Figuring Out Food: Carbohydrates

Ingredients

The ingredients are corn, vegetable oil ( corn canola and/or sunflower oil), whole brown rice flour, whole buckwheat flour, sugar, toasted corn germ, salt, and oregano extract (antioxidant).

Food:

• Corn
• Whole brown rice flour
• Whole buckwheat flour

These ingredients are considered food because they are present naturally and can be eaten.

Additive:

• Salt- This is used to add flavor to the chips.
• Sugar-This is used to add sweetness to the chips.
• Oregano extract (antioxidant)- This ingredient is a a type of preservative and is used to help prevent fats and oils from becoming rancid. It also helps prevent the food from developing an off flavor.
• Toasted corn germ- This is used to add nutrients to the chips because corn germ is high in fiber.
• Vegetable oil- This is used to make sure the dough of the chips do not rise and to give the chips more flavor.

Minerals

The two minerals that are found in high quantity in the chips are sodium (Na) and phosphorus (P). Sodium is an important mineral in food because it plays a role in muscle contraction, the nervous system, blood pressure regulation, fluid balance, and acid-base balance. Without sodium, the roles in the human body such as transferring minerals in and out of cells, cells communicating (sodium potassium pump), and the distribution of fluid (make sure cells and tissues do not swell or shrink) throughout the body would not function properly. Phosphorus is also an important mineral because it is involved in bone formation, energy production, energy storage, hormone activation and is an acid-base balance. This is why sodium and phosphorus are important in the human body (FDA website).

Carbohydrates

Ingredients that contribute to total amount of carbohydrates.

Sugar

The ingredients that contribute sugar to these chips are corn, sugar, toasted corn germ, and oregano extract.  There are naturally occurring sugars and added sugars in the chips. The corn, toasted corn germ, and oregano extract contain natural sugars of fructose and glucose which are monosaccharides. The ingredient of table sugar (sucrose) is an added sugar and it is a disaccharide. The reason table sugar is a disaccharide is because it is made of glucose and fructose.

Fiber 

The ingredients that are contributing to fiber are corn, whole brown rice flour, whole buckwheat flour, toasted corn germ, and oregano extract. The fibers that are most likely present are insoluble because insoluble fibers are found in buckwheat, corn, corn germ, and brown rice. The oregano extract probably has soluble fiber because oregano is a leafy plant.

Starch

The ingredients that are contributing to the amount of starch in the chips are corn, whole brown rice flour, whole buckwheat flour, toasted corn germ, and oregano extract. These ingredients have starch because starches are found in grains and vegetables. Starches are made of many glucose monomers linked together. Starch is found in plants as either amylose or amylopectin.

Calories Due to Carbohydrates

The calories due to carbohydrates in Tostitos multigrain scoops is 68 calories per serving. I calculated this number by looking at the nutrition label and seeing that carbohydrates has 4 calories per gram. Since the food I chose has 17 grams of carbohydrates per serving, I multiplied 17 times 4 to get 68 calories. This shows that 68 calories out of the 140 calories per serving are from fat. About 49% of the calories from a serving of these chips is from carbohydrates.