Culinary Science

Courses

CUSC-100: Food Safety

An introduction to food production practices governed by changing federal and state regulations. Topics to be covered include prevention of foodborne illness through proper handling of potentially hazardous foods, HACCP procedures, legal guidelines, kitchen safety, facility sanitation, and guidelines for safe food preparation, storing, and reheating. At the conclusion of the course, students will take the National Restaurant Association ServSafe® examination for certification.

CUSC-100A/105A: ServSafe Exam

This National Restaurant Association ServSafe® exam tests knowledge and proficiency in food safety and food service subject matters. A certification exam score of 70% or better is required to pass the exam and become certified. (Pass/Fail grading)

CUSC-105: Introduction to Food Science

This course provides an introduction to the physical and biological sciences that serve as the foundations of food safety and nutrition. Topics include prevention of foodborne illness through proper handling of potentially hazardous foods, HACCP procedures, legal guidelines, kitchen safety, facility sanitation, and guidelines for safe food preparation, storing, and reheating. Students will take the National Restaurant Association ServSafe® examination in this course. Students also learn about basic nutrients, food labeling, nutritional principles, current issues in nutrition, and the application of nutritional principles to menu development, and will practice nutritional analysis of recipes.

CUSC-105A: Servsafe Exam

This National Restaurant Association ServSafe® exam administered at the CIA's San Antonio campus tests knowledge and proficiency in food safety and food service subject matters. A certification exam score of 70% or better is required to pass the exam and become certified. (Pass/Fail grading)

CUSC-110: Nutrition

Examine the basic concepts and principles of nutrition. In this course, students learn about basic nutrients, food labeling, nutritional principles, current issues in nutrition, and the application of nutritional principles to menu development. Students will also be involved in nutritional analysis of recipes.

CUSC-120: Science of Food

Using introductory principles of biology and chemistry, students will study the interaction among microbes, plants, animals, and humans. Topics covered include atoms and molecules; composition of carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids; water; biology of animals; and their role in human metabolism and the food system. Additionally, the course will introduce the scientific method and research design so that students will be able to find and comprehend reliable sources of science-based information.

CUSC-200: Culinary Science: Principles and Applications

This course will introduce students to the principles of culinary science and applications in a career in the food industry. The contributing subfields and the cross-disciplinary nature of culinary science will be a major focus. Parallels and distinctions between chef and scientist and their methods and perspectives will be discussed. Protocols followed in the culinary science lab will be introduced, and critical thinking skills will be exercised through case studies and demonstrations. Topics covered in this course will include the culinary arts and sciences, and involve ethnography, history, anthropology, chemistry, engineering, biology, psychology, and business.

CUSC-310: Culinary Chemistry

This course will provide students with a working understanding of the basic chemical properties of the macro and micronutrients that make up ingredients. Emphasis will be on the functional properties of ingredients in the kitchen and reactions occurring during meal preparation. Lab sections will provide hands-on learning opportunities that illustrate how the underlying chemistry of cooking can be used to hone traditional techniques and expand the creative palette of the chef. Topics include flavor reactions, solution chemistry, chemistry of volatile compounds, and enzymatic activity in foods.

CUSC-315: Dynamics of Heat Transfer and Physical Properties of Food

Exploring the two fundamental aspects of cooking--heat and water--this course will delve into details of the physics underlying the culinary techniques and their effects on safety and quality of food. The course will cover effects of energy transfer into foods on their nutritional, sensory, and microbial quality; the definition and measure of the physical properties of food; the solid, liquid, and gas phases in foods; and the laws of thermodynamics as they apply in the kitchen. The effects of convection conduction and radiant energy on the structural changes in plant- and animal-based ingredients will be discussed and explored in the kitchen-based labs. Labs will provide students with an opportunity to better understand how culinary techniques and industrial analogs alter the physical state of food.

