MOLECULAR GASTRONOMY OF BEER AS AN INTEGRATION OF BIOTECHNOLOGICAL AND PHYSICOCHEMICAL APPROACHES INTO MODERN CULINARY ART

Abstract

In the context of the development of the restaurant industry and innovative food technologies, increasing attention is being paid to the application of molecular gastronomy techniques for the creation of products with novel textural and sensory characteristics. One of the promising approaches is the use of beer as a functional raw material for the development of structured gastronomic systems. The aim of this study was to analyze the physicochemical properties of beer and to substantiate the feasibility of its application in molecular gastronomy technologies, particularly in the production of beer spheres using the spherification method. The study employed methods of theoretical analysis, generalization, and systematization of current scientific data concerning the chemical composition, colloidal properties, and structure-forming mechanisms in multicomponent food systems. The peculiarities of the chemical composition of beer as a complex colloidal system containing proteins, polypeptides, polyphenols, organic acids, hop iso-α-acids, volatile aromatic compounds, and dissolved carbon dioxide were analyzed. It was found out that the combination of these components determines the surface-active, foam-forming, and structure-forming properties of beer, which can be effectively utilized in molecular gastronomy technologies. It was demonstrated that the beer spherification process is based on the mechanism of external ionic gelation resulting from the interaction between sodium alginate and calcium ions, leading to the formation of a calcium alginate structure according to the "eggbox" model. The main physicochemical factors affecting the efficiency of beer sphere formation were identified, including medium acidity, dissolved carbon dioxide content, concentrations of the gelling agent and calcium ions, as well as the rheological properties of the system. The feasibility of applying the reverse spherification method for obtaining stable beer spheres with a liquid core and pronounced sensory properties was substantiated. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the generalization and systematization of the physicochemical principles governing the spherification of beer as a multicomponent colloidal system. The practical significance of the obtained results consists in the possibility of their application in the development of innovative products for the restaurant industry.