Natamycin One of the polyene antibiotics with an-tifungal activity, this one used in preservatives for foods such as dry sausages and cheese.. Natural flavourings Flavour compounds, al
Trang 1N2 Chemical symbol for nitrogen gas
Na Chemical symbol for sodium.
NAA Abbreviation for the analytical technique
neu-tron activation analysis and the auxin
naphtha-leneacetic acid.
NaCl Chemical formula for sodium chloride.
NAD(P) Abbreviation for nicotinamide adenine
dinucleotide (phosphate).
Naegleria Genus of amoebae of the family
Vahl-kampfiidae Occur in damp soil, mud, water and
sew-age Pathogenic to humans and animals Naegleria
fowleri, a water contaminant, is the causative agent of
meningoencephalitis in humans
NAFTA Abbreviation for North American Free
Trade Agreement.
Nalidixic acid Quinolone antibiotic that exhibits
an-tibacterial activity against various Gram negative
bacteria Used in poultry production and
aquacul-ture.
Nan Flat bread originating from northwest India made
from white flour, leavened with sodium
bicarbon-ate and baked in a tandoor
Nanofiltration Form of filtration that uses
semi-permeable membranes of pore size 0.001-0.1 ȝm to
separate different fluids or ions, removing materials
having molecular weights in the order of 300-1000 Da
Nanofiltration is most commonly used to separate
solu-tions that have a mixture of desirable and undesirable
components An example of this is the
concentra-tion of corn syrups Nanofiltraconcentra-tion is capable of
re-moving ions that contribute significantly to osmotic
pressure, and this allows separation at pressures
that are lower than those needed for reverse
osmo-sis.
Nanotechnology A field of science which in its
broadest sense covers development of materials and
devices of nanometer-scale (1-100 nm)
Nanotechnol-ogy applications of relevance to the food industry
in-clude: carbon nanotubes used in construction of
bio-sensors and as adsorbents in solid phase
mi-croextraction; structured colloids and emulsions
for encapsulation of food ingredients; and
nano-composites used in food packaging.
NaOH Chemical formula for sodium hydroxide Naphthalene Aromatic hydrocarbon with a distinctive
coal tar-like odour Used as an insecticide and in the
synthesis of dyes.
Naphthaleneacetic acid A synthetic member of the auxins group of plant growth regulators,
chemi-cal name 2-(1-naphthyl)acetic acid Used as a rooting agent, in plant tissue culture and to regulate the yield
and quality of various fruits and vegetables.
Naphthol Phenol that is a major metabolite of the
insecticide carbaryl.
2-(1-Naphthyl)acetic acid Chemical name for the plant growth regulator naphthaleneacetic acid Naphthylmethylcarbamate Alternative term for the insecticide carbaryl.
Napins Storage proteins of rapeseeds (Brassica
napus).
Naranjilla Orange fruits with green-yellow flesh
pro-duced by Solanum quitoense or S angulatum The
juicy pulp is used in beverages and sherbet Also eaten out of hand, and used as an ingredient in des-serts, jellies and marmalades Rich in vitamin A and vitamin C Alternative term for lulo and quito
oranges
Narazuke Vegetables pickled in sake lees Origi-nally made from uri, a cross between cucumbers and melons, but now made using aubergines, small melons, radishes and cucumbers
Naringenin Non-bitter flavanone found mainly in
citrus fruits, but also in other fruits, e.g tomatoes Naringin Bitter glycoside present in citrus fruits Naringinases Commercial crude fungal enzyme
preparations consisting of Į-L -rhamnosidases and ȕ-glucosidases Used to degrade naringin, a bitter flavonoid found in citrus fruits, during extraction of fruit juices in order to reduce bitterness to
accept-able levels
Narirutin One of the flavanones found mainly in
citrus fruits Also known as naringenin
7-O-rutinoside Has antioxidative activity.
Nata Thick, white, mucilaginous mat formed by
fer-mentation of Gluconacetobacter xylinus grown
on the surface of coconut water, coconut milk or
Trang 2other sugary fruit juices Used in production of
des-serts, including nata de coco which is popular in the
Philippines
Natamycin One of the polyene antibiotics with
an-tifungal activity, this one used in preservatives for
foods such as dry sausages and cheese Exhibits
no antibacterial activity, so does not disturb natural
ripening processes in these foods Also known as
pi-maricin
Natto Traditional Japanese product made by
fermen-tation of soybeans with Bacillus subtilis (B.
natto).
Natural colorants Colorants that exist in nature
Natural flavourings Flavour compounds, also
essential oils, extracts and hydrolysates containing
flavour compounds, that are derived from natural
sources, such as plants, animal foods and edible yeasts
Usually they have little or no nutritive value but are
used solely to impart flavour.
Natural foods Foods produced using natural farming
techniques (e.g organic foods) and subjected to
minimal processing Free from artificial
ingredi-ents
Natural sweeteners Sweet-tasting substances that
occur in nature Saccharides, such as sucrose (sugar),
D-glucose (dextrose) and fructose (laevulose) are
the major natural sweeteners used by the food
indus-try Other natural sweeteners include sweet-tasting
pro-teins (e.g thaumatin), terpenoids (e.g
glycyr-rhizin), steroidal saponins (e.g polypodoside A),
dihydroisocoumarins (e.g phyllodulcin) and
flavon-oids (e.g neohesperidin).
Navy beans Type of common beans (Phaseolus
vulgaris).
N compounds Compounds that contain the element
nitrogen.
