Glossary

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  • Vitamers

    Chemical compounds structurally related to a vitamin, and converted to the same overall active metabolites in the body. They thus possess the same biological activity. Any one of a number of compounds that have specific vitamin activity.  

  • Vitafoods

    Foods designed to meet the needs of health conscious consumers which enhance physical or mental quality of life and may increase health status.  

  • Villi, intestinal

    Small, finger-like processes covering the surface of the small intestine in large numbers (20-40/mm2), projecting some 0.5-1 mm into the lumen. They provide a large surface area (about 300 m2) for absorption in the small intestine. Tiny finger-like projections lining the interior of the small intestine that absorb fluid and nutrients. Small, fingerlike projections that…

  • Verbascose

    A non-digestible tetrasaccharide, galactose-galactose-glucose-fructose, found in legumes; fermented by intestinal bacteria and causes flatulence.  

  • Vegans

    Vegans

    A fully plant-based eating regimen. Those who consume no foods of animal origin. (Vegetarians often consume milk and/or eggs-). A strict vegetarian. Someone who does not eat meat, dairy produce, eggs or fish and eats only vegetables and fruit. An individual who subsists on a diet free of meat, milk, egg, cheese, and fish. May…

  • Van der Waals forces

    Interaction through space of two non-polar groups. The relatively weak forces of attraction between molecules that contribute to intermolecular bonding (i.e., binding-together two or more adjacent molecules). Historically, it was thought that van der Waals forces were always weaker than the hydrogen bond forces responsible for intramolecular bonding. However, in 1995, Dr. Alfred French discovered…

  • US department of agriculture (USDA)

    Created as an independent department in 1862; website http: / /www.usda.gov.  

  • US recommended daily allowances (USRDA

    Reference intakes used for nutritional labelling of foods in the USA.  

  • Uric acid

    The end-product of purine metabolism. The final end product of certain proteins in the body or from the diet, especially the nucleoproteins found in the nucleus of cells. Unlike the much smaller protein waste product urea, which is mostly recycled to form many amino acids, uric acid is an unrecyclable metabolite. It is a bent…

  • Untranslated region (UTR)

    Areas of the mRNA transcript that do not encode for protein synthesis but may contain features that control the regulation of gene expression. These are found both proximal (5′) and distal (3′) to the coding sequence.  

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