← Food Preparation & Nutrition syllabus

EnglandFood Preparation & Nutrition

Area 4: The science of food

5 dot points across 5 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

What happens to starch and sugar when they are heated with or without water?

The functional and chemical properties of carbohydrate: gelatinisation of starch, dextrinisation, caramelisation and the use of sugar and starch in cooking, with the conditions that cause each and food examples.
A focused answer on the functional and chemical properties of carbohydrate for Eduqas GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition (C560), covering gelatinisation of starch, dextrinisation and caramelisation, the conditions that cause each, and their food examples in sauces, baking and sweets.
9 min answer →

What happens to proteins when food is whisked, heated or mixed with water?

The functional and chemical properties of protein: denaturation, coagulation, foam formation (aeration of egg) and gluten formation, with food examples and the conditions that cause each.
A focused answer on the functional and chemical properties of protein for Eduqas GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition (C560), covering denaturation, coagulation, foam formation and gluten formation, the conditions that cause them, and their food examples.
9 min answer →

What jobs do fats and oils do in cooking, and how do emulsions hold together?

The functional properties of fats and oils: shortening, aeration and plasticity, and emulsification, with the conditions that cause each, the role of emulsifiers such as egg yolk lecithin, and food examples.
A focused answer on the functional properties of fats and oils for Eduqas GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition (C560), covering shortening, aeration and plasticity, and emulsification, the role of emulsifiers such as egg yolk lecithin, and food examples in pastry, cakes and sauces.
9 min answer →

How is gas introduced into a mixture so that baked goods rise?

Raising agents: chemical (baking powder, bicarbonate of soda), biological (yeast), mechanical (whisking, creaming, sieving, lamination) and steam, the gas each produces and how it makes a mixture rise, with food examples.
A focused answer on raising agents for Eduqas GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition (C560), covering chemical (baking powder, bicarbonate of soda), biological (yeast), mechanical and steam raising agents, the gas each produces, and how it makes cakes, breads and pastries rise.
9 min answer →

Why do we cook food, and how does heat travel into it?

Why food is cooked (safety, digestibility, palatability, variety and shelf life) and the three methods of heat transfer into food: conduction, convection and radiation, each linked to cooking methods.
A focused answer on why food is cooked and how heat is transferred for Eduqas GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition (C560), covering the reasons for cooking (safety, digestibility, palatability, variety, shelf life) and conduction, convection and radiation with cooking examples.
9 min answer →