Molecular Gastronomy

Elke Scholten
Wageningen University
Food Physics group

Molecular Gastronomy?
Gastros (Gr) = stomach
Nomos (gr) = knowledge or law
Moles (Latin) = small unit of mass
Classic: Molecular laws on the stomach
Modern: Molecular laws on the pleasure of eating
Herv This: Molecular Gastronomy
Harold McGee: On food and Cooking

Understanding of phenomena
in cooking:
-Flavor / color (chemistry)
-Structure (physics)
-Sensation (psycology)

Food and art

Craft:
- Repetition
- Tradition
- Technical

Art
- innovation
- creativity
- expression

Presentation

versus

Interplay between flavor and texture

Restaurants
El bulli, Barcelona: Ferran Adria
Fat Duck, London: Heston Blumenthal
Number 1 in the world:
Noma, Copenhagen: Rene Redzepi

2011:
Dutch restaurants in top 50:
Oud Sluis, Sluis: Sergio Herman
Librije, Zwolle: Johnny Boer

(19)
(37)

Food!

Science in food

Physiology and Psychology

Technology/Science

Creation/art:
New Cooking Processes
Tools, Innovation,
Creativity

Science in food

Building blocks
for food

Three main food structures:

- Emulsions
- Gels
- Foams
How can you control
structures with the
available building blocks ?

Science in food

Building blocks
for food

Dispersed phase
Continuo
us phase

gas

liquid

solid

Gas

--

Aerosol (fog)

Aerosol
(smoke)

Liquid

Foam
(beer)

Emulsion
(mayonnaise
, milk)

Suspensi
on /
dispersio
n
(starch
solution)

solid

Foam
(bread)

Emulsion
(cheese)

--

Food structures - Emulsions

Mixture of two immiscible liquids, such as oil and water

Droplets of oil in water

Not stable: add ingredients
to make it stable

egg: contains protein

Emulsions
No stabilizer

Can be found in:

- Milk
- Meat
- Fish
- Eggs
- Gelatin

Building blocks :
- Proteins
- Oil (fat)
- Water

Mayonnaise
Recipe: egg yolk, salt, mustard, pepper, vinegar, olive oil
Egg yolk: provides the protein: stabilizer
Mustard, pepper: taste
Vinegar: pH low
Oil: oil droplets in water. The more and smaller the oil droplets,
the thicker the mayonnaise (creamier)
How to make the mayonaise?
- Adding the oil to the water and whisking very rapidly
Other ingredients:
- proteins: egg yolk, egg white, gelatin
- pH: any liquid that has a low pH: coke, orange juice, etc
- Oil: other ingredients that have oil in them

Mayonnaise variations
Yolkless mayonnaise: egg white, oil, vinegar (pH)
Eggless mayonnaise: add the oil to a warm gelatin solution. The
gelatin will gel upon cooling
Chocolate mayonnaise: replacing oil by chocolate fat, egg white
Creamy texture
Heating in microwave
Proteins will glue to each other more
Chocolate cake

Orange mayonnaise: orange juice, gelatin, oil

Protein interaction
Positive
charges

Negative
charges

Protein is a spheric
entity with a
certain charge

Protein interaction

Low pH: more positive charge

H3 O +

high pH: more negative charge

OH-

Every protein has a different iso-electric point:

Depending on the pH, a protein is negatively or positively
charged.
+
+
+
+
+
+
pH

Protein interaction
+

Charge density: double layer

+
+

+
+

Distance between proteins is determined by the

amount of charge and thus by the pH

+
+

+
pH

Protein interaction
Effect of pH:

+
+

Aggregation of proteins
+

Unfavorable for stability

Effect of salt:
+
+

- +

+ - +

+ +
-+

- +

+ - +

+
-

Aggregation of proteins

Baileys + tonic
Is it dangerous or is it safe?

