FoodNet

Experimental cookery

1932

Page 434

Presented as published in 1932. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
and the fat is not so grainy. If in addition to rapid chilling, the fat is also stirred while it is being cooled it becomes very smooth. If the temperature to which it is cooled is several degrees below its melting point the fat may become waxy and so firm that it is rather difficult to cream at ordinary temperatures. The oil does not separate from the smooth fat as the fat becomes soft. It is for this reason that only smooth lard or fat is sold in paper cartons. Grainy lard may be purchased but comes in metal contain- ers. The commercial smooth lards are not cooled sufficiently to become waxy. Fatty acids commonly found in foods. The fatty acids commonly found combined with the glycerol in food and cooking fats are palmitic, stearic, and oleic. Chemically the fatty acids of the acetic acid series have the general formula C/zH2«02. The most important of this series in foods are the palmitic and stearic, though butyric and caproic, with small amounts of caprylic and capric, form about 7 per cent of the glycerides of butter. H H H Butyric acid aproic acid Caprylic acid Capric acid Palmitic acid Stearic acid H- H- H- H H- C— C— C— C = O H H -i I H H I H H i I H H I -C- c = o I OH ■Hn I ■HJ4 nH- I C ■H-Je OH ■H-| C — C = 0 I I i-H-Jg OH O H H I H -H- I C I ■H- •H- i I l-H- — C = I 14 OH O — C = 0 6h HEAT DECOMPOSITION 547 Of the fatty acid series with the general formula CnrL^?i-JD^ oleic acid is the most important in food fats. The acids of this series contain one double bond in the chain and are unsaturated. H rH- Oleic acid „4. i ■H- — C= C— ■H-n I c ■H- — C = O I 7 OH Linolic acid belongs to the fatty acid series with the general formula CnH2n-402. Linolic and linolenic acids are very important because they are necessary for proper functioning of the body, and the animal body does not have the ability to synthesize the unsaturated fatty acids. Linolic acid contains two double bonds. Linolenic acid belongs to the series CnH2n-602 and contains three double bonds. When oils or fats are hydrogenated, it is generally agreed that the more highly unsaturated acids are the first to become saturated. Though present in only small amounts both linolic and linolenic acids may influence the properties of foods. Their effect, or the effect of their oxidation products, on gluten quality has been considered. The glycerides with more than one double bond also oxidize readily. The shortening power of a fat or oil because of the number of double bonds it contains is still to be discussed. Glycerol. Glycerol or glycerin and fatty acids are formed by hydrolysis of the fats by enzymes during digestion or by saponification, i.e., hydrolysis by alkalies. Glycerine has the ability to retain moisture to a high degree, being more hygroscopic than the levulose compounds. It has long been used by many European bakers to retain the moisture in cakes, cookies, etc. H I H— C— OH H— C— H „-i- -OH y C— H + 2 H2O H— C— OH H— C = O I H glycerol acrolein water