NDGA Abbreviation for nordihydroguaiaretic
acid.
Near infrared Infrared radiation which has a
wave-length between 0.7 and 2.5 ȝm Near infrared
(com-monly abbreviated to NIR) is subdivided into very near
infrared (0.7-1 ȝm) and short wave infrared (1.0-2.5
ȝm)
Nectarines Fruits produced by Prunus persica var
nectarina Similar to peaches in composition and
flavour, but with a smoother skin and richer colour.
Sweet, juicy flesh varies in colour from white to
yel-low, depending on variety Varieties also differ in
stone tenacity (clingstone or freestone) Rich in
vita-min A, vitavita-min C and potassium Eaten out of
hand or in salads, and used as a garnish, in toppings
and in various desserts.
Neem Common name for Azadirachta indica, a tree
native to tropical Asia Neem plants contain various
bioactive compounds and thus have been used tra-ditionally as medicinal plants Neem seed oils, seed cake and, to a lesser extent, leaf extracts can act as in-secticides and are used for preventing infestation
of stored grain and vegetables The antimicrobial activity of neem extracts may be exploited for con-trolling post-harvest spoilage of fruits and
vegeta-bles
Nematocides Pesticides used for control of nema-todes that parasitize animals or infest crops Gener-ally fall into two major classes, fumigants and
non-fumigants (contact), based on chemical and physical characteristics Commonly used examples include
methyl bromide and oxamyl.
Nematodes Group of worms which are members of
the phylum Nematoda Occur in soil, and fresh and
marine waters Some are parasites of humans,
ani-mals and plants
Neocallimastix Genus of anaerobic fungi of the
Neocallimastigaceae family Grow on a range of
sim-ple and comsim-plex carbohydrates in the rumen of
animals Species (e.g Neocallimastix patriciarum and
N frontalis) are used in the production of enzymes
(e.g xylan degrading enzymes and cellulases) Neohesperidin Flavonoid glycoside bitter
com-pounds present in bitter oranges (Citrus auran-tium) Exhibit poor water solubility, and are
impor-tant flavour compounds in orange juices The
sugar component is a disaccharide, ȕ-neohesperidose
(2-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-ȕ-D-glucopyranose) Used as the raw material for manufacture of the
sweet-ener neohesperidin dihydrochalcone.
Neohesperidin dihydrochalcone Artificial sweeteners derived by hydrogenation of neo-hesperidin 1500-1800 times sweeter than sucrose
and stable in crystalline form, in solutions and at high
temperatures Possess a very light aftertaste and have
a short delay to reach maximum sweetness
percep-tion Have a synergistic sweetening effect when
com-bined with sugar alcohols such as xylitol and isomalt, and with other sweeteners such as aspar-tame and acesulfame K Applications include bev-erages, desserts and savoury foods Also used as flavour enhancers in a wide range of foods
Neomycin Aminoglycoside antibiotic produced by
Streptomyces fradiae Used for treatment of
coliba-cillosis in sheep, goats, swine, turkeys and cattle, with the exception of veal calves Withdrawal periods vary
with species and tolerance values are specified for kidneys, fats, livers, meat, milk and turkey skin
with fat Parenteral use in food-producing animals is not permitted in some countries
Trang 3Neopullulanases EC 3.2.1.135 Glycosidases
which hydrolyse pullulan to panose (6-Į-D
-glucosylmaltose) Useful for the production of
mal-tooligosaccharides for use in foods as prebiotics
and as non-cariogenic sweeteners Can also
hydro-lyse amyloses to maltose and catahydro-lyse
transgly-cosylation reactions
Neosartorya Genus of fungi of the family
Trichoco-maceae Neosartorya fischeri, a heat resistant species,
may be responsible for the spoilage of canned and
bottled fruits.
Neotame Trade name for one of the artificial
sweeteners, a derivative of a dipeptide composed of
the amino acids aspartic acid and
phenyla-lanine (N-(N-(3,3-dimethylbutyl)-L-Į-aspartyl)-L
-phenylalanine 1-methyl ester) Approximately
7000-10,000 times sweeter than sugar A free flowing
white crystalline powder which is water-soluble and
heat-stable, and can be used in cooking, baking and
frozen foods, as well as in tabletop applications Can
be used in combination with other non-nutritive or
nu-tritive sweeteners Although similar to aspartame,
neotame is degraded differently in the human digestive
system, avoiding problems caused by the presence of
phenylalanine for people suffering from
phenylke-tonuria Also used as flavour enhancers Marketed
by The NutraSweet Company Authorized for use in
many countries worldwide
Neoxanthin One of the xanthophyll carotenoids
found in many fruits and vegetables, but
particu-larly in spinach and other green leafy vegetables.
Precursor of the plant hormone abscisic acid
In-duces apoptosis in prostate cancer cells
Nephelometry Technique used to determine the size
and concentration of cells or particles in a solution by
measuring the intensity of scattered light Light
scat-tering depends on the number and properties of the
particles in the solution
Neral Aldehyde; cis-citral Volatile flavour compound
found in plant essential oils.
Nerol Monoterpene alcohol Volatile flavour
com-pound found in many plant essential oils and
in-volved particularly in the flavour and aroma of
grapes and wines.