Baileys + tonic

Additio
n of
tonic

Cream: fat
Stabilized by
milk proteins

Change in pH
aggregation
of proteins

Creaming
and coalescence
of oil droplets

Baileys + tonic

CO2

Oil layer on top

of protein solution

Oil layer starts to foam

Baileys + tonic

Is it dangerous or is it safe?

Food structures - Foam

A substance that is formed by trapping many gas bubbles
in a liquid or a solid
-

Bread (air in solid)

Cake
Ice cream (air in water / ice)
Beer foam
Cappucino foam (milk foam)
Mousse
Meringue

No stabilizer

Food structures - Foam

A substance that is formed by trapping many gas bubbles
in a liquid or a solid
-

Bread (air in solid)

Cake
Ice cream (air in water / ice)
Beer foam
Cappucino foam (milk foam)
Mousse
Meringue
Building blocks :
- Proteins
- Water
- Air
- Fat

Solid fat

proteins

Foams
Cappucino foam:
The more protein/fat the milk has, the more stable the foam
Meringue: crispy sweet egg white foam
Only need proteins to make a foam:
Gelatin instead of milk or egg proteins
Cucumber foam
Other vegetable foams and fruit foams
Peanut butter foam, parmesan foam
Wine foam
Champagne foam

ESPUMA

Foams

Coffee espuma

Champagne
espuma
Mango and
forest fruit
espuma

Coke + Mentos?
What happens?

Coke + Mentos?
What happens?
Coke contains CO2 bubbles.
Growth of bubbles depends on
thermodynamic parameters
Need energy to grow

4
G r 3 4r 2
3

Coke + Mentos?
What happens?
Add mentos?
Porous material lots of small cracks and
sites.
Lowers the energy to let bubbles grow
Porous sites and cracks act as nucleation
sites for bubble growth.
(nucleation and growth)

Speed depends on the energy

and the amount of nucleation
sites

Beer and fish?

What happens?

Beer and fish?

Addition of fatty substances:

- Lipids are small molecules

Competition between components:

kinetics: smaller molecules adsorb faster

Foam - ice cream

Fat
Air
50%

proteins

Ice crystals : 30%

(frozen water)
air

Sugar molecules:
Anti-freeze effect

Creamy ice cream:

- Fat 5%
- milk 75%
(proteins,
water)
- Sugar 20%

Building blocks :
- Water / ice
- Air
- Fat
- Sugar
- Proteins
Sorbet ice
- water / fruit 75%
- Sugar 25%
- stabilizer (gelatin)

Foam - ice cream

Recipe: milk, cream, sugar, air
Fat and proteins: stabilizers
Sugar: anti-freeze substance determines the ratio between solid ice
and liquid water
Adding sugar: changes chemical potential of water:
L

A A0 RT ln x A
L

At a certain temperature, chemical potential of ice is in equilibrium with the

chemical potential of the sugar solution

0S

A0 RT ln x A

Amount of sugar determines the freezing point depression (equilibrium

between ice and solution melting /freezing point)

TF K K

m solute
i
M solute

Foam - ice cream

TF K K

m solute
i
M solute

Sugar is not the only anti-freeze agent:

- alcohol
- salt

Foam - ice cream

Amount of sugar (or alcohol / salt) determines the percentage of
solid ice:

% ice

T M solute

1000

KK i

1000 msolute

T M solute

100

1000

During eating, the amount if ice

Decreases
Sensory perception
(coldness, smoothness, etc)
Different anti-freeze agent:
Different ice curve
Different sensory perception
Freezer temperature

Foam - ice cream

What do you need to make ice cream?
- Water
- Stabilizer (fat, protein, gelatin)
- Anti freeze substance (sugar, gelatin,
alcohol, salt)
Wine ice-cream / liquor ice cream:
- fruit: water, sugar (anti freeze)
- Alcohol: water (anti-freeze)
- Stabilizer (cream, gelatin)
Vegetable/meat ice cream:
- vegetable: water
- Fish/ meat: proteins, fat
- No sugar: other stabilizer
(gelatin)

