Magician of Taste asks 'What is flavour?'

Posted 24 November 2014

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A ‘magician of taste’ treated an audience of food enthusiasts to an evening of flavour testing and live food reactions at Harper Adams University, recently.

Leading flavour expert and consultant, Dr David Baines, delivered the Chemistry of Cooking master class to answer the question, ‘what is flavour’?

The event was organised by the Institute of Food Science and Technology (IFST) Midlands Branch following the success of the Chemistry of Cocktails event in February.

Senior Lecturer in Food Marketing, Luís de Aguiar, coordinated the event. He said: “This was a truly fascinating and dynamic master class that explored everything from the impact of cooked foods on the brain, to the latest discoveries in flavour science.

“Dr Baines’ talk was extremely interactive and encouraged audience participation – this included identifying flavours using scent strips and testing soups that demonstrated the synergy of flavour.

“Not to mention a live demonstration of a flavour reactor, which by the end of the event had produced a vegetarian meat flavour for everyone to sample.

“We were delighted to welcome not only our staff and students, but also students from other institutions and members of the general public.

“I am certain that everyone that attended the talk will have left the event feeling inspired and more knowledgeable about the chemistry of cooking.”

During his presentation, Dr Baines also explained the evolution of the olfactory sense using replica models of Australopithecus and Neanderthal skulls.