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Ingredient Glossary - P

Partial Hydrogenation: The process of heating oil and passing hydrogen bubbles through it. The fatty acids in the oil then acquire some of the hydrogen, which makes it denser. If you fully hydrogenate, you create a solid (a fat) out of the oil. But if you stop part way, you a semi-solid partially hydrogenated oil that has a consistency like butter, only it's a lot cheaper. Over time, partially hydrogenated oils have become a mainstay in margarines, commercially baked goods, and snack foods. When saturated fat was fingered as a contributor to high cholesterol, companies such as McDonalds and Dunkin Donuts switched from beef tallow to partially hydrogenated vegetable oil for frying French fries and donuts. 


     Note: 
Until the 1970's, food producers used coconut oil to get that buttery flavor and texture. The

American obesity epidemic began when it was replaced with partially hydrogenated vegetable oil -- most often      soybean oil. 


Unlike butter or virgin coconut oil, hydrogenated oils contain high levels of trans fats. Trans fats interfere   with the metabolic processes of life by taking the place of a natural substance that performs a critical function. Partially hydrogenated oils are linked with producing diseases like multiple sclerosis and allergies that lead to arthritis. Partially hydrogenated oils make you gain weight the same way that saturated fats do -- by making you consume even more fat to get the essential fatty acids you need. But partially hydrogenated fats are even worse. Not only do they produce disease over the long term, but they interfere with the body's ability to ingest and utilize the good fats. Worse, most partially hydrogenated oil is partially hydrogenated soybean oil. That's a problem, because soybean oil depresses the thyroid--which lowers your energy levels. Of course, soybeans have been used for centuries in the Orient--but mostly as the basis for soy sauce and tofu. Asians didn't have soy milk, soy burgers, soy this and soy that. Most of all, they never used concentrated essence of soybean, in the form of soybean oil. And they didn't hydrogenate it, and they didn't use it in everything.


phylloquinone: It is often called vitamin K1. It is a fat-soluble vitamin that is stable to air and moisture but decomposes in sunlight. It is found naturally 
in a wide variety of green plants.

Prolamins:  Prolamins are a group of plant storage proteins having a high proline content and found on plant materials mainly like in the seeds of cereal grains: wheat (gliadin), barley (hordein), rye (secalin), corn (zein), sorghum (kafirin) and as a minor protein, avenin in oats.


polydextrose: A food ingredient classified as soluble fiber and is frequently used to increase the fiber content of food, replace sugar, reduce calories and reduce fat content. It is a multi-purpose food ingredient synthesized from dextrose, plus about 10 percent sorbitol and 1 percent citric acid. Polydextrose is commonly used as a replacement for sugar, starch, and fat in commercial cakes, candies, dessert mixes, gelatins, frozen desserts, puddings, and salad dressings. It is frequently used as an ingredient in low-carb, sugar-free and diabetic cooking recipes. It's also used as a humectant, stabilizer and thickening agent.


Polyglycerol Esters: Are widely used in many applications in the food and cosmetic industries. They notably function as emulsifiers, dispersants, thickeners, solubilizers, spreading agents, or emollients. 


Polyosrbate 60: Oily liquids derived from sorbitol. Polysorbates are a class of emulsifiers used in some pharmaceuticals and food preparation. It is often used in cosmetics to solubilize essential oils into water-based products.


polysorbate 80: Polysorbate 80 is a nonionic surfactant and emulsifier derived from polyoxylated sorbitan and oleic acid, and is often used in foods. Polysorbate 80 is a viscous, water-soluble yellow liquid. It is often used in ice cream to prevent milk proteins from completely coating the fat droplets. This allows them to join together in chains and nets, to hold air in the mixture, and provide a firmer texture, holding its shape as the ice cream melts. It is also used in commercial pickle products. 
potassium carbonate Potassium carbonate is a white salt, soluble in water (insoluble in alcohol), which forms a strongly alkaline solution. It is used in the production of soap and glass. Mixed with water it causes gives off heat that results in a temperature change. In cuisine, it is used as an ingredient in the production of grass jelly, a food consumed in Chinese and Southeast Asian cuisines. It is sometimes used as a buffering agent in the production of mead or wine.


Potassium Chloride: Commonly known as "Muriate of Potash". White potash, sometimes referred to as soluble potash, is usually higher in analysis and is used primarily for making liquid starter fertilizers. It is also used in medicine, scientific applications, food processing, as a sodium-free substitute for table salt (sodium chloride), and in judicial execution through lethal injection. It occurs naturally as the mineral sylvite and in combination with sodium chloride as sylvinite. Also, as an alternative to sodium chloride in household water softener units. It is also used in Dasani water. 

potassium citrate: It is rapidly absorbed when given by mouth and is excreted in the urine as the carbonate. It is, therefore, effective in reducing the pain and frequency of micturition when these are caused by highly acidic urine. It is used for this purpose in dogs and cats, but is chiefly employed as a non-irritating diuretic. Potassium citrate is an effective way to treat/manage gout and arrhythmia, if the patient is hypokalemic: the condition in which the concentration of potassium in the blood is low. It is widely used to treat urinary calculi (kidney stones), and is often used by patients with cystinuria. It is also used in many soft drinks as a buffer.


potassium phosphate dibasic: This product is a dietary supplement, used if you are on a special diet or if your phosphorus intake is low.


Potassium Sorbate: The potassium salt of sorbic acid. Its primary use is as a mild food preservative. Potassium sorbate is effective in a variety of applications including food, wine, and personal care. It is used to inhibit molds, and yeasts in many foods, such as cheese, wine, yogurt, dried meats, and baked goods. It can also be found in the ingredients list of many dried fruit products. In addition, herbal dietary supplement products generally contain potassium sorbate, which acts to prevent mold and microbes and to increase shelf life, and is used in quantities at which there are no known adverse health effects. Also known affectionately as "wine stabilizer", potassium sorbate produces sorbic acid when added to wine. It serves two purposes. When active fermentation has ceased and the wine is racked for the final time after clearing, potassium sorbate will render any surviving yeast incapable of multiplying.


Propylene Glycol: Thickening agent in Ice cream, cheese, candy, yogurt. Propylene glycol alginate, a chemically-modified algin, thickens acidic foods (soda pop, salad dressing) and can stabilize the foam in beer. Propylene glycol is used as a moisturizer in medicines, cosmetics, food, toothpaste, mouthwash, and tobacco products


Protein Concentrate: A human or animal dietary supplement that has a very high protein content. LPC (leaf protein concentrate) is a concentrated form of the proteins found in the leaves of plants. It has been examined as a human or animal food source, because it is potentially the cheapest, most abundant source of available protein. Although humans can derive some protein from the direct consumption of leaf vegetables, the human digestive system would not be able to deal with the enormous bulk of leaves needed to meet dietary protein requirements with leaf vegetables alone.


pyridoxine hydrochloride: Pyridoxine is one of the compounds that can be called vitamin B6. Pyridoxine assists in the balancing of sodium and potassium as well as promoting red blood cell production. It is linked to cardiovascular health by decreasing the formation of homocysteine. It has been suggested that Pyridoxine might help children with learning difficulties, and may also prevent dandruff, eczema, and psoriasis 

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