#nutrition

• Aberdeen (city) — A major coastal city in northeastern Scotland, holding profound relevance in the history of epidemiology, medical sciences, and global nutritional research. It is home to the renowned University of Aberdeen (founded in 1495) and the Rowett Institute, sites of foundational discoveries in infection control (such as Alexander Ogston's pioneering work on staphylococci) and public nutrition policies applied internationally.
• Acaloric — A term used in nutrition and biochemistry to describe a food, product, sweetener, or substance that provides no energy to the body upon ingestion, possessing a net zero or negligible caloric value. These substances pass through the digestive tract without being metabolized into energy-generating macronutrients, making them widely used in therapeutic dietary regimens, weight management, and the nutritional control of diabetes mellitus.
• Aerophyte — As a noun, it designates a plant (or vegetable organism) that extracts its water and nutrients directly from the air, atmospheric moisture, or precipitation, without having direct contact with the soil. Many of these plants are epiphytes (such as certain bromeliad or orchid species) and use trees merely as structural support, not as a food source. As an adjective, it describes the quality of a plant belonging to this ecological type.
• Agrochemical — Pertaining to agrochemistry; relating to the use of chemical substances (fertilizers, pesticides, growth regulators) in agriculture to stimulate production and protect crops. The term describes processes, substances, or laboratory analyses that monitor the interaction between chemical nutrients, soil composition, and plant physiology.
• Agrochemistry — A branch of applied chemistry and agronomy that studies the chemical and biochemical processes in soil and plants, the relationships between plants, soil, and fertilizers, as well as the methods of utilizing chemical substances in agriculture. This science provides the theoretical framework for optimizing plant nutrition, systematically increasing crop yields, and preventing environmental chemical pollution.
• Agrochemist — A specialist in agrochemistry; a person involved in the chemical study of soil, fertilizers, and plants to improve agricultural crop yields. This professional analyzes the chemical composition of soils in specialized laboratories to prescribe fertilization formulas tailored to the specific needs of each crop type.
• Agrology — A branch of agronomy and soil science that deals with the study of the structure, composition, and properties of soils in direct relation to the nutrition, development, and productivity of cultivated plants. This discipline analyzes land fertility and provides the scientific foundation for applying soil improvement, liming, and rational cultivation techniques.
• Agronomy — An applied science that studies the totality of biological laws, technical methods, and economic procedures governing the proper cultivation of crops, enhancement of soil fertility, and increase of field productivity. This discipline integrates knowledge from biology, chemistry, soil science, meteorology, and economics to ensure efficient agricultural management.
• Einkorn — An ancient species of wild or cultivated wheat (Triticum monococcum or Triticum spelta), characterized by a thin and rigid stalk, dense spikes, and grains tightly enclosed in hard glumes that do not break free during standard threshing; it represents one of the first cereal crops domesticated by humans during the Neolithic Era in the Fertile Crescent. This agrarian structural component of exceptional biological value is cultivated today on a small scale in organic farming due to its native resistance to pests, drought, and poor soils, its flour being highly valued in dietary baking for its rich nutritional profile and specific gluten content.
• Breastfed — Having been fed with breast milk directly from the mother's breast; being in the period of natural lactation or having benefited from the specific nutrition of the first months of life. As a neuter noun (in the phrase 'la alăptat'), the term denotes the act, custom, or time interval dedicated to infant feeding.
• Egg white — A fluid, viscous, transparent organic substance rich in proteins (especially ovalbumin) that surrounds the yolk of a bird or reptile egg. Upon thermal treatment or mechanical whipping, it becomes opaque, white, and solid, serving an essential biological role in protecting and nourishing the embryo, as well as a major structural use in culinary arts and confectionery.
• Alkalize — To make or become alkaline; to alter the chemical reaction of a solution, soil, or organic environment by increasing the proportion of bases and raising the pH above the neutral value of 7. In medicine and dietetics, it refers to the process of reducing acidity in the body through the consumption of specific foods or substances.
• Alkalize — To make or become alkaline; to alter the chemical reaction of a medium by increasing the concentration of bases and raising the pH above the neutral value of 7. The term functions as a direct and frequent synonym of the verb 'alkalinize', being widely utilized in chemistry, medicine, agronomy, and industrial neutralization processes.
• Aleuronat — A dietary food preparation in the form of coarse flour or powder, industrially manufactured by artificially enriching cereal flour with proteins extracted from the aleurone layer (gluten and phytoglobulins). It is widely used in specialized nutrition and in manufacturing hypoglycemic products intended for patients suffering from diabetes or metabolic disorders, due to its massive nitrogen supply and extremely low carbohydrate content.
• Alfalfa — International and commercial name for alfalfa or lucerne (Medicago sativa), a perennial plant in the legume family, widely cultivated as high-quality forage due to its rich content of proteins, minerals, and vitamins. In modern nutrition and phytotherapy, the young sprouts and leaves of alfalfa are used as invigorating dietary supplements owing to their detoxifying and remineralizing properties.
• Algotrophism — A form of nutrition or ecological phenomenon characterized by an organism's energetic and metabolic dependence on the consumption of algae; algophagy. In limnic and marine ecosystems, algotrophism represents a foundational mechanism for transferring primary biomass.
• Alimentary — Relating to food or nutrition, intended for nourishment or structurally linked to the production, storage, and marketing of edible products. As a masculine noun, in technical or legislative language, it describes a specialist working in the food industry; historically and popularly (in the feminine), it designated the shop where staple groceries were bought.
• Alimentary — The feminine singular form of the adjective alimentar; relating to food, nutrition, or the respective industry. In a noun sense, it represents the popular or historical designation attributed to shops specialized in marketing staple food products and groceries.
• Supply — The act of feeding or supplying and its result; the structural process of providing food, fuel, energy, or raw materials needed for an organism or technical system to function. From a grammatical point of view, it also represents the plural form (masculine/feminine) of the adjective alimentar.
• Nutrition — The act or effect of feeding; the totality of physiological processes through which living organisms introduce, digest, and assimilate the nutrients necessary to sustain life, growth, and the proper functioning of biological systems; diet. Broadly or commercially, it designates the economic sector concerned with the production and distribution of edible goods.