The Culinary Institute of America's Department of Menu Research and Development

Conference attendees sample different chicken broths that elicit the perception of umami, and illustrate the synergistic effects of glutamates (the most common amino acid found in animal proteins) and ribonucleotides (a ubiquitous component of genetic material found in all living organisms).

CIA Chef instructor Almir Da Fonseca, Dr. Chris Loss, Director of the Ventura Foods Center for Menu R&D at CIA, and Amy Myrdal, M.S., R.D., Program Director for CIA’s Strategic Initiatives Group, presented a two-hour interactive seminar on the art and science of flavor, and culinary techniques for reducing sodium at Nutrient Essentials: Sodium and the Healthy Plate, a cross-disciplinary conference held in Chicago, July 9-11. The event was co-organized by the National Restaurant Association, Shaping America’s Health, and the Grocery Manufacturers Association. Sheila Weiss, R.D., Director of Nutrition Policy for the National Restaurant Association, and Pam Smith, R.D., a culinary consultant for Shaping America’s Health, were the architects and MCs of the conference.

Growing concerns with the association of sodium in foods, and increased prevalence of coronary heart disease and high blood pressure (Havas et al., 2004), brought together a diversity of disciplines to discuss the topic, and strategize ways to mitigate this issue, without compromising restaurant consumers’ driving demand for high impact flavors. Presenters and attendees at the two and a half day conference included academics, health professionals, chefs, regulatory officials, restaurant operators, public interest groups, psychologist, sensory scientists, ingredient suppliers, and consumer behavior experts.

Tasting components for Chef Almir DaFonseca’s Flavor Dynamics Exercise.

Michael Kaufmann, Chairman of the Board of the NRA, opened the conference by describing an ever growing and evolving restaurant industry that employs 13 million Americans, and serves millions of meals a day, to an increasingly diverse and demanding consumer palate. Kaufman described that the food service industry absorbs nearly half of the consumer’s food dollar providing a significant proportion of daily calories. It was emphasized that American’s have an appetite for wholesome and healthy meals that reflect global flavor profiles and at the same time are convenient and comforting. Kaufmann set the scene, and presented challenges and opportunities for the industry with respect to sodium intake when consuming food away from home.

The 2 hour session designed and developed by the CIA was titled, “Culinary Techniques and Flavor: A How-To Workshop from The Culinary Institute of America”, and included: opening remarks and overview by Amy Myrdal, M.S., R.D., Program Director for CIA’s Strategic Initiatives group; a presentation by Dr. Chris Loss, on the arts and science of culinary techniques for developing flavor; David Kasabian (CIA, ’03), Author of The Fifth Taste: Cooking With Umami on the evolution of the “umami bomb” in the American kitchen; Chef Almir Da Fonseca (Faculty, CIA at Greystone) who provided a history of salt production, and a global tour and guided tasting of culinary salts, including a flavor dynamics exercise illustrating the art and technique of proper seasoning; and Randy Zwieban, Chef Owner of Province, Chicago; who presented a culinary demonstration, using flavor principles of Latin American cuisine as a model to illustrate that healthful, high impact flavors can naturally trump high sodium recipes.

CIA Chef Almir DaFonseca explains the importance of proper technique and ingredient quality for developing high impact flavors.

Chef Da Fonseca shared valuable insights from his 30 years in the culinary profession, emphasizing that a heavy hand with salt is no match for proper culinary technique. “Some chefs use salt as a ‘crutch’, to make up for laziness, bad technique, and utilization of poor quality ingredients. Salt is not a flavor profile in and of itself, it is a component of the taste, texture, complexity, and depth of a dish.”

Chef DaFonseca’s flavor dynamics exercise consisted of five salts: Philippine shrimp bed salt, French Fleur de Sel , Italian sea salt, Kosher, and iodized salts; plain boiled potatoes, spears of romaine lettuce, cubes of watermelon, olive oil and white balsamic vinegar mixture, and a piece of caramel. He guided more than 120 attendees through the tasting exercise, pointing out how each salt stimulates the palate, and modifies the basic flavor profiles of the different tasting components.

Effects of temperature on perceived intensity of basic tastes

Dr. Loss described that flavor involves much more than the basic tastes, and demonstrated the interaction between olfaction and gustation on perceived flavor using a simple jelly bean. He also described the effects of temperature on perceived intensity of taste; the interactions between color and aroma on perceived flavor; texture contrast effects on flavor, and the impact of context on consumer acceptance of flavor.

