Proteins is the subject of this month’s Malta Cafe Scientifique talk, entitled Science in the Kitchen, to be given by Keith Abela on Thursday at 7.30pm in the Music Room of St James Cavalier, Valletta. Admission is free.

Controlling proteins and making them transform through heat and different chemical processes is key to making a perfect meal. According to the heat applied, proteins break down and become completely different structures altogether, such as in the case of the Maillard reaction.

Taste and texture are influenced by the changes cooking does to food. Cooking changes the protein structures of fish, meat and eggs. It also changes the elasticity of the protein, which affects the final product we eat in unexpected ways unique to molecular gastronomy.

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