Neroli oils Yellowish essential oils derived from
bitter orange blossoms by steam distillation Have an
intense aroma of orange blossom
Net protein ratio Weight gain of a group of animals
(e.g rats) fed a test diet plus the weight loss of a
simi-lar group fed a protein free diet, and the total divided
by the weight of the protein consumed by the animals
on the test diet
Net protein utilization Commonly abbreviated to NPU An index of the nutritional values of pro-teins This quality ratio indicates the amount of
die-tary protein retained in the body under specific clinical conditions Changes in body nitrogen levels following consumption of a dietary protein are compared with those following consumption of a protein-free diet for the same duration, and then the dietary nitrogen re-tained in the body is expressed as a proportion of ni-trogen intake
Nettings Nettings made with rubber thread which are used to enclose joints of meat, such as beef and ham, to prevent their disintegration during cooking.
Health concerns are associated with possible formation
of nitrosamines from vulcanizing agents used in
formulating the rubber
Nettles Plants of the genus Urtica, including stinging
or common nettles (U dioica) and small nettles (U
urens) Leaves are rich in vitamin C and can be used
as a vegetable when young Also used in herbal
prepa-rations and soups, and to make beer, wines and teas.
Neural networks Systems of computer programs and
data structures which are modelled on the human nerv-ous system and brain Incorporate large numbers of processors operating in parallel, each with an individ-ual sphere of knowledge which has been fed into it along with rules about relationships Networks can use this information to recognize patterns in large amounts
of data Used in the food industry to model processes and predict the behaviour of foods under specific
con-ditions Also known as artificial neural networks Neural tube defects Congenital malformations of
the spinal cord caused by the folds of the ectodermal neural plate failing to close properly in early embry-onic development Failures to close at the top result in anencephaly, which is always fatal; failures to close along the spine result in spina bifida, which can have either a reasonably hopeful or a very poor prognosis depending on location and other characteristics of the
opening Supplements of folic acid begun before
con-ception reduce the risk of neural tube defects develop-ing in the fetus
Neurodegenerative diseases Diseases
character-ized by the degeneration of nerve cells (neurons) in the
central nervous system Includes Alzheimer's dis-ease, dementia, Parkinson's disease and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
Neurological shellfish poisoning Food poison-ing associated with consumption of shellfish con-taining neurotoxins produced by the dinoflagellate
algae Pytchodiscus brevis Gastrointestinal and
neuro-logical symptoms normally occur within 3 to 6 hours
of ingestion of contaminated shellfish
Trang 4Neurospora Genus of fungi of the family
Sordari-aceae Neurospora spp are responsible for spoilage
of bread N intermedia is used as a starter for
ont-jom and in the fermentation of bongkrek N.
crassa is industrially important for production of
en-zymes.
Neurotoxicity Property of being toxic to nervous
system tissues
Neurotoxins Toxins that act specifically or primarily
on nervous system tissues (e.g botulotoxins and
saxitoxin).
Neutralization Process of making something
chemi-cally neutral, with a pH of approximately 7
Neutron activation analysis Analytical technique
in which samples are irradiated with a reactor,
accel-erator or isotopic neutron source Radioactive nuclides
are produced by the addition of neutrons to nuclei of
specific atoms and these nuclei release energy in the
form of gamma rays or electrons to convert back to a
stable state The radiation detected is a measure of the
energy of the nuclides produced in the sample
Com-monly abbreviated to NAA
NH3 Chemical formula for ammonia.
Niacin A member of the vitamin B group Generic
descriptor for two compounds in foods which have the
biological activity of the vitamin: nicotinic acid
(pyridine 3-carboxylic acid) and nicotinamide (the
amide of nicotinic acid) The metabolic function of
niacin is in the coenzymes nicotinamide adenine
dinu-cleotide (NAD) and nicotinamide adenine dinudinu-cleotide
phosphate (NADP), which operate, often in partnership
with thiamin and riboflavin coenzymes, to produce
energy within the cells Niacin is found in animal
tis-sue as nicotinamide and in plant tistis-sues as nicotinic
acid; both forms are of equal niacin activity Rich
sources of niacin include livers, kidneys, lean meat,
poultry meat, fish, rabbit meat, cornflakes
(en-riched), nuts and peanut butter Niacin can
with-stand reasonable periods of cooking, heating and
storage Canning, drying and freezing result in
little destruction of the vitamin In cereals, niacin is
largely present as niacytin, which is not biologically
available Deficiency of niacin leads to pellagra
(pho-tosensitive dermatitis), depressive psychosis and
intes-tinal disorders Previously known as vitamin PP
Niacinamide Synonym for nicotinamide.
Nicarbazin Coccidiostat used prophylactically for
prevention of intestinal and caecal coccidiosis in
chickens Not used in laying hens due to detrimental
effects on production of eggs Withdrawal periods are
specified for treated chickens
Nickel Transition element with the chemical symbol
Ni
Nicotinamide Synonym for niacinamide and nicotinic acid amide The amide form of nicotinic acid which has niacin activity as a constituent of 2 coenzymes
(nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) and nicoti-namide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP)); these coenzymes act as intermediate hydrogen carriers
in a wide variety of oxidation and reduction reactions Nicotinamide can be formed in the body from the
amino acid tryptophan; on average 60 mg of dietary
tryptophan is equivalent to 1 mg of preformed niacin
Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (phosphate)
A coenzyme derived from niacin; commonly
abbrevi-ated to NAD(P)
Nicotine One of the alkaloids The principal active ingredient in tobacco, and responsible for the
addic-tive properties of cigarette smoking Also found in lower quantities in foods belonging to the Solanaceae
(nightshade) family, including tomatoes, potatoes, aubergines and peppers.
