Food Science

Food Science was a Trial Event in states such as Texas and North Carolina for quite a while. When it is run in Texas as a trial, it differs from many other states. This is Food Science's debut year.

Macromolecules
Macromolecules are very large molecules. They are conventionally four different biopolymers: Lipids, carbohydrates, proteins, and nucleic acids. The last does not apply to Food Science therefore we only need to pay attention to the first three. In each of these categories of macromolecules, some subcategories exist.

Lipids
Lipids have many subcategories, such as fats, waxes, and sterols.

Fats
Fats are most commonly found as triglycerides. Triglycerides are made up of a glycerol backbone with three fatty acids attached.

Carbohydrates
Carbs consist of starches and sugars. In this event, the most common types of sugars you have to know are monosaccharides and disaccharides. Glucose, galactose and fructose are the three most common mono. and Maltose, Sucrose, and Lactose are the most common disaccharides. Starches are long chains of (most commonly) glucose that have two forms: amylose and amylopectin.

Proteins
Proteins are polymers of amino acids. They are a source of Nitrogen in the diet and are necessary to live. Most protein rich food is eggs.

Testing
At the competition, you may be given a written test along with a lab. The most common test that you are expected to perform are '''Benedict's, Burets, Sudan IV/III, Grease Spot test, and Iodine. '''Benedict's tests for reducing sugars, Burets for proteins, Sudan and grease spot for fats and Iodine for starches. More in depth info about these test and their procedure can be found online.

You may also have to know about the periodic table. Know how to read chemical formulas, chemical bonds, and knowing what the abbreviations are.

Competition Tips
Stations may be a way the event is run. Generally you will be crunched for time at some stations, and be left with too much time at others. If you are at a station that involves math, and you then run out of time; write down the numbers and question and use your extra time at the other stations to finish that question.

Because this event is new even when you feel lost, you may be surprised at how well you place. This event has little specific information available at this time, so a good binder is key.