Food Science: Vitamins and Minerals Online Quiz

Percent Daily Value (%DV) indicates how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet, based on standard daily recommendations. This percentage helps consumers understand the nutritional contribution of a food product at a glance.

In food fortification, the food vehicle is the specific food carrier (such as salt, milk, or flour) to which micronutrients are added. This vehicle is chosen because it is widely consumed by the target population.

Fortification refers to the practice of deliberately increasing the content of an essential micronutrient in a food to improve its nutritional quality and address public health deficiencies. This differs from enrichment, which specifically restores nutrients lost during processing.

Bioavailability is the proportion of a nutrient that is absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract and becomes available for use or storage in the body. Different chemical forms of nutrients and food matrices can significantly alter this rate.

Major minerals, also known as macrominerals, are required by the body in amounts of 100 milligrams or more per day. Examples include calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, and potassium.

A precursor, or provitamin, is an inactive compound that can be converted by the body into an active vitamin. For example, beta-carotene is a precursor that the body converts into active vitamin A.

Enrichment is the process of adding nutrients back to a food product that were lost during its processing, such as adding B vitamins back to refined white flour. This is distinct from fortification, which involves adding nutrients that were not originally present.

Trace minerals, or microminerals, are essential minerals that the body needs in amounts of less than 100 milligrams per day. Examples include iron, zinc, copper, selenium, and iodine.

Water-soluble vitamins, which include vitamin C and the B-complex vitamins, dissolve easily in water and are not stored in large amounts in the body. Excess amounts of these vitamins are typically excreted in urine.

Fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K) dissolve in lipids (fats) and are absorbed along with dietary fats. Because they can be stored in the body's fatty tissues and liver, they do not need to be consumed as frequently as water-soluble vitamins.

Retinol is the preformed, active form of vitamin A found in animal-derived foods. Beta-carotene, on the other hand, is a precursor (provitamin) found in plants that must be converted by the body into retinol.

The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) is the average daily level of intake sufficient to meet the nutrient requirements of nearly all healthy individuals in a particular life stage and gender group.

Vitamins are organic compounds that do not provide energy (calories) but are vital for regulating metabolic processes, growth, and development. Minerals are also micronutrients but are inorganic rather than organic.