Nicotinic acid A member of the vitamin B group found in plant tissues Contributes, along with nicoti-namide found in animal tissues, to niacin activity
Chemical name pyridine 3-carboxylic acid
Nicotinic acid amide Synonym for nicotinamide Nigerose Disaccharide composed of two glucose
residues linked via an Į-1,3-glycosidic bond Isomer of
maltose.
Niger seeds Seeds from the plant Guizotia abys-sinica, which is grown in India and Ethiopia as an
oil-seeds crop
Nile perch Large freshwater fish species (Lates
niloticus) widely distributed in lakes and rivers around
Central Africa; a highly valued food fish Fresh and frozen fillets are exported from Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda to markets in Europe, Israel and the USA
Nile tilapia Freshwater fish species (Oreochromis
niloticus, formerly Tilapia nilotica) of high
commer-cial importance belonging to the cichlid family (Cich-lidae) Widely distributed in rivers and lakes of Africa
and also produced by aquaculture Marketed fresh
and frozen
NIR Abbreviation for near infrared.
NIR spectroscopy Spectroscopy performed at wavelengths in the near infrared (NIR) region Nisin Polycyclic peptide bacteriocins synthesized by
Lactococcus lactis Classed as lantibiotics and
contain the unusual amino acids lanthionine,
me-thyllanthionine, didehydroalanine and
didehydroami-nobutyric acid Used as preservatives in a variety of heat processed and low pH foods, such as processed cheese, meat and meat products, fish, and canned fruits and vegetables Exhibit broad spec-trum inhibition of Gram positive bacteria including
Trang 5important foodborne pathogens and clinically
rele-vant antibiotic resistant bacteria.
Nitrates Salts of nitric acid found in many animal
and plant foods as a result of use of nitrate fertilizers,
the nitrification process in the soil, or use of sodium
nitrate or potassium nitrate food additives Health
risks are associated with conversion of nitrates into
ni-trites in the gastrointestinal tract
Contamina-tion of drinking water with nitrates from chemicals
used in agriculture is a particular concern
Nitric acid Strong acid that forms nitrates with
met-als, carbonates, hydroxides or oxides Powerful
oxidizing agent Used in digestion or extraction of
samples during analysis Commercially utilized in
pro-duction of fertilizers, explosives and dyes.
Nitric oxide Gas (chemical formula NO) produced by
reduction of nitric acid, nitrates or nitrites, or
oxidation of ammonia.
Nitrification Conversion of ammonia or other N
compounds into nitrites or nitrates.
Nitrites Salts of nitrous acid formed by reduction
of nitrates Can be oxidizing agents or reducing
agents Authorized as food additives for
preser-vation of meat and cheese Health risks are
associ-ated with formation of nitrosamines from nitrites in
the presence of amines.
Nitrofurans Antibiotics banned from use in animal
food production in many countries due to concerns that
long term exposure in humans, as a result of
consum-ing contaminated products, constitutes an increased
risk factor for developing cancer Includes
furazoli-done, nitrofurazone and nitrovin
Nitrofurazone Broad-spectrum synthetic nitrofuran
antibiotic that is banned for use in food animals in
many countries due to the potential for residues
ex-hibiting carcinogenicity to occur in edible tissues
and milk Illegal use may be indicated by the presence
of semicarbazide, a metabolite of the drug, in foods
Nitrogen Colourless and odourless gas that constitutes
approximately three-quarters of the Earth's atmosphere
by volume The common form is dinitrogen (chemical
symbol N2) Constituent of proteins, amino acids,
and many other groups of chemicals, e.g amines,
al-kaloids and purines.
Nitrogen compounds Compounds that contain the
element nitrogen.
Nitrogen dioxide Brown gas with the chemical
for-mula NO2
Nitrogen monoxide Alternative term for nitric
ox-ide.
Nitrogen solubility index One of the
physico-chemical properties Defined as the nitrogen
con-tent of an aqueous extract of a sample obtained under
standard conditions expressed as a percentage of the sample nitrogen content Particularly applied to the
characterization of proteins.
Nitrosamines Nitroso compounds with strong carcinogenicity formed by reaction of amines with nitrogen oxides or nitrites.
Nitrosation Reaction of secondary amines or alky-lureas present in ingested foods with nitrites, forming nitroso compounds, such as nitrosamines, which
may be carcinogenic Methylguanidine, a compound present in several foods, is converted to a potent mutagen after nitrosation in the stomach Can be
inhib-ited by some dietary components, such as toco-pherols and various phytochemicals.
Nitroso compounds Organic compounds
con-taining the nitroso group, many of which are
mutagens.
N-Nitrosodiethylamine Volatile nitrosamine with
mutagenic activity Found in a range of foods,
some-times as a result of indirect contamination, e.g mi-gration from rubber or packaging materials, or
as a result of formation during processing.
N-Nitrosodimethylamine Volatile nitrosamine with
mutagenic activity; commonly abbreviated to NDMA Found in a range of foods, sometimes as a result of
in-direct contamination, e.g migration from rubber
or packaging materials or as a result of formation during processing.
Nitrosomonas Genus of Gram negative bacteria
of the family Nitrosomonadaceae, occurring in soils
and water Oxidizes ammonia to nitrites The type
species, Nitrosomonas europaea, is utilized for
bio-logical nitrogen removal from waste water, includ-ing food factories effluents.
