Gastronomy and education Elke Scholten Food Physics Group, Wageningen University The Netherlands

Gastronomy and education

Elke Scholten

Food Physics Group, Wageningen University

The Netherlands

What is (molecular) Gastronomy?

• The study and application of chemistry, physics, and other scientific principles on cooking processes, preparation, and materials

• fusion of food science and culinary arts

• the application or study of scientific principles and practices in cooking and food preparation

• The scientific study of deliciousness.

• The art and science of choosing, preparing and eating good food.

• The application of scientific principles to the understanding and improvement of domestic and gastronomic food preparation

• subdiscipline of food science that seeks to investigate, explain and make practical use of the physical and chemical transformations of ingredients that occur while cooking, as well as the social, artistic and technical components of culinary and gastronomic phenomena in general

What is (molecular) Gastronomy?

• The study and application of chemistry, physics, and other scientific principles on cooking processes, preparation, and materials

• fusion of food science and culinary arts

• the application or study of scientific principles and practices in cooking and food preparation

• The scientific study of deliciousness.

• The art and science of choosing, preparing and eating good food.

• The application of scientific principles to the understanding and improvement of domestic and gastronomic food preparation

• subdiscipline of food science that seeks to investigate, explain and make practical use of the physical and chemical transformations of ingredients that occur while cooking, as well as the social, artistic and technical components of culinary and gastronomic phenomena in general Science

What is (molecular) Gastronomy?

• The study and application of chemistry, physics, and other scientific principles on cooking processes, preparation, and materials

• fusion of food science and culinary arts

• the application or study of scientific principles and practices in cooking and food preparation

• The scientific study of deliciousness.

• The art and science of choosing, preparing and eating good food.

• The application of scientific principles to the understanding and improvement of domestic and gastronomic food preparation

• subdiscipline of food science that seeks to investigate, explain and make practical use of the physical and chemical transformations of ingredients that occur while cooking, as well as the social, artistic and technical components of culinary and gastronomic phenomena in general Science

Chemistry

Physics

What is (molecular) Gastronomy?

• The study and application of chemistry, physics, and other scientific principles on cooking processes, preparation, and materials

• fusion of food science and culinary arts

• the application or study of scientific principles and practices in cooking and food preparation

• The scientific study of deliciousness.

• The art and science of choosing, preparing and eating good food.

• The application of scientific principles to the understanding and improvement of domestic and gastronomic food preparation

• subdiscipline of food science that seeks to investigate, explain and make practical use of the physical and chemical transformations of ingredients that occur while cooking, as well as the social, artistic and technical components of culinary and gastronomic phenomena in generalPhysics

Chemistry

Science

Cooking

What is (molecular) Gastronomy?

• The study and application of chemistry, physics, and other scientific principles on cooking processes, preparation, and materials

• fusion of food science and culinary arts

• the application or study of scientific principles and practices in cooking and food preparation

• The scientific study of deliciousness.

• The art and science of choosing, preparing and eating good food.

• The application of scientific principles to the understanding and improvement of domestic and gastronomic food preparation

• subdiscipline of food science that seeks to investigate, explain and make practical use of the physical and chemical transformations of ingredients that occur while cooking, as well as the social, artistic and technical components of culinary and gastronomic phenomena in general

Cooking

SciencePhysics

Chemistry

Arts

What is (molecular) Gastronomy?

Food properties:

- Microstructure- Colour- Flavour molecules- Attributes(fatty, crispy, etc)

Perception of the food:

- Liking- Expectations- Behavior

Sciences:

- Food Science- Physics- Chemistry- Biology- Neurology

Social Sciences:

- Psychology- Sociology- Sensory science

Skills:

- Cooking- Art- Eating

What is (molecular) Gastronomy?

Food properties:

- Microstructure- Colour- Flavour molecules- Attributes(fatty, crispy, etc)

Perception of the food:

- Liking- Expectations- Behavior

Sciences:

- Food Science- Physics- Chemistry- Biology- Neurology

Social Sciences:

- Psychology- Sociology- Sensory science

Skills:

- Cooking- Art- Eating

Food properties:

- Microstructure- Colour- Flavour molecules- Attributes(fatty, crispy, etc)

Perception of the food:

- Liking- Expectations- Behavior

What is (molecular) Gastronomy?

