon slices.
The acid in the vinegar or lemon will react with the rust to
form a soluble substance that can be easily washed off.
rusty utensil
Reaction of Food Acids with Carbonates

Acids react with carbonates to give off carbon
dioxide gas.
Some examples of carbonates found in or daily
life are baking powder, egg shells, Vitamin C

tablets and sea shells.
For example, when some egg shells are added
to vinegar, bubbles of gas can be observed to

form on the egg shells.
The bubbles formed are carbon dioxide gas.
Testing for carbon dioxide

The presence of carbon dioxide gas can be tested
by bubbling it into limewater.
If carbon dioxide gas is present, the limewater will
turn chalky.
Vitamin C tablets consist of

an acid and a carbonate.
When the tablet is added to
water, the acid and carbonate
dissolve and react to produce
carbon dioxide gas which
results in the fizzy bubbling
effect
Baking powder contains

sodium bicarbonate (baking
soda) and an acid. During
baking, the baking soda and
the acid present in the baking
powder react to produce
carbon dioxide gas. This gas
helps to raise the cake and
makes it soft.

The general word equation to represent the
reaction of a carbonate with acid is:
acid + carbonate salt + carbon dioxide

+ water
Reaction of Food Acids with Bases

Acids react with bases to produce a salt and water.
Bases dissolve in water to form alkalis. For example,
our stomach produces an acid which helps us in the

digestion of food.
At times if we eat too much and too fast, the acid
may flow backwards into our oesophagus.
We may feel a burning sensation. This is called acid
reflux or heartburn.
Backflow of stomach acid into

oesophagus causes heart burn
Antacids
If we do not have regular

meals, the acids produced in
our empty stomach may cause
us to suffer from gastric pains.
Over time, this may cause

damage to the inner walls of
the stomach.
Antacids, which contain a base,

can be used to neutralise the
excess acid. This process is
called neutralisation.
antacids neutralise
stomach acid
Activity Book Link

Activity 7.7
Properties of Acids

from mixtures?
identified?
on the environment?
Objectives
State that neutralisation takes place
when an acid reacts with a base and the

products are salt and water only
State some applications of
neutralisation (e.g. action of tooth paste,
fabric softener and hair conditioner,
controlling of pH in soil, neutralising
industrial wastes)
Relate pH within the mouth to its effect
on dental health
Neutralisation
Neutralisation occurs when an acid reacts with a base to

produce a salt and water only.
The general word equation to represent neutralisation is:

acid + base salt + water
For example, mixing sodium hydroxide and hydrochloric

acid produces two new substances, sodium chloride and
water.
The word equation is:
Neutralisation
If sulfuric acid is used, the word equation becomes:
Sodium chloride and sodium sulfate are salts.

Neutralisation reactions are important because
there are many useful daily applications for them.
Useful applications of neutralisation reactions in

everyday life

everyday life

everyday life

everyday life
Activity Book Link

Activity 7.8
Neutralising Chemical
Waste

7.1 How are substances extracted and
separated from mixtures?
7.2 What is a chemical reaction and what are
its applications in daily life?
identified?
7.6 What are the effects of untreated
wastewater on the environment?
Objectives
State some of the effects of phosphate
detergents (e.g. increase growth of algae

and water weeds) and acidic wastewater
on the rivers and seas
Understand the use of microbes in
sewage plants to treat the wastewater
before they are released to the rivers
and seas
Effects of Untreated Sewage on the Environment
What are microbes and their uses?
Microbes such as bacteria are natures recyclers.
They can break down bodies of dead animals and plants

into simpler substances.
Bacteria are very useful in the treatment of waste water

because they produce enzymes to break down the waste
substances into smaller and simpler substances.
The bacteria population is also well regulated as they

grow quickly when there is a lot of food for them.
When the food supplies decrease, the bacteria

population will decrease rapidly.
Microbes and their uses
magnified view of the

bacteria
scientists analysing bacterial colonies
multiplying on waste materials as their
source of food
Sewage treatment
In sewage treatment plants, microbes such as aerobic bacteria are used

to decompose the waste sewage material.

Food Chemistry

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Module 5:

Copyright Star Publishing Pte Ltd

Chapter 7 Food Chemistry

and separated through the following

A mixture is one that contains two

The food we eat usually consists of

For example, orange juice is made

The components in it can be

curry gravy is a rich

a home purification system

Copyright Star Publishing Pte Ltd

sugar cane juice is extracted

Copyright Star Publishing Pte Ltd

A mixture of two solids can be separated by using a

For example, a mixture of salt and sand can be separated

We can obtain sand by filtration of the mixture and salt

separating a mixture of salt and sand

Copyright Star Publishing Pte Ltd

Some examples include:

(a) Cooking of soup

Copyright Star Publishing Pte Ltd

liquid forms, is dissolved in water to flavour

soup stock is added to water to make soup

Copyright Star Publishing Pte Ltd

and tea) to make the taste better.

sugar is added to water when making tea

Copyright Star Publishing Pte Ltd

Cleaning of the household

from clothes, and clean oily dishes and the floor.

detergent is dissolved in water

Copyright Star Publishing Pte Ltd

Dissolving in the food industries

production of soft drinks,

Carbon dioxide gas is also

dissolved in the drink to

soft drinks contain a

Copyright Star Publishing Pte Ltd

Dissolving in the food industries

perfumes are mixtures of

bacteria in swimming pools are destroyed when

Filtration is used to separate a

In the diagram on the right, the

The filter paper allows the liquid to

filtration experimental set-up

In this case, sand left on the filter

When cooking pasta, the

fastest and easiest way

Copyright Star Publishing Pte Ltd

prevent tea leaves from entering the cup.

filtering tea from insoluble

Copyright Star Publishing Pte Ltd

A simple filtration system

Activity Book Link

Simple filtration system

Impurities are removed by passing the water

through a bed of sand, gravel and pebbles.

The filtered water can then undergo further

stages (e.g. chlorine and UV treatment) to

Copyright Star Publishing Pte Ltd

separate a dissolved solid

For example, salt can be

obtained from salt solution

Solid salt will be left behind

water in a salt solution