Description
This article is from the Food Science
FAQ, bypking123@sympatico.ca (Paul E. J. King) with numerous
contributions by others.
4. Food Related Terms Definitions S-T
Selected
Primarily a marketing term, implying superior quality. It should
not be used unless it can be substantiated that the product quality has
been enhanced by an actual selection process.
Sensory
Relating to the use of the sense organs. (Note the distinction from
'organoleptic' 'relating to an attribute of a product perceptible by the
sense organs')..
BS 5098 (identical with ISO 5492: 1992) entitled 'Sensory Analysis
Vocabulary' provides an extensive and authoritative set of definitions
of terms relating to sensory analysis.
Snack
A small quantity of food, eaten informally between, or in place of,
main meals.
Snackfood (Snack food)
A convenient food item specifically manufactured for use as a
snack.
Spoilage
Any perceivable change undergone by a food, through any cause, that
renders it unwholesome or unacceptable for use. Spoilage is usually the
result of enzyme or microbial action resulting, for example, in
lipolytic rancidity, putrefaction, fermentation, or mould growth; but
food can also spoil by other means, for example overlong storage,
non-enzymic browning, or exposure to air or light. In practice the term
is most frequently applied to categorising such deteriorative changes
(other than food infection or intoxication) when caused by
microorganisms.
Steak
'Steak' has, in the past, been taken to mean a cut or thick slice
from the beef animal. However, a judgement in the Court of Appeal in
1986 allowed a re-formed product to be called 'Chicken Breast Steaks
Flaked and Formed Chicken in a Crispy Crumb' on the grounds that the
description of the product, as a whole, was clear, accurate and not
misleading. This judgement, therefore, means that 'steak' can be used,
provided that it is properly qualified, as a generic term, probably in
relation to any animal, bird or fish normally used for human consumption,
and whether or not the meat has been re-formed.
Traditional
One way of defining 'traditional' in relation to foods and food
processes is to say it is the opposite of 'new' or 'modern' (cf. the
FAC's use of 'traditional' with the intention to exclude novel foods,
see 'natural', above). It can also be applied to a particular
characteristic of a food; for example 'traditional flavour', 'made in
the traditional way'. This leaves unresolved, however, the question "at
what point does yesterday's 'new' or 'modern' become today's
'traditional'?". One suspects that for each generation, 'traditional'
means anything up to and including the foods and methods of one's early
youth! For some, 'traditional' appears to mean rule-of-thumb craft-based
rather than based on science/technology.
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