FPH-35903 Advanced Molecular Gastronomy - Physical and chemical aspects of flavour pairing (online)

Course

Credits 3.00

Language of instruction:

English.

Contents:

The aim of the course is to educate the students in combining physical and chemical sciences with gastronomy relevant phenomena. The course will focus on science behind different products categories, in terms of textural and flavour aspects. These aspects are introduced in relation to developments in industry and restaurants. In this course we mainly focus on the product categories chocolate and wine.
The course included both physical and chemical aspects of these products. To combine such aspects, we also include the aspect of flavour pairing.
Physical aspects
- different physical phenomena in products are described, such as phase behaviour, rheology, interfacial phenomena, gel formation, diffusion, and flavour release. These phenomena are discussed to understand the preparation, the stability and the shelf-life of the foods, which may be an important aspect for restaurants or industry.
- for the different food products, the role of the ingredients are discussed with respect to the structure of the food (emulsion, dispersion, foam, interface).
- the structure of the food is related to textural (sensorial properties) of the different food products. The scientific understanding of the systems will allow you to change the structure of the food and thereby control the sensory perception of the food.
Chemical aspects
- chemical aspects important to understand the sensory perception are discussed, such as sweet and savoury. These are discussed in relation to the sensors present in our mouth to detect certain compounds;
- different ingredients related to sensory detection are discussed and the interactions between different compounds in food. The effect of time or processing conditions will be discussed and how these can alter the sensory perception;
- the ingredients are discussed in terms of their functionality in different food products. The scientific understanding of these systems will allow you to control the stability of the products.
Flavour pairing
In this part, we give an introduction how to combine chemical aspects (sweet, savoury) and physical aspects (texture of food) in relation to sensory perception. We will discuss a model that can be used to classify foods and beverages and gives guidelines for flavour pairing.

Learning outcomes:

After successful completion of this course students are expected to be able to:
- identify the physical phenomena and understand the mechanisms of action that play a role in products such as ice-cream;
- understand the mechanisms behind important taste modalities (sweet, umami);
- be able to link structural aspects to texture and sensory perception;
- be able to link taste modalities to sensory perception;
- be able to analyse chemical and physical data to link the food ingredients to their function.

Activities:

The activities during this course comprise: knowledge clips, self-study of the material, and digital case studies. The knowledge clips provide the theoretical background of the different topics. This will be complimented with written material. The case studies follow the knowledge gained from the knowledge clips and written material. The case studies are self-directing and feedback will provided during the exercises.

Examination:

Remoted proctored written exam (65%) and report (35%).

Literature:

All information will be provided on Blackboard.