Nutrition is the all-important process which is why all Berry
Readers are still alive and checking out our website. It is a
process of obtaining the materials (food) to sustain life and
growth. While students will most likely only think of human-edible
food, the subtopics covering SPM Biology Form 4 is more than that.
So this Part 1 of the new series on Nutrition for SPM Form 4
Biology by Berry Berry Easy is focussed on the types of nutrition
and some basic definitions. Here, youll learn about self-sustaining
autotrophs and the more reliant heterotrophs.
[Tips: Sometimes students make the mistake of not considering
photoautotroph and chemoautotroph as a subset of autotrophs.
Similarly, some students also fail to acknowledge that saprophyte,
holozoic, carnivourous plants, parasites are subset of heterotrophs
as they do not contain the word 'hetero' or 'trophs'. This is wrong
and it'll be useful to draw a family tree inclusive of examples to
properly categorise the categories.]
SPM Biology Form 4 Notes Nutrition (Part I)
Photoautotrophs
Type of Nutrition Nutrition process by which organisms obtain
energy and nutrients from food, for growth, maintenance and repair
of damaged tissues.
Nutrients the important substances which are required for
nourishment of an organisms.
Living organisms are divided into two groups (based on the
nutritional habits): autotrophs and heterotrophs.
(i) Autotroph Autotrophs organisms that are able to synthesise
complex organic compounds from raw, simple inorganic substances
(water and air) by using light or chemical energy. These organisms
manufacture their own food by photosynthesis or chemosynthesis.
Photoautotrophs chlorophyll containing organisms that utilise
solar energy for building organic substance.
Photoautotropic nutrition = holophytic nutrition.
Chemoautotrophs organisms synthesise organic substances by
utilising chemical energy.
AutotrophsExample
PhotoautotrophTrees
ChemoautotrophBacteria
(ii) Heterotroph Heterotrophs organisms that are not able to
synthesise their own nutrients but they obtain the nutrients from
other organisms.
Holozoic nutrition organisms feed by ingesting solid organic
matter that digested and absorbed into the bodies.
Saprophytism organisms feed on dead and decaying organic
matter.
Parasitism organisms obtains nutrients (absorbs readily digested
food) by living on / in the body of another living organisms (the
host)
HeterotrophsExample
SaprophyteFungi
Holozoic nutritionCarnivores
Carnivorous plants (Holozoic nutrition)Venus traps and pitcher
plants
ParasitesLice and fleas
This ends Part 1 of the series of study notes by Berry Berry
Easy on Nutrition for SPM Biology Form 4 students. In the next
part, Berry Readers will learn about balanced diet and the seven
important classes of food for SPM-level biology. So do stay
tuned.
A balanced diet is the most important step to maintain ones good
health. It is the key to reach a balance between having enough
energy for daily activities and also to maintain a healthy weight.
There is also a misconception that a good diet consist of no fat,
no sugar, no salt and other extreme measures. This is wrong as a
balanced diet is more important than the devoid of any important
classes of food. This post, Part II of study notes from Berry Berry
Easy on Nutrition for SPM Biology Form 4 students will be focused
on balanced diet and the important classes of food. So do read on.
It is a simple topic that is moderately popular in exams.
[Tips: In view of the topic, the following tips will not be
study tips but nutritional tips instead. Instead of avoiding sugar
and salt completely, it is advisable to just limit the intake of
simple sugar and limit salt consumption (while ensuring that the
salt is already iodised). Also, if you intend to go vegetarian,
make sure that you take in all the essential amino acids too.
Avocado and pumpkin seeds are useful to provide all the essential
amino acids, which are typically only available in animal-based
diet.]
SPM Biology Form 4 Notes Nutrition (Part II)
Human Teeth
Balanced Diet Diet the food and drink that we consume.
Balanced diet diet contains the correct proportions of all the
different classes of foods for the requirement of body.
Metabolisms the sum of all biochemical reactions that occur in
the cells of living organisms.
Metabolic rate a measure of the energy demands of the living
body over a specified period of time. Unit kilojoule (kJ)
Energy value / calorific value of food the quantity of heat
produced when one gram of food is completely oxidised. Unit Joules
per gram (J g-1) or calories.
