Benders'dictionary of nutrition and food technology

363pedometer Portable device that records number of paces walked,and therefore approximate distance travelled.peeling Five main techniques are used industrially to peel fruitsand vegetables. Flash steam peeling using high-pressure steam toraise the surface temperature without cooking, followed by rapidrelease of pressure so that the surface layer flashes off. Knifepeeling uses either stationary blades pressed against rotatingfood or rotating blades pressed against stationary food. In abrasionpeeling the food is fed onto carborundum-coated rollers orinto a rotating carborundum-coated drum. Caustic peeling (lyepeeling) uses a solution of sodium hydroxide (known as lye) tosoften the outer layer, followed by wet or dry tumbling to removeit. Flame peeling rotates the food through a furnace to burn offthe outer layer.Pekar test A comparative test of flour colour.pekmez Turkish; thick jelly made by evaporating grape juice, thebasis of Turkish delight and other sugar confectionery. Alsogeneral Balkan name for jam.pekoe See tea.pellagra The disease due to deficiency of the vitamin niacin andthe amino acid tryptophan. Signs include a characteristic photosensitivedermatitis (especially on the face and back of hands),resembling severe sunburn; mental disturbances (a depressivepsychosis sometimes called dementia); and digestive disorders(most commonly diarrhoea); fatal if untreated. Most commonlyassociated with a diet based on maize or sorghum, which arepoor sources of both tryptophan and niacin, with little meat orother vegetables.PEM See protein–energy malnutrition.pemmican Mixture of dried, powdered meat and fat, used as aconcentrated food source, e.g. on expeditions.penicillamine Chelating agent used to enhance the excretion ofcopper in wilson’s disease.penicillin The first antibiotic; found in the culture fluid of themould Penicillium notatum in 1929. Active against a wide rangeof bacteria and of great value clinically. Not used as food preservativebecause of the danger that repeated small doses willincrease the development of penicillin-resistant organisms.Penicillium A genus of moulds; apart from the productionof penicillin, several species are valuable in the ripening ofcheeses. P. roquefortii is responsible for the blue veining ofRoquefort, Gorgonzola and other blue cheeses. Other speciesare responsible for spoilage, and may form mycotoxins in foods(e.g. the unidentified nephrotoxin from P. polonicum).