Food properties:

- Microstructure- Colour- Flavour molecules- Attributes(fatty, crispy, etc)

Perception of the food:

- Liking- Expectations- Behavior

Sciences:

- Food Science- Physics- Chemistry- Biology- Neurology

Social Sciences:

- Psychology- Sociology- Sensory science

Skills:

- Cooking- Art- Eating

Food properties:

- Microstructure- Colour- Flavour molecules- Attributes(fatty, crispy, etc)

Perception of the food:

- Liking- Expectations- Behavior

Gastronomy:

Science that focusses on the relation between food properties and

perception

Consumer

Chef

Scientist

From scientific point of view

Aim: Make exciting food that looks and tastes great !

Understand Food !

• Texture – Sensory

• Microstructure reformulation of food

• Mechanisms Do we know what happens during cooking?Do we understand strange phenomena?

• Innovation

Education

Focus on different sciences

• Physics

• Chemistry

• Sensory

Microstructure of food

- Material properties (texture)- Physical phenomena- Chemical analysis (taste)- Structure design

Perception of food

- Sensory characteristics- Food – wine pairing- Innovative dishes- Texture manipulation

Specialisation “molecular gastronomy”

Specialisation “molecular gastronomy”

BSc level and MSc level course

• Molecular Gastronomy (BSc)Introduction course in science in cooking

On food and cooking - Harold Mc GeeCourse Guide

Practical – cooking at Wageningen Hotel School

Physics Chemistry- Basics of cooking - colour changes- Meat and Fish preparation maillard reactions- Cooking vegetable coffee- Variations with gels beer- Variations with foam vegetables- Starchy foods - Taste sensations- Puffy foods hot/spicy/pungent

coolingtingling

Specialisation “molecular gastronomy”

BSc level and MSc level course

• Practical

Ingmar v. Bostelen Chef / teacher Hotel School

Specialisation “molecular gastronomy”

BSc level and MSc level course

• Advanced Molecular Gastronomy (MSc)Scientific phenomena in products

Product types

ChocolateBread

Ice cream WineBeer

Chemical phenomena

- Astringency (wine/beer)- Bitterness in beer- Sweet and savoury- Umami sensors- Bubbles in bread / gluten type- Bread improvers- Ice crystallization (ice structuring

proteins)

Physical phenomena

- Fat and ice crystallization- Phase transition (emulsions)- Rheology of dispersions- Role of emulsifiers- Mass transfer- Flavour release- Flavor pairing- Wetting behavior / solubility- Starch retrogradation- Anti freeze proteins- Freezing point depression- Sensory properties

Specialisation “molecular gastronomy”

Advanced Molecular Gastronomy

Food – wine pairing

Classification of wines

Texture classificationTexture adjustments

Sensory perception and social aspect

Example: Ice cream

What is ice cream ?• Water• Sugar (anti freeze agent)• Proteins (air, foam)• Fat (air, foam)

Air

Example: Ice cream

What is ice cream ?• Water• Sugar (anti freeze agent)• Proteins (air, foam)• Fat (air, foam)

Air

Ice crystals

Air bubbles

proteins

Coalesced fat

Unfrozen serum phase

Structural element• Ice crystals• Air bubbles• Coalesced fat• Unfrozen serum phase

Example: Ice cream

Air

Ice crystals

Air bubbles

proteins

Coalesced fat

Unfrozen serum phase

Role of structural elements

Ice: solid fraction hardnessmelting coldness

30% Air: softnessmelting coldness

50%

Serum phase: “glue” for structurehardness / scoopabilitySmoothness

15%

5%

• Ice crystallization• Recrystallization• Size distribution• Heat transfer

• Ostwald ripening • Emulsifiers – competition• Foam stability• Size distribution• Fat coalescence

• Sugar solution• Viscosity (dispersion)• Sugar crystallization• Phase transitions• Rheology

Example: Ice cream

Amount of ice ?

-15 -13 -11 -9 -7 -5 -3 -1 10

20

40

60

80

100

Temperature (oC)

Ice

fra

cti

on

(%

)

Ice fraction in freezer

Melting point(freezing point depression)

Example: Ice cream

Sensory ?

