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 general Physics 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 Science Physics 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”

BSc level and MSc level course Molecular Gastronomy (BSc) Introduction course in science in cooking On food and cooking - Harold Mc Gee Course Guide Practical – cooking at Wageningen Hotel School PhysicsChemistry -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 cooling tingling

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 Chocolate Bread Ice cream Wine Beer

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 classification Texture 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 hardness melting coldness 30% Air: softness melting coldness 50% Serum phase: “glue” for structure hardness / scoopability Smoothness 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 ? Ice fraction in freezer Melting point ( freezing point depression)

Example: Ice cream Sensory ? Frozen state Scooping First bite hardness Melting Coldness Melting rate Molten state Creamy? 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 sugar by 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 alcohol Determine 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 Gastronomy Courses 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”: CO 2, fat,.... Trigeminal (Touch in the mouth) mechano-receptors (texture); fat (creamy), viscous thermo-receptors (temperature) noci-receptors (pain or irritation); hot (pepper) cold (menthol) stinging (lemon, onion) burning (curcumin, cinnamon) astringent / drying (tannins, CO 2 ) 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) tannins High in intensity Never coating Light: neutral Coating (full body) CO 2 : becomes more contracting Wine

Classification of food Chocolate Dry Bitters Water is absorbed by cocoa High in intensity More fat / creamy Less bitters (less cocoa) Much more sugar (sweet / fatty) Absorbs more water (dry / sticky)

Neutral Not much flavour Classification of food Effect of cooking techniques Dry crust Absorb 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 yearsGC -Different grapesLCMS -Different regions -Different preparation methods

Thank you for your attention Questions ?