Nitroso pigments Pigments formed during curing
of meat by the reaction of nitric oxide (synthesized by conversion of nitrites used in curing agents) with metmyoglobin or myoglobin Responsible for the pink colour of cured meat.
N-Nitrosopyrrolidine Volatile nitrosamine with
mutagenic activity May be formed in a range of foods,
including bacon, during processing.
Nitrosylmyoglobin The haem pigment of nitrite-cured meat Formed by reaction of metmyoglobin with nitric oxide Contributes to the red colour of cured meat, such as ham.
Nitrous acid A weak acid with the chemical formula
HNO2 Used as a mutagen and in tests of the resistance
of bacterial spores Implicated in the formation of nitric oxide in the gastrointestinal tract.
Nitrous oxide Colourless gas with the chemical
for-mula N2O, also known as dinitrogen oxide Used as a mild anaesthetic (laughing gas)
Trang 6Nivalenol Trichothecene produced by Fusarium spp
(e.g F nivale) during growth on foods such as wheat,
rye, barley, corn and millet.
Nixtamalization Traditional process used to improve
the nutritional quality of corn Nixtamalization
in-volves cooking and steeping corn in a lime
solu-tion, washing the corn (nixtamal) and stone grinding
nixtamal to form a corn dough or masa Masa is used
to produce nixtamalized products (e.g corn tortillas,
tortilla chips, corn chips and taco shells).
N-Lite D Trade name (of National Starch) for a waxy
corn maltodextrin which is one of a number of fat
substitutes used in dairy products, particularly
ice cream It imparts creaminess to low fat frozen
desserts, and improves their mouthfeel and
melt-ing properties
NMR Abbreviation for nuclear magnetic
reso-nance.
NO2 Chemical formula for nitrogen dioxide.
Nocardia Genus of aerobic, rod-shaped or filamentous
Gram positive bacteria of the family Nocardiaceae
Occur in soil Some species are causative agents of
mastitis in cattle; outbreaks are uncommon,
how-ever, and have typically been reported on dairy farms
with poor hygiene and management conditions Other
species may be used in the production of
biosurfac-tants A range of Nocardia species are used in
bio-technological applications for production of a variety
of enzymes and in bioconversions.
Nocardiopsis Genus of alkalophilic bacteria of the
family Nocardiopsaceae Found in soil Type species is
Nocardiopsis dassonvillei Producers of a number of
enzymes, including proteinases, glycosidases,
pectate lyases, milk clotting enzymes and
amy-lases.
N-Oil Trade name (of National Starch) for
tapioca-derived dextrins that are used as fat substitutes in
a wide range of low fat foods Provide a creamy,
fat-like texture to foods such as salad dressings,
sauces, spreads and ice cream.
Nomilin One of the limonoids with anticarcinogenic
activity found in citrus fruits Contributes to
bitter-ness of citrus juices Can be added to foods as a
flavour compound or bittering agent
Nomograms Graphical plots in the form of line charts
which may be used to solve particular types of
equa-tions Scales for the variables involved in the formula
are presented in a way such that corresponding values
for each variable are on a straight line intersecting all
scales Thus, when values for two variables are known,
the value of a third can be read from its scale
Nonachlor Component of the organochlorine insecti-cide chlordane May accumulate in animal tissues and milk, where it persists for long periods
Nonanal Aldehyde important for the flavour and aroma of many foods
Nonanone Methyl ketone that is important for the flavour and aroma of many foods including dairy products, fruits and vegetables.
Nonenal Aldehyde important for the aroma of many foods Also involved in formation of cardboard off flavour in beer.
Nonenzymic browning Food browning process
promoted by heat treatment, which includes a wide
range of reactions, such as the Maillard reaction, caramelization, chemical oxidation of phenols and madeirization.
Noni Fruits of Morinda citrifolia which have a
pun-gent aroma when ripening Used to produce fruit juices approved as novel foods by the European
Commission Also called Indian mulberries, cheese fruit or vomit fruit
Noni juices Traditionally prepared in the Hawaian
and Tahitan islands by ageing noni fruits (Morinda
citrifolia; Indian mulberries) in closed vessels for
sev-eral weeks, prior to consumption as a cure-all folk medicine Now commercially available globally in
health beverages In vitro studies suggest they can
provide a range of health promoting effects, such as
radical scavenging activity Little clinical data
ex-ist to support such claims, but noni juice contains high
levels of fibre, vitamin C and various phytochemi-cals Pure noni juice has a bitter flavour, and
com-mercial products usually contain other ingredients,
such as grape juices.
Nono Nigerian fermented milk product
Nonreducing sugars Sugars that do not have a free
carbonyl group (ketone or aldehyde) and therefore are
not able to act as reducing agents.
Nonstarch polysaccharides Components of die-tary fibre Occur in 2 forms - insoluble and soluble Both types are found in many plant foods Thought
to provide a range of health benefits
Nonthermal processes Processing techniques that do not require heat Usually refers to food pas-teurization and sterilization treatments that do not
employ heat during processing Examples include:
high pressure processing (inactivates vegetative microorganisms); ultrasonication (inactivates vege-tative bacteria and reduces heat resistance of bacte-rial spores); high voltage electric pulse treatment (electroporation; inactivates vegetative
microorgan-isms); ionizing radiation treatment (inactivates
pathogens); high intensity light pulse treatment
Trang 7activates vegetative bacteria); and high intensity
magnetic fields processing (inactivates
microorgan-isms)
Noodles Elongated, ribbon-like pasta made with
eggs, and rice, wheat or buckwheat flour Used in
European and Oriental cuisine Often used to add bulk
to soups and stews
Nootkatone Sesquiterpene that is one of the essential
aroma compounds in grapefruit.