Energy value = (Mass of water x Increase in temperature x 4.2 )
/ Mass of food
Energy value = (g)(C)(J g-1C-1) / (g) = J g-1Seven Important
Classes of Food1. Carbohydrates (provide energy)
2. Proteins (Build new tissues / important in growth and
repairing damaged tissues)
3. Fats (provide energy / storage of extra foods)
4. Water (act as medium for biochemical reaction /
transportation of substances)
5. Vitamins (prevent diseases / efficient metabolism / important
for normal growth)
6. Minerals (important for normal growth and development of
teeth, bones and muscles)
7. Roughage / Dietary fiber (prevent constipation / stimulate
peristalsis)
This marks the end of Part 2 of notes from Berry Berry Easy on
Nutrition for SPM Biology Form 4 students. In the next part, Part
III, Berry Readers will learn about the many factors affecting
daily energy requirement and the basics of food energy content.
Daily energy requirement simply means the energy required per
day for activities. Typically, it can be calculated using your
basal metabolism rate (BMR), which is the least amount of energy
required to ensure that your body organs are functioning well and
also to maintain your body temperature around 36.9 degree Celcius.
The daily energy requirement is dependent on many factors which is
stated in this Part 3 of Berry Berry Easy SPM Biology Form 4 notes
on Nutrition. In this post, Berry Readers will also be exposed to
the concept of food energy content.
[Tips: Students often make the mistake of confusing calories and
joules. Most of the time it is due not converting the units when
solving calculation-based questions. Sometimes it is the use of
multiplication instead of division, and vice versa during the
conversion. Just remember that a calorie is 4.2 joules, so to
convert calorie to joule, you'll multiply 4.2. To convert joule to
calorie, you divide by a factor of 4.2. So make sure that you do
all the necessary conversions of calories to joules in a correct
manner.]
SPM Biology Form 4 Notes Nutrition (Part III)
Nutrition Tag
Factors Affecting Daily Energy RequirementBalance diet is
essential for healthy growth and development of the body.
1. Age children and teenagers need more energy due to their high
metabolic rate.
2. Sex male adult needs more energy due to in males have high
metabolic rate.
3. Pregnancy and lactation pregnant women need more energy due
to support the growing foetuses and produce milk for their
babies.
4. Occupation an active person requires high energy due to the
person does a lot of heavy work.
5. Size or body weight a person smaller in size has a larger
surface area per unit volume. Thus, the rate of heat loss is
high.
6. Climate people living in cold countries need more energy to
maintain body temperature.
7. Genetics genetics disposition in certain person may decide
different metabolic rate.
8. Health In sufficient secretion of thyroxine hormone may cause
lower in metabolic rate.
9. Lifestyle An active person requires higher energy than a
passive person
Energy Content of Food Bomb calorimeter used to calculate the
energy value of various types of food samples.
One calorie (cal) = 4.2 joules (J)
Energy value of food (kJ g-1) = (4.2 x mass of water x increase
in temperature) / (mass of food sample x 1000), specific heat
capacity of water, C = 4.2 J g-1 C-1; mass of water in g;
temperature in C and mass of food sample in g.
This represents the end of the Part 3 of the short notes on the
topic of Nutrition for SPM Form 4 Biology students by Berry Berry
Easy. In the next post in this series of summarised notes, youll
learn about the classes of food nutrient. So do check back.
Vitamin (organic compound) is commonly recognised as one of the
food category to maintain health. Unlike the big three of
carbohydrate, protein and fat, vitamin is only required in small
amount as nutrient. Vitamin is vital as it cannot be adequately
produced by our body, hence it must be ingested through our daily
diet. At the moment, there are 13 vitamins considered to be crucial
to human health. They are Vitamin A, Vitamin B complex (variant in
B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9 and B12), Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin
E and Vitamin K.
This Part 5 of SPM Form 4 Biology notes on Nutrition by Berry
Berry Easy is all about vitamins, with heavy emphasis on
fat-soluble vitamins. In this post, youll learn the basics of the
organic compound called vitamin and the types of fat-soluble
vitamins in detail. Make sure you read it not only for your SPM
examinations, but also for daily health. So it is both an SPM
examination tips and also a daily health tip.