“Food Scientists have defined flavor to be a ‘multimodal experience perceived when consuming food’ (Delwiche, 2003), which means that all of the senses contribute to our perception of flavor.” Loss explained. “The interaction between olfaction and gustation is well known by chefs and clearly documented by sensory scientists. By understanding these multi-modal mechanisms of flavor, you come to quickly appreciate that salt contributes only partially to our enjoyment of food.”

Fire and Ice Melon Salad, a fruit salad laced with cilantro, lime, ginger and chiles.

Dr. Loss described how careful and practiced culinary techniques result in heightened multimodal sensory experiences. For example, sauté, when done properly, creates a diversity of taste and aroma compounds through Maillard and caramelization reactions; development of deep dark colors, and a desirable texture profile, by creating a crust on the outside of the item, contrasted by a moist interior. He also described the chemistry and technique behind extractions (stocks and fruit and vegetable purees), infusions of oils and vinegars, and concentration of flavor through reduction and dehydration.

Some of the specific advice on reducing sodium that came from the session included:

• Season foods at the end of the preparation to avoid the sensory phenomenon of adaptation (decreased sensitivity to a taste, due to over exposure to that taste; McBurney, 1966).
• Foods should be seasoned for their temperature of consumption (Sekuler, 2002)
• Foods at lower temperatures may require less salt.
• Be aware of the sources of sodium naturally present in your ingredients, and leverage them to provide salty tastes, as opposed to added sodium chloride.
• Reduce the salt in recipes gradually; salt preferences are in part learned (Beauchamp, 1991), so they can be unlearned.
• Educate your kitchen staff on the value and importance of utilizing proper and practiced culinary techniques to generate impactful flavors.
• Continue to work on reducing portion sizes, which equates to an automatic reduction in sodium without a compromise in flavor.

“…chefs are the ultimate empiricists; relying on all their senses to gather knowledge and better understand ingredients, techniques, and their customers,” notes Loss. He considers chefs to be “applied sensory experts, constantly working to understand and deliver the gestalt of flavor.”

“Our foods and food systems are inherently complex, and it is imperative that we take a multi-disciplinary approach when addressing issues such as sodium reduction and concomitant impact on flavor.” Dr. Loss pointed out. “Fortunately, the culinary profession is inherently fascinating and ever changing. Creativity and a clear understanding of underlying mechanisms of flavor development are fundamental to success in the field.”

A summary of the conference proceedings and PowerPoint presentations will soon be posted on the NRA’s web page at http://www.restaurant.org/research/.

References:
Beauchamp, G.K., Engelman, K. (1991) High salt intake. Sensory and behavioral factors. Hypertension, 17(S)I176-81.

Delwiche, J. (2002) The impact of perceptual interactions on perceived flavor. Food Quality and Preference, 15,137-146

Havas, S., Rocella, E.J, Lenfant, C. (2004) Reducing the public health burden from elevated blood pressure levels in the united states by lowering intake of dietary sodium. American Journal of Public Health, 94(1)19-22.

McBurney, D.H. (1966) Magnitude estimation of the taste of sodium chloride after adaptation to sodium chloride. Journal of Experimental Pshychology, 72, 869-873.

Sekuler, R., Blake, R, (2002) Perception, 4th edition. McGraw Hill, New York, NY (pg. 584)

FIRE AND ICE MELON SALAD

Ingredients
Melon assorted, such as cantaloupe, watermelon,and honeydew, 6 cups
Jalapeno chiles, 2–3 ea.
Ginger, optional
Lime, juiced, 2 ea.
Salt to taste
Cilantro leaves, 1/3 cup

Method

1. Cut a slice off the blossom and stem end of a cantaloupe or honeydew, and stand it on one end. Slice off the rind in strips, and continue shaving off hard white or unripe parts, until you come to the tender ripe flesh. Cut the melon into neat ¾-inch horizontal slices, and cut the slices into neat ¾-inch dice. Reserve in a bowl. Continue with the next melon, reserving it in its own separate bowl. When you have diced the watermelon, carefully poke out as many seeds as you easily can and reserve the flesh in its own bowl. Cover all three bowls and chill well.
2. To serve: arrange melon in alternating rows on a cold platter. Spoon the lime juice over the melons and sprinkle with the chiles and optional ginger. Season with salt and garnish with cilantro. Serve chilled.