Noradrenaline One of the catecholamines It
pro-duces a wide range of physiological effects within
the body, including vasoconstriction, increases in heart
rate and blood pressure, and release of glucose
from energy stores These effects are part of the
fight-or-flight response that enables the body to respond to
stressful situations In animals, the release of
cate-cholamines as a result of preslaughter stress may be
associated with poor meat quality Also known as
norepinephrine
Norbixin One of the dicarboxylic carotenoid
pig-ments present in seeds of the shrub Bixa orellana.
The main water soluble component of the natural
or-ange colorant, annatto.
Nordihydroguaiaretic acid Phenolic lipid soluble
lipoxygenase inhibitor that is used mainly in
antioxi-dants for fats and oils Often abbreviated to NDGA
Norflurazon Selective pyridazinone herbicide used for
pre-emergence control of annual and perennial grasses
and broad-leaved weeds around crops, including fruits
and nuts Classified by WHO as unlikely to present
acute hazard in normal use
Norharman ȕ-Carboline formed from tryptophan
during heating Demethylated analogue of harman, its
co-mutagen
Nori Dried seaweed product obtained from red algae
in the genus Porphyra (particularly P tenera and P.
yezoensis) Popular in Japan, where it is often
con-sumed in toasted form Good source of vitamin B12,
dietary fibre and certain minerals; may possess
an-ticarcinogenicity.
Norisoprenoids C13 butene cyclohexene degradation
products formed by the cleavage of carotenoids
Im-portant aroma compounds in fruits, wines and
honeys Includes both Į- and ionones and
ȕ-damascenone.
Noroviruses Enteric viruses of the family
Caliciviridae, which cause viral gastroenteritis.
Foodborne transmission is usually associated with
con-sumption of contaminated water, molluscs or ready
to eat foods Person-to-person transmission is
possi-ble Also known as Norwalk-like viruses or small
round structured viruses.
North American Free Trade Agreement The
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is a trilateral regional pact that calls for the gradual re-moval of tariffs and other trade barriers on most goods produced and sold in North America NAFTA, which became effective in Canada, Mexico and the USA on 1 January 1994, built upon a 1989 trade agreement be-tween the USA and Canada that eliminated or reduced many tariffs between the two countries NAFTA called for immediate elimination of duties on half of all US goods shipped to Mexico and the gradual phasing out
of other tariffs over a period of about 14 years The treaty also protected intellectual property rights and outlined the removal of restrictions on investment among the three countries Mandates for minimum wages, working conditions and environmental protec-tion were added later as a result of supplemental agreements signed in 1993
Northern blotting A method for analysing RNA.
RNA is separated by electrophoresis, transferred to a chemically reactive matrix (e.g nitrocellulose) on which it binds covalently in a pattern identical to that
on the original gel, and detected by complementary
la-belled probes (RNA or single-stranded DNA) that
hy-bridize to specific RNA sequences
Norvegia cheese Norwegian semi-hard cheese simi-lar to Gouda cheese.
Norwalk-like viruses Alternative term for norovi-ruses.
Norwalk viruses Small round structured
vi-ruses of the genus Norovirus and family
Caliciviri-dae Responsible for acute gastroenteritis in
hu-mans Transmitted by the faecal-oral route via
con-taminated water and foods (e.g shellfish and sal-ads).
Norway lobsters Marine species of lobsters
(Neph-rops novergicus) found in the North Sea, the northeast
Atlantic and the Mediterranean sea Highly valued for their flesh Marketed fresh (whole, tail meat with shell
or shelled cooked or uncooked), frozen,
semi-preserved or as a component of pastes and soups Also known as Dublin Bay prawns, langoustines and scampi.
Nostoc Genus of filamentous cyanobacteria of the
family Nostocaceae Occur naturally in damp habitats
as green to black gelatinous colonies Some species produce high levels of phycobiliproteins, making them
a potential source of natural pigments for use in
foods Several species, e.g Nostoc flagelliforme, are eaten in various countries, including China N
com-mune is rich in dietary fibre and has been used in
functional foods.
Trang 8Nougat Aerated confectionery products made with
honeys or sugar, egg whites and starch syrups.
Often contains nuts, dried fruits and/or cherries
and may be either chewy or brittle in consistency
Novagel Trade name (of FMC BioPolymer) for
lose gels consisting of microcrystalline
cellu-loses and guar gums Used as fat substitutes in a
variety of low fat foods, including salad
dress-ings, processed cheese, dairy beverages and
frozen desserts Improves the mouthfeel, opacity
and consistency of these foods
Novel foods Foods prepared using unconventional
processes (particularly genetic technology), derived
from unconventional sources or offering
non-nutritional benefits Examples include
biotechno-logically derived foods, designer foods and
medical foods.
Novobiocin Narrow-spectrum antibiotic with
anti-bacterial activity against many Gram positive
bacteria Frequently used in combination with
peni-cillins for treatment of mastitis in cattle, and to
con-trol cholera and staphylococcal infections in poultry
Withdrawal periods must be observed to ensure foods
from treated animals are safe; tolerance values are
specified for meat and milk Use in poultry producing
eggs for human consumption is not permitted
NPR Abbreviation for net protein ratio.
NPU Abbreviation for net protein utilization.