[Tips: Only vitamin B and C are soluble in water. The rest are
soluble in fat. For those who are proficient in Malay, you can
easily remember the word ADEK, which sounds like ADIK (younger
brother). Vitamin A, D, E and K are the vitamins soluble in
fat.]
SPM Biology Form 4 Notes Nutrition (Part V)
Vitamin Cod oil
Vitamins It is a group of complex organic compounds that are
needed in small quantities by living organisms because vitamins can
be reused in body metabolisms.
Vitamins do not provide energy to body metabolism and vitamins
are non-protein organic compounds.
Living organisms cannot synthesise vitamins.
Vitamins can be only obtained from diet.
It is essential to maintenance of good health, normal growth and
efficient metabolism.
There are two categories in vitamins: fat-soluble vitamins and
water-soluble vitamins.
Fat-soluble VitaminsTypes of VitaminsSourcesFunctionsEffect of
deficiency
A (retinol)Milk, carrots, tomatoes, eggs, fish oil, green
vegetables, butter- Builds visual pigments on retina for night
vision
- Immunity
- Growth of epithelial cells
- Antioxidant
- Build body resistance to diseases- Night blindness
- Xerophthalmia (cornea becomes dry)
- Scaly skin
D (calciferol)Formed (skin) during the presence of sunlight,
fish liver oil, egg yolk, cheese- Enhances absorption of calcium
and phosphorus
- Build strong bones and healthy teeth- Rickets (weak bones)
- Osteomalacia (softening of bones)
E (tocopherol)Palm oil, cereals, nuts, green vegetables, olive
oil, milk-- Preserves healthy muscular system, blood circulatory
(red blood cells) and nervous system
- Antioxidant
- Maintain healthy function of the reproduction system-
Premature aging
- Low fertility
- Slow wound healing
K (phylloquinone)Green vegetable, totatoes- Helps in blood
clotting- Detective blood clotting
- Anaemia
The next post, Part 6 on the short series of notes on Nutrition
for SPM Biology Form 4 student by Berry Berry Easy will continue on
the sub-topic of vitamin with emphasis being given on water-soluble
vitamins. So do read on.
Classes of food nutrient is the basic classes used in the
formulation of a healthy diet. The classical six basic classes of
food includes: Carbohydrates, Protein, Fat, Vitamins, Minerals and
Water. This Part 4 in the series of summarised study notes by Berry
Berry Easy on Nutrition for SPM Biology Form 4 students is focussed
on the classes of food nutrients. However, this part wont explain
in detail the classes on food but rather be explaining on the
general tests conducted in school labs to test the content of
foods. Berry Readers will be exposed to the name of tests, reagents
used, observation expected and conclusions regarding the
identification of classes of food nutrient. So do read on.
[Tips: Most food contain more than one of the classes of basic
nutrient. To understand this, you may look at the contents section
of your slice bread's packaging. You'll see that it contains
protein, carbohydrate, fat, vitamins, minerals and even water
(although water might not be stated). So please remember that,
chicken meat isn't all protein and rice isn't all carbohydrate. Eat
healthy, stay healthy and study hard.]
SPM Biology Form 4 Notes Nutrition (Part IV)
Classes of Food Nutrients
Classes of Food NutrientsTestReagentObservationConclusion
Benedicts testFood sample + Benedicts solution (Place in boiling
water bath)The solution turns from blue to green / yellow /
brick-red precipitate formed (depend on sugar concentration).Food
sample contains reducing sugar
Benedicts testFood sample + Benedicts solution + Dilute
hydrochloric acid (Place in boiling water bath) + neutralise by
sodium hydrogen carbonate powderThe solution turns from blue to
green / yellow / brick-red precipitate formed (depend on sugar
concentration).Food sample contains non-reducing sugar
Iodine / Starch testFood sample + Iodine solutionThe solution
turns from brownish-yellow to blue-black.Food sample contains
starch
Emulsion testFood sample + ethanolThe fat droplets formed on the
surface and the solution become cloudy.Food sample contains oil
(lipid)
Sudan III testFood sample + Sudan III stainA red-stained oil
layer separates out and float on the water surfaceFood sample
contains oil (lipid)
Fat testFood sample + filter paperA translucent mark formedFood
sample contains oil (lipid)
Millons testFood sample + Millons reagent + 1% sodium nitrite
(Place in boiling water bath)The solution turns brick-red
precipitate.Food sample contains protein
Biuret testFood sample + 20% sodium hydroxide solution and 1%
copper(II) sulphate solutionThe solution turns from blue to purple
colour.Food sample contains protein
This marks the end of Part 4 of the series of notes on Nutrition
for Form 4 Biology students taking SPM in Malaysia. In the next
part, Berry Readers will learn all about vitamins. Read all about
it to stay healthy. Water-soluble vitamins are vitamins that are
soluble in water. While it sounds obvious but its implication is
large. Because it is water-soluble, it has to be replaced daily as
the body does not store them or absorbed in the fat globules. Since
it is replaced daily, you will need to ingest them on a daily
basis. Typical source of B-complex vitamins are found in cereal,
egg, fish legume, meat, milk, poultry and others. While Vitamin C
can naturally be found in fruits (citrus based are the best as most
Berry Readers would already know from young).
