Chemistry 100 - Molecular Gastronomy and Food Science: From Test Tubes to Taste Buds

With our busy lives and countless varieties of readily available pre-prepared food, we often give up both the joy and the “worry” of meal preparation to an unknown person. This course aims not only to teach about the basic structural principles of food and its chemistry, but also how our knowledge and a scientific approach to meal preparation can influence the results. We will explore how novel culinary techniques like spherification, sous vide, espuma, and gelification change the texture, form, and flavor of the prepared food. We will also see how old culinary techniques unconsciously used a scientific approach to well-known dishes seen across the world. The course will focus primarily on: (i) Molecular basis for the sensation of flavor; (ii) Basic structure and properties of edible sugars, proteins, and fats; (iii) Chemical and physical changes that these molecules undergo under different food-related treatments (e.g., heating, cooling, mechanical processing); and (iv) the chemistry of fermentation. In the culinary lab portion of the class, students will have the chance to put their theoretical knowledge into practice with hands-on work with foams, emulsions, chocolate, and more.

The class will be divided into two sections. Both sections will meet together for a 75-minute lecture twice a week, and each section will meet separately for a culinary lab once a week for 180 minutes. 

Limited to 32 students. The cap is determined by laboratory room size.

Criteria for enrollment: Seniority (seniors, then juniors, then sophomores, then first-years).

Spring 2026. Instructors are Christopher Durr and Galina Melman.

How to handle overenrollment: If overenrolled, preference will be given to upper class students (seniors, juniors, and sophomores

Students who enroll in this course will likely encounter and be expected to engage in the following intellectual skills, modes of learning, and assessment: Students in this class will likely encounter and be expected to engage in the following intellectual skills, modes of learning and assessmment: group work, analytical writing, laboratory work as it pertains to food, collaborative projects, and a final class project.