-15 -13 -11 -9 -7 -5 -3 -1 10

20

40

60

80

100

Temperature (oC)

Ice

fra

cti

on

(%

) Frozen stateScoopingFirst bitehardness

MeltingColdnessMelting rate

Molten stateCreamy?Flavor

• Ice crystal size• Amount of ice• Heat transfer• Air bubble size• Viscosity of serum phase

Practicals

Microstructure related to:

- Freezing point depression - Amount of sugar- Viscosity of serum phase

Innovation...

Replace sugarby alcohol ??

Assignment

Prepare 3 ice creams

• Ice cream / sorbet with sugar determine ice curve with freezing point depression

• Same ice cream / sorbet with sugar replaced by alcoholDetermine ice curve

• Ice cream with better sensorial properties

New flavor combination (creativity)

• Malibu / coconut / mango• Wasabi / wodka• Beer / cherries• Tequila / lime• mojito

Challenge

Ice curve

sugar

ethanol

Melting point same(freezing point depression)

Other changes ?- Ethanol does not increase

viscosity

Viscosity of serum phase collapses

No “glue”

• Ice crystal amount / size• Amount of air bubbles• Serum phase viscosity• Heat transfer

Sensory perception

• More watery• More compact• Serum phase viscosity• Heat transfer

Rheological behavior

• Melting curve• Melting rate• Viscous behavior• Solid like behavior

Challenge

Ice centre Wageningen – Food 4 You (Festival)

Alcholic :• Raspberry – champagne

sorbet• Beer - Cherry

Same principle for salt• Cream Cheese-Salmon• Cucumber sorbet• Seaweed ice cream• Caramel and salt

Food – Wine pairing

Restaurant “De Echoput” (Michelin star)Owner: Peter Klosse

Director of Academy of GastronomyCourses to best Sommeliers in the Netherlands

Examples

Food – Wine pairing

Dry? Astringent? Sweet?Type of grape? Country?

Flavor profile ? Aging process ?

Warm? Cold?Texture?

Fatty / creamy crispy / crunchy?

Common ?

You need to know a lot about wines to advice people

Sensory perception

Sensory system...

• Olfactory (nose)Capture odorants (“flavour release”)

• Gustatory (participation of the tongue)Taste Buds (papillae)“Basic tastes” (sweet, sour, salty, bitter, umami)receptors for “other tastes”: CO2, fat, ....

• Trigeminal (Touch in the mouth)mechano-receptors (texture); fat (creamy), viscousthermo-receptors (temperature)noci-receptors (pain or irritation); hot (pepper)

cold (menthol) stinging (lemon, onion)

burning (curcumin, cinnamon) astringent / drying (tannins, CO2)

Chemistry

Physics

Classification of wines and food

Food can be classified by:

• Coating (polysaccharides, sugars, fat)• Contracting (acids, proteins, cold, spicy)• Intensity (type of herbs, amount of flavors)

Food and wine can be matched based on the same profile

Classification of wine

Contracting (astringent)tanninsHigh in intensity Never coating

Light: neutralCoating (full body)

CO2 : becomes more contracting

Wine

Classification of food

Chocolate

Dry BittersWater is absorbed by cocoaHigh in intensity

More fat / creamyLess bitters (less cocoa)

Much more sugar (sweet / fatty)Absorbs more water (dry / sticky)

NeutralNot much flavour

Classification of food

Effect of cooking techniques

Dry crustAbsorb water Crispy

Addition of • Butter• Cream• Cheese Creamy / Fatty

Cooking techniques can be used to change texture/flavour

Classification of food

Food – Wine pairing

Steamed fish(no strong flavor)neutral

Add peppers(pungent)contracting

Add creamy sauce(fatty)coating

Change the dish with the wine !

Practicals

Chocolate

Difference between cheap and expensive chocolate- Ingredient list microstructure rheological profile

What happens when adding liquids (making of Ganache)

Analysis

Wine analysis

Digital wine course in flavour components

Compare wines from: Techniques:- Different years GC- Different grapes LCMS- Different regions- Different preparation methods

Thank you for your attention

Questions ?