So, lets think again, what the implication of water-soluble
vitamin means? It also means that these vitamins can potentially be
washed away during the preparation of food or even during storage
due to its solubility in water. So it is very different from the
fat-soluble vitamins learnt in the earlier post. As you would have
guessed it, this post, Part 6 of notes on Nutrition for SPM Form 4
Biology student from Berry Berry Easy is all about water-soluble
vitamins.
[Tips: For those who wonder how fat-soluble is stored in the
body. Vitamin "ADEK" as mentioned in the previous post is
fat-soluble, in which they are absorbed in chylomicrons which moves
through the lymphatic system of small intestines, followed by
circulation in the blood stream and finally stored in body tissues.
(This also implies the importance of fat in our body. So do not
remove too much fat from your body until you are unhealthy.As a
health tip, make sure you don't ingest too much fat-soluble
vitamins, as they can be stored in your body. A condition called
hypervitaminosis can occur if you have too much vitamin stored in
your body, and that condition is potentially harmful to your body.
So remember that, moderation is the best way to go in life.]
SPM Biology Form 4 Notes Nutrition (Part VI)
Cod fish oil
Water-soluble VitaminsTypes of VitaminsSourcesFunctionsEffect of
deficiency
B1 (thiamine)Milk, legumens, wheatgerm, yeast extract, nuts,
whole grains- Precursor of a coenzyme- Coenzyme for carbohydrates
metabolisme- Beri-beri (muscle weakness, nerve disorder)
- Fatigue
B2 (riboflavin)Milk, wheatgerm, liver, eggs- Component of
coenzyme- Healthy nervous system- Sore eyes
- Skin lesions at the corner of mouth, nose and ears
- Inflammation of tongue and lips
B3 (niacin)Liver, rice, legumes, fish, yeast extract- Component
of coenzyme- Healthy nervous system, skin and intestines- Pellagra
(skin and gastrointestinal lesions)
B5 (pantothenic acid)Fish, egg yolk, liver, meat- Component of
coenzyme for carbohydrates, protein and fatty acids metabolism-
Muscle cramps
- Fatigue
- Grey hair
- Low immunity
B6 (pyridoxine)Fish, liver, milk, potatoes- Coenzyme in amino
acid metabolism- For red blood cell formation- Kidney stone
- Muscular twitching
- Diarrhea
B9 (folic acid)Green vegetables- For DNA and RNA- For red blood
cells formation- Regulating the function of iron- Miscarriage
birth
- Cleft lips
- Limb defects of babies
B12 (cobalamin)Cheese, milk, egg, meat- Coenzyme in nucleic acid
metabolism- For red blood cells formation- Pernicious anaemia
- Neurological disorders
H (biotin)Legumes, vegetables- Coenzyme in the synthesis of fat,
glycogen and amino acid- Nausea
- Fatigue
- Muscular pains
C (ascorbic acid)Orange, tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower- Fats
and protein metabolism- Energy production- Scurvy (bleeding gums
and bruised skin)
This is the end of Part 6 of notes for SPM Biology on Nutrition.
Do read on the other berry essential notes from Berry Berry Easy.
Stay healthy too, take your vitamin but dont go overboard by having
an overdose of vitamins.