Culinary Biophysics: on the Nature of the 6X°C Egg

Abstract

Shell-on eggs cooked by immersion in water at low and constant temperatures (∼60-70°C) yield yolks with very particular textures. Structure development in such unique cooking conditions is far from understood. The present study shows that egg yolk, despite its compositional complexity, follows typical gelation kinetics found in many globular proteins and that it can develop structure at temperatures as low as 56°C. It follows that yolk texture is dictated by time/ temperature combinations. Under isothermal, low temperature cooking conditions, the thickening and gelation kinetics of egg yolk follow Arrhenius-type kinetic relationships. The energy of activation of these processes was ∼470 kJ mol −1 , which agrees well with the values reported for the denaturation and gelation of the thermally labile chicken serum albumin and immunoglobulin Y. Results are related to common foodstuffs in order to allow chefs and home cooks to achieve a priori conceived textures in egg yolks.

Molecular gastronomy in science and cross-curricular education – The case of “Kitchen stories”

“…In dealing with culinary precisions, science does not always have the one true answer. One example is the fact that it was possible for Vega and Mercadé-Prieto (2011) to publish a scientific paper on the texture of boiled eggs as late as in 2011, a matter which has been of debate and practical study in homes and restaurants for centuries! This illustrates that science is in constant change and development, a fact which is often overlooked in school science (Abd-El- Khalick & Lederman, 2000;Vesterinen, Aksela, & Sundberg, 2009).…”

Relating Food Engineering to Cooking and Gastronomy

“…Cooking eggs in a hot water bath at precise temperatures between 60 and 66 °C results in novel consistencies of the egg white and yolk due to better control over protein denaturation (Baldwin, ; Barham, ). Vega and Mercadé‐Prieto () determined the kinetics of viscosity change (at a shear rate of 10 s −1 ) of egg yolk heated in a water bath at constant temperatures between 60 and 66 °C. These data allow to cook a soft egg with a wide range of textures for the white and the yolk by using different time and temperature combinations.…”

Developments, applications, and trends of molecular gastronomy among food scientists and innovative chefs

“…The haute cuisine, in particular, has long been regarded as an aesthetic object, and sometimes as a form of art. (21) Vega and Mercadé-Prieto (22) reported that chefs can tremendously benefit by their collaboration with food scientists and base their cooking on systematic knowledge, i.e. science assisted cooking.…”

“…A c c e p t e d M a n u s c r i p t 9 This is done by constructing an iso-viscosity plot that relates the desired texture with all the possible time/temperature values. (22) 4. Controversies about what is MG: it is "just" food science and technology?…”

“…As the foods chosen by Traynor et al (60) shared the majority of volatile compounds, according to the theory, the score of dishes' sensory appreciation had to result very high. It should be highlighted that the authors used GC/MS analysis of volatile compounds for the foods they tested, and not just a database, which was the approach reported by Ahn et al (58) and Kort et al (59) Downloaded by ["Queen's University Libraries, Kingston"] at 13: A c c e p t e d M a n u s c r i p t 22 In fact, it is well known among flavor scientists that not all volatile compounds in a food are of interest from a sensory point of view, as other factors rather than their headspace concentration should be considered. For example, there are volatile molecules that are perceived at very low concentrations, e.g.…”