Wine ice-cream

Caipirinha
ice cream

shrimp ice-cream Garlic ice-cream

Ice cream - new dishes

Tomato and basil sorbet ice

5 tomatoes
120 ml lemon juice
1 spoon of salt (anti freeze)
70 ml water
70 gram sugar (anti freeze)
tomato puree
chopped basil
gelatin (to stabilize the air)

Ice cream - new dishes

Egg and bacon ice cream

Fat duck, London

-

300 gram bacon

1 liter milk (water, proteins)
25 gram milk powder (proteins, fat
24 egg yolks
125 gram glucose (anti freeze)

Gels
Gels are materials that are elastic and they have
properties in between a solid and a liquid state
- Cheese
- Gummy bears
- Cooked egg

There are two types of gels:

- Protein gels
(eggs, meat)
- Polysaccharide gels
(desserts)

Protein gels
Gels are materials that are elastic and they have
properties in between a solid and a liquid state
Scrambled eggs?
The temperature has
an effect on the
structure of an egg
Why?

Protein gel - Eggs

Protein is folded

when temperature increases they

unfold
they form crosslinks
results in a gel
The strength of the gel depends on
the temperature

Network Gel

Protein gel - Eggs

The perfect egg!!

The protein in egg white (albumin) unfolds at 65C

The protein in egg yolk unfolds at 70C

An egg cooked between

65 C and 70 C

Protein gel - Meat

Meat
Meat contains a lot of proteins
When heated the proteins will
unfold and cluster together

40C: unfolding proteins

50C: muscle contracts
55C: myosin clusters
66C: other proteins cluster
70C: myoglobin looses oxygen: turning
pink
79: actin clusters
80C: meat becomes grey
100C: water evaporates
150C: chemical reactions

Polysaccharide gel
Polysaccharides are multiple sugars which form large
chains.
Starch:

amylopectin
amylose

Other sugars:

Xanthan

Agar (seaweed)
Pectin: fruit
Carrageenan: seaweed
Alginate: algae

Polysaccharide gel
Polysaccharides are multiple sugars which form large
chains.

Parameters that influence

gel strength:
-Salt
-pH
-Specific ions

Sugar network Gel

- Brittle gels
- Elastic gels

Polysaccharide gel
Effect of:
-pH
-salt

Groups that
can become
positive

pH determines amount of charge determines the distance

between the molecules
Salt decreases the effect of charge

Groups that
can become
positive

Polysaccharide gel
Effect of:
-Specific ions

alginate

Negative
charges

Calcium (positive) interacts with charges on alginate (negative)

They form a network which is very strong

Polysaccharide gel
Gels:
- Fruit gels (water sugar)
- Foam gels (water air
sugar)
- Juices
- Alcohol

Edible cocktail:

Martini-blueberr

Science in food

Building blocks
for food

By controlling amount of
building blocks one can play
with the physical properties
of food:
- Gel like
- Incorporation of air
(foams)
- incorporation of oil
(emulsions)
- Controlling amount of ice
Defines the structure of
food!

New ingredients
El Bulli: Texturas
Spherification line

Gelification line

Surprise line

New dishes
Spherification line

Liquid pea ravioli

Algin: alginate
Calcic: calcium
alginate with calcium gel
Solution of peas, water, mint
and algin
Dip into water with calcic

Outside will turn into a ge

New dishes
Spherification line

Fruit caviar:
melon
orange
lemon

New dishes
Spherification line

Melon caviar in a
ham consomme

New dishes
Gelification line

ribs underneath a beet-juice and campari gel

Gellan: gelatin
agar
Kappa/iota:
carrageenan
They all form networks
and therefore a gel

Expectation

Expectation
Egg

vanilla ice cream on mango

Expectation
Mango ravioli on a bed of
coconut
Mango ravioli made by
spherification
With alginate and citric
Coconut gel is made by adding
agar or carrageenan

Expectation

mustard ice cream

with
gel of olive oil and a
foam of vinegar

Expectation can lead

to a different flavor
sensation

questions