Maciej Lisicki is developing a formula for perfectly creamy ice cream in his laboratory. Credit: Michal Czerepaniak/University of Warsaw
From sourdough starters to banana bread, recipes were trending on social media throughout the COVID-19 pandemic due to stay-at-home orders.
The University of Warsaw has added another:
- Four physicists who specialize in fluid mechanics
- Basic foodstuffs
- A bottle of champagne
- A pandemic of unknown proportions
- A pinch of boredom
- A handful of good ideas
Stir it in a bowl until smooth and you end up with a “delicious” publication on how kitchen science can contribute to innovations in many fields, including biomedicine and nanotechnology.
“[Our research] started primarily with the intention to make an educational tool, given that kitchens offer a low barrier of entry to doing science— all you need are some pots, pans, and a few ingredients to get a few reactions going—but it quickly grew into a more scientific reflection of the history of food once we realized how interwoven the fields are,” said co-author Arnold Mathijssen.
Staying true to theme, the researchers wrote their paper along the lines of a menu. “Tasting” begins with the physics of drinks and cocktails, then moves on to main courses, and finishes with coffee and desserts, whose preparation is based on the intuitive use of the laws of nature.
For example, the team details how a mist forms around the neck of a champagne bottle after it is popped due to a rapid change in pressure. They also examine the mystery of champagne bubbles and what makes the foam in beer so thick and stable.
The main course section details the role of heat and its effect on food textures, aromas and flavors. Among other things, the team describes the Leidenfrost effect, in which a drop of liquid placed on a very hot surface forms an insulating layer of vapor that prevents rapid boiling.
Dirty dishes and surface tension
The paper, published in Reviews of Modern Physics, also includes examples of scientific discoveries researchers have made in the kitchen. One of the most interesting is the story of Agnes Pockels.
Growing up in Germany in the late 19th century, Pockels ran her parents’ household, spending a lot of time in the kitchen. There, she began experimenting. Observing the formation of foam and films on the surface of dirty dishes, she became the first to describe the phenomenon of surface tension. Pockels even developed an instrument to measure this new phenomenon.
However, scientific journals were reluctant to publish the results of her experiments due to her lack of formal training and no affiliation with a university or research entity.
“Her story speaks of the inequality in science,” said Mathijssen. Ultimately, her first paper was published through Lord Rayleigh in Nature and contributed to the understanding of surface effects in liquids. Pockels then became well-known and respected, with all of her subsequent work being published in high-profile journals.
From nanoengineering to food safety and policy
Fluid mechanics research can help improve food processing technologies, as well as find applications in nanoengineering, medicine, food safety, quality control, sustainability and more.
“In an earlier study conducted by my team, we used a simple emulsion that is the basis of salad—oil with water. We were able to make droplets of such an emulsion, with the addition of a surfactant, form tendrils under temperature and move like bacteria. Such non-toxic, biocompatible microfluidics could be used in the future, for example, to precisely deliver drugs anywhere in our bodies,” said co-author Maciej Lisicki, professor of physics at the University of Warsaw.
Additionally, devices that use the principles of fluid dynamics could be deployed to detect foodborne pathogens or toxins. The research could also have an impact on policy decisions. In their paper, the scientists highlight the importance of science-based policies, such as the EU’s ban on PFAS non-stick coatings by 2030.
“Using the scientific understanding offered by studies like these, policy makers can make informed decisions to foster a more sustainable and safer food future,” the authors conclude.