Nuclear magnetic resonance Spectroscopy
technique based on the magnetic moment of atomic
nuclei An external magnetic field will partially align
the axis of spin of spinning nuclei, but some precession
about the magnetic field will occur The precession
de-pends on the magnetic field applied and the magnetic
moment of the nucleus (dependent in turn on the
chemical state of the atom), and is specific to the type
of nucleus The precession rate, measured by emission
or absorption of applied radiofrequency, is used to give
details about the composition of the sample
Com-monly abbreviated to NMR
Nuclear power Power generated by nuclear reactors
in nuclear power plants or stations Accidents at
nu-clear power stations have caused fallout of
radiocae-sium, and radioactive contamination of growing
foods
Nucleases EC 3.1.11-EC 3.1.16 (exonucleases) and
EC 3.1.21-EC 3.1.31 (endonucleases) Esterases
that cleave the phosphodiester bonds between
nucleo-tide subunits of nucleic acids.
Nucleic acids Polymers of nucleotides in which the
3ƍ position of one nucleotide sugar is linked to the 5ƍ
position of the next by a phosphodiester bond The two
major types are DNA and RNA.
Nucleosides Compounds of purine or pyrimidine
bases with a sugar, usually ribose.
Nucleotidases EC 3.1.3.31 These phosphatases catalyse the dephosphorylation of nucleotides, form-ing nucleosides and orthophosphate Exhibit a wide
specificity for 2c, 3c and 5c-nucleotides, and also hydro-lyse glycerol phosphate and 4-nitrophenyl phosphate
Nucleotides Compounds of purine or pyrimidine bases with a sugar phosphate
Nucleotide sequences The order in which nucleo-tides are situated in nucleic acids, such as DNA and RNA molecules
Nukazuke Japanese fish product consisting of fer-mented fish (usually sardine) in rice bran-based pickles.
Nuoc-mam Fermented fish sauces produced by fermenting anchovy (or other small marine fish) in salt, flavourings and spices for long periods The resulting product is clear amber in colour Used in
Vietnamese and Thai cuisine
Nuruk Starters (comprising yeasts and other fungi) for Korean rice wines.
Nutmeg One of the spices, along with mace,
de-rived from seeds of Myristica fragrans Kernels may
be used whole, grated or ground Characteristic fla-vour compounds include Į- and ȕ-pinene, myris-ticin, camphene, dipentene and sabanene
Nutmeg oils Essential oils obtained by steam
dis-tillation of ground nutmeg (Myristica fragrans).
Used as flavourings in bakery products, syrups, beverages and sweets, for example
Nut oils Oils extracted from nuts, such as almonds, hazelnuts and walnuts Best used uncooked, as heat often destroys their delicate flavour.
Nut pastes Pastes made from nuts that are used as the base for making confectionery fillings or nut spreads.
Nut products General term referring to products de-rived or prepared solely from nuts.
Nutraceutical foods Alternative term for func-tional foods.
NutraSweet Registered brand or trade name of the low calorie sweetener aspartame.
Nutria Large, semi-aquatic, herbivorous rodents of the family Myocastoridae, also known as coypu
Nu-tria (Myocaster coypus) are found in most continents,
but originate from South America Nutria provide
meat that is low in fats and cholesterol, but
mar-kets for this product have not been successfully estab-lished
Nutrient requirements Estimated levels of nutri-ents that are required to maintain health and prevent
Trang 9diseases Nutritional needs may vary according to
age, gender, physical activity levels and state of
health Various sets of reference values have been
es-tablished to provide guidance on nutrient
recommenda-tions, including dietary reference intakes (DRI) and
dietary reference values.
Nutrients Essential dietary factors, such as vitamins,
minerals, amino acids and fatty acids, that are
required by the body but cannot be synthesized in the
body in adequate amounts to meet requirements, so
must be provided by the diet Nutrient deficiency can
cause poor growth, deformity, malfunctioning and
ste-rility A range of characteristic deficiency diseases
is recognized in humans
Nutrigenetics The study of how a person's genetic
makeup affects their response to diet or specific
nu-trients It aims to identify the effect of genetic
vari-ants on responses to nutrients and to relate this to the
risk for various diseases Has the potential to provide
a basis for personalized nutrition recommendations
based on the individual's genotype in order to
pre-vent diseases before their clinical manifestation It has
been applied in certain rare monogenic diseases, such
as phenylketonuria (PKU)
Nutrigenomics The study of how the diet or specific
nutrients interact with genes to affect health and
risk of developing various diseases Understanding
gene-nutrient interactions provides a basis for
personalized nutrition recommendations based on an
individual's genotype in order to prevent diseases
be-fore their clinical manifestation
Nutrition Science of the relationship between foods,
nutrients and health A major aspect considered is the
way by which an organism absorbs and utilizes food
components The study of nutrition involves
identifica-tion of individual nutrients that are essential for growth
and maintenance of the individual, interrelationships
among nutrients within individual organisms, and
quantitative requirements of organisms for specific
nu-trients under various environmental conditions in order
to optimize health
Nutritional assessment Assessment of the nutrient
requirements or nutritional status of a person
us-ing appropriate methods
Nutritional labelling Information appearing on la-belling or packaging of foods relating to energy and nutrients in the food The information which must or
may be given, and the format in which it must appear,
is governed by law in most countries
Nutritional status State of the body in terms of the consumption, utilization and stores of nutrients Nutritional values Indications of the potential
contri-bution that a food or food component can make
to-wards appropriate nutrition Includes measures of the
efficacy and quality of dietary constituents, such as
bioavailability and protein values, and nutritional
characteristics of foods and food components such as
calorific values and glycaemic load Nutritional values of foods may be affected by cultivation condi-tions, handling and storage practices, and proc-essing.
