The blending of culinary arts and food science brings a new hybrid of specialists, writes Zuliantie Dzul
THE kitchen at the Taylor’s University’s School of Hospitality, Tourism & Culinary Arts looks like any other kitchen, complete with mixers and ovens. That said, it’s also fully equipped with instruments for the students of Bachelor of Science (Hons) Culinology® programme to conduct research and development.
Forget the usual measuring spoons. Try glass cylinders that you see in any science lab. They also have an instrumentation room with equipment such as a colorimeter (device used for measuring colours) and texture analyser (device to measure firmness and crispiness).
Culinology® is a rather alien concept to me. It’s a term trademarked by the Research Chefs Association in the United States. Taylor’s University, the only university outside of the US to offer this programme, is prepping its students to become culinologists.
“They’re not aliens,” says Dr Chong Li Choo, the school’s programme director. “They’re just a hybrid of food scientists and chefs. They not only learn the theory but also incorporate a lot of applications in the cooking.”
Through this three-year programme, students get to learn both culinary arts and food science. The strength of the graduates will be in food product development. “Last time we have food scientists and chefs to come up with this, two different people, but now we only need one,” explains Chong.
The students need to put their product through five stages before they can market it, namely ideation, formulation, sensory evaluation, testing and packaging.
THOROUGH STUDIES
The students will come up with an idea after thorough research. They are up to date on the latest healthy eating trend. They choose to make butter cookies on a special media showcase.
To these future culinologists, it’s not just about mixing, rolling and baking.
The idea here is to make low-fat cookies without compromising on the taste and texture. This is where knowledge of food science is most useful. The ingredients must be precisely measured. Not “a pinch of” or “agak-agak” ingredients. Also, they need to replace the fat from the butter that they’re planning to reduce with something else. The knowledge they’ve gained in chemistry and microbiology certainly comes in handy for this. They know that fat makes the cookies creamy, so they need something which can act as fat yet still keep the richness of the cookies.
“That’s why we use xanthan gum and emulsifier,” says final year student, Mohd Ludwig Mohd Nazri. “We reduce the fat to 45 per cent. But will the cookies taste the same? You’ll find out for yourself.”
Mohd Ludwig and his classmate Nicholas Chan Li Wing subsequently proceed to bake three batches of cookies — control (full fat), with xanthan gum and another with emulsifier. “Don’t worry, xanthan gum and emulsifier are plant-based, so it’s safe to consume,” assures Nicholas.
It’s a fun session as we are also invited to try our hands at baking cookies. We prepare the batter and let it set in the fridge before rolling and cutting out several pieces for each batch.
After the cookies are baked, they undergo a sensory test. This is where the three cookies are evaluated based on appearance, flavour, taste, aroma and crunchiness. They need to find the best cookies out of the three.
We all take the test and score the cookies accordingly using our sense of sight, smell, taste, touch and hearing. Surprisingly, all three cookies look and taste similar. But one thing’s for sure, two are lower in calories as they contain less fat.
SCIENTIFIC ANALYSIS
Before they decide on which of the cookies will be marketed, the students also conduct a scientific analysis in the instrumentation room. They use different equipment for different product.
“All food products have their respective criteria, especially when it comes to texture, such as hardness and stickiness. So we need to know the exact properties (based on the data collected) instead of just by sensory test which can be quite subjective,” explains Dr Chong.
Since the students are developing low-fat cookies, they need to make sure the texture is similar or is as close to the full-fat variety. To test the firmness of the cookies, a student shows us how data is collected using the texture analyser.
Nowadays, analyses are easier to make thanks to the use of a computerised system that produces objective results. Suffice to say, the students need to know or have the knowledge of handling the equipment and calibrating the computers when conducting analysis work.
The recipe which scores the highest during the sensory test will then be finalised. The students will run nutrient analyses in the lab and generate labels using professional software such as Nutri Pro. When ready, they will source for suitable packaging materials and design a concept for it. This is where they will use their own creativity and come up with a prototype.
“Since they know their product well, they get to decide which packaging can best present their product,” says Dr Chong.
OPPORTUNITIES GALORE
Now, imagine what they can do with other food such as meat. Soon we won’t have to fret about our calorie intake as we happily tuck into a big fat burger or a packet of butter cookies. And for these students, they have wider job opportunities.
“I’m enjoying the best of both worlds — arts and science,” says Nicholas. “This course has taught me some very important lessons and I don’t make as much errors as before. For example, when making bread, I know when to stop mixing. I also know how to make healthier food. I made burger for my family recently, replacing the meat fillers with tofu, which mimics fat but is way juicier and healthier.” Nicholas adds that he aspires to work in the food industry someday.
It is Mohd Ludwig’s dream to help his father in his food business. The 22-year-old’s father, Mohd Nazrin @ Ludwig Gaisbauer owns German Delicatessen Sdn Bhd, a company that manufactures and distributes premium German sausages.
“My dad is a chef so my life has always revolved around food. Hopefully I can contribute something to make his business better,” confides Mohd Ludwig.
Whatever the future may bring, these students are ready to bring the hospitality industry to a new level — complete with lab equipment and chef hats.