Benders'dictionary of nutrition and food technology

176equilibrium moisture content The moisture content of a wetmaterial which is in equilibrium with its surroundingatmosphere.equilibrium, nitrogen See nitrogen balance.equilibrium relative humidity The relative humidity of the atmospherewhich is in equilibrium with a wet material with a specifiedmoisture content and at a specified temperature.ercalciol See vitamin d.erepsin Obsolete name for a mixture of enzymes contained inintestinal juice, including aminopeptidases and dipeptidases.ergocalciferol See vitamin d.ergosterol A sterol isolated from yeast; when subjected to ultravioletirradiation, it is converted to ercalciol (ergocalciferol,vitamin D 2 ). The main source of manufactured vitamin d.ergot A fungus that grows on grasses and cereal grains; the ergotof medical importance is Claviceps purpurea, which grows onrye. The consumption of infected rye is harmful, causing thedisease known as St Anthony’s Fire (ergotism), and can be fatal.The active principles in ergot are alkaloids (ergotinine, ergotoxine,ergotamine, ergometrine, etc.), which yield lysergic acid(the active component) on hydrolysis. Its effect is to increase thetone and contraction of smooth muscle, particularly of the pregnantuterus. For this reason ergot has been used in obstetrics, butpure ergonovine maleate and ergotonine tartrate are preferable.Ergotism is poisoning by ergot infection of rye which occursfrom time to time among people eating rye bread. The last outbreakin the UK was in Manchester in 1925, when there were200 cases. Symptoms appear when as little as 1% of ergotinfectedrye is included in the flour.eriodictin A flavonoid (flavonone) found in citrus pith.erucic acid A mono-unsaturated fatty acid, cis-13-docosenoicacid (C22:1 ω9) found in rape seed (Brassica napus) and mustardseed (B. junca and B. nigra) oils; it may constitute 30–50% of theoil in some varieties. Causes fatty infiltration of heart muscle inexperimental animals; low erucic acid varieties of rape seed havebeen developed for food use (canbra oil).See also canola.eructation Belching, the act of bringing up air from the stomach,with a characteristic sound.erythorbic acid The d-isomer of ascorbic acid, also called d-araboascorbic acid and iso-ascorbic acid; only slight vitamin cactivity. Used in food processing as an antioxidant.erythritol A sugar alcohol, used as a bulk sweetener (derivedfrom the four-carbon sugar erythrose), manufactured by fermentationof glucose; 60–70% as sweet as sucrose.