Nuts Fruits consisting of an edible kernel within a shell, the thickness and hardness of which varies
among types Kernels have a high fat content and are
often used as the source of nut oils They are also rich
in fibre, vitamin E, folic acid and a range of min-erals Nuts are generally available shelled or
un-shelled; shelled nuts are sold in many forms including raw, blanched, roasted and flavoured They are eaten out of hand or used in a variety of sweet and savoury
dishes Commonly consumed nuts include walnuts, pistachio nuts, pine nuts, cashew nuts and al-monds Some foods known as nuts are not true nuts, e.g Brazil nuts are really seeds and peanuts are legumes.
Nylon Family of strong, elastic polyamides
materi-als, which vary from moderately flexible to strong, tough and rigid products Can be shaped when heated into forms such as sheets, bristles and fibres Resistant
to greases and oils Used widely in food packaging applications and for the immobilization of en-zymes and microorganisms.
Nypa Genus of palms The nipa palm (Nypa fruti-cans) is the source of a sugar-containing sap
Nystose Fructooligosaccharide comprising three fruc-tose residues and a glucose residue Produced by hydrolysis of inulin or from sucrose via the action
of fructosyltransferases.
Nyufu Type of fermented tofu.
Trang 10O2 Chemical symbol for oxygen gas
O2 absorbers Abbreviation for oxygen absorbers.
Oak Hard, durable wood, usually with a distinct grain,
obtained from oak trees, which belong to the many
species within the genus Quercus Used to impart a
distinctive aroma and flavour to foods by various
methods, including smoking (e.g for meat
prod-ucts and fish), storing and/or ageing in oak barrels
(e.g for wines and spirits), and addition of oak
wood supplements or extracts The term is also used to
describe the smoky flavour and aroma characteristics
of wines and spirits aged in oak barrels
Oat bran Outer layer found under the hull of the oat
grain which forms the milling fraction
Oat fibre Indigestible material derived from oats,
which comprises both soluble fibre and insoluble
fibre Used in snack foods, bakery products and
meat extenders Consumption is reported to reduce
serum cholesterol levels
Oat flakes Whole kernels of oats that are processed
by steaming, flattening through rollers and flaking
(to retain most of their nutritional value) into quick
cooking oats Flakes are white to golden in colour
and are used in breakfast cereals, bakery
prod-ucts and for further processing into muesli.
Oat flour Ground oat grains from which their outer
layers have been removed Used as an ingredient in
bakery products and snack foods.
Oat gums Gums produced from oats that are
com-posed predominantly of (1o3)(1o4)-ȕ-D-glucan
(ȕ-glucans) Used as thickeners in foods
Oatmeal Rolled or ground oats Also refers to
por-ridge made from rolled or ground oats
Oat oils Oils extracted from oats Highly unsaturated
and containing high levels of linoleic acid.
Oatrim Trade name for fibre-rich fat substitutes
made from hydrolysed oat flour and oat bran
con-taining 5% ȕ-glucans soluble fibre Imparts a creamy
mouthfeel to a range of foods, including bakery
products, salad dressings, confectionery and
dairy products.
Oats Edible starchy grain derived from plants
belong-ing to the genus Avena, particularly A sativa, A
steri-tis and A strigosa, used as a cereal food A rich source
of vitamin B1; also rich in protein and high in fat Oat starch Starch isolated from oats.
Obesity Condition in which body wt is excessive
due to the accumulation of body fat Commonly
de-fined as a body mass index of t30 kg/m2
; in
con-trast to overweight (25-29.9 kg/m2) Associated with
increased risk of developing a range of diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, adult-onset dia-betes and some forms of cancer Lifestyle
interven-tions to prevent or reverse obesity include adoption of
a wt loss diet, increased physical activity and/or consuming functional foods designed for this
pur-pose
Obesumbacterium Genus of strictly aerobic,
rod-shaped Gram negative bacteria of the family En-terobacteriaceae. Obesumbacterium proteus, a
common contaminant of brewers yeasts, is respon-sible for producing off odour and nitrosamines in fermenting beer worts.
Oca Common name for Oxalis tuberosa, the stem
tu-bers of which are eaten like potatoes The oxalic acid present in some cultivars can be removed by sun drying or freeze drying Also known as iribia, cuiba
and New Zealand yams
Ochratoxin A Most toxic of the known
ochratox-ins Produced by Aspergillus ochraceus and
Penicil-lium verrucosum Consumption of contaminated foods
(e.g cereals, oleaginous seeds, poultry meat, grapes, wines, pulses and green coffee) gives
rise to human exposure Potentially carcinogenic to humans, and also nephrotoxic and weakly mutagenic
Contaminated feeds have a major impact on the poultry industry, producing reduced wt gain, poor feed conversion, reduced production of eggs and poor quality of egg shells.
Ochratoxins Mycotoxins produced by certain
spe-cies of Penicillium (e.g P viridicatum) and Asper-gillus (e.g A ochraceus) during growth on foods and
feeds (e.g wheat, rye, barley, oats, corn and pea-nuts) Nephrotoxic and carcinogenic in humans and animals (e.g cattle and swine) when ingested in
con-taminated foods and feeds