CUSC-320: Flavor Science and Perception

The physiology and function of the five senses, flavor chemistry, and flavor perception will be studied in this course. Students will be introduced to the field of sensory evaluation, and explore the fundamentals of objective sensory testing. Lab sections emphasize the multi-modality of flavor, the individuality of flavor perception, the effects of context on consumer behavior, and methods for designing sensory tests. The role of sensory evaluation and consumer behavior techniques to help guide the product development process will also be emphasized.

CUSC-325: Research Methods: Scientific Evaluation of Traditional Cooking Techniques

This course will present students with a foundation in research methods that they can use to solve problems and advance innovative thought in the food industry. Classical culinary techniques will be explored through the lens of the scientific method. The physical and chemical changes that occur in food during preparation will provide the point of inquiry for research questions. Through hands-on experimentation, students will develop their research skills and practice objective evaluation of the physical and chemical properties of food and flavor. Basic experimental design and fundamental statistical methods will be introduced. Research reports will be produced each week, and students will maintain a lab notebook.

CUSC-350: Microbial Ecology of Food Systems

The physiology, metabolism, and ecology of the unicellular organisms that impact the safety and quality of food will be examined in this course. Focus will be on the application of culinary practices to control the growth of microorganisms in the kitchen. Food fermentations will be explored in detail and will provide ecological perspective on microorganisms. Additional topics include traditional and novel preservation techniques, cleaning and sanitation technology, and flavor transformation through fermentation. Through lab sections, students will become familiar with aseptic technique, traditional and molecular isolation and culturing methods, and the role of microbiology in shelf life testing and process validation. Dairy-, vegetable-, and meat-based fermentations will be prepared and evaluated.

CUSC-410: Culinary Research and Development

In this course, students will learn about the collaborative culinary research and development (R&D) process, the stakeholders involved in product development, and application of culinary science in R&D. A series of case studies will be used to emphasize the importance of working across disciplines to facilitate problem solving in R&D and help ensure successful product launches. Students will work in teams and use the culinary R&D process to create and develop a product to present to the faculty as a senior project. This class will integrate the major principles covered in the curriculum and apply them to current and emerging R&D challenges, including safety regulations, salt reduction, portion reduction, gluten-free products, and more.

CUSC-415: Ingredient Functionality: Texture Development, Stability, and Flavor Release

This course examines how modern cooks and food technologists use ingredients in ways that earlier generations would never have imagined, increasingly relying on novel ingredients such as thickening and gelling agents. Thickening and gelling are fundamental techniques in cooking, and many modern functional ingredients extend the possibilities for creativity and innovation. Students will discover how ingredients can be used to thicken or gel under conditions that traditional thickeners and gelling compounds can't, and be introduced to the remarkable variety of thickening and gelling agents now available to the modern chef. The science of emulsions, foams, and colloidal suspensions will also be covered.

CUSC-420: Advanced Concepts in Precision Temperature Cooking

This course explores the techniques and applications of precision temperature cooking methods used for a variety of products and outcomes. The microbiology and sanitation practices for precision and low temperature cooking will be covered, as well as the techniques, equipment, and processes used in the restaurant kitchen and in the modern food production center. Focusing primarily on sous-vide cooking, students will explore other equipment and techniques used to give precise and replicable results, such as combi and water vapor ovens. They'll also create process flow systems for precision temperature cooking facilities and study topics such as pasteurization, heat treatment, modified atmosphere, re-tort, shelf life, and re-thermalization. Additionally, the course will delve into creating and maintaining an effective HACCP plan.

CUSC-425: Modern and Industrial Cooking Tools, Techniques, and Ingredients

In this course, students will study the use of industrial-scale cooking equipment and its applications in product development and food processing. Through the use of bench-top equipment, they'll conceptualize and model the steps from product ideation, development, and launch. Field trips to large-scale facilities and commissaries will help illustrate the application of equipment and the logistics of their use. Centrifuges, homogenizers, vacuum filters, freeze dryers, rotary evaporators, pasteurizers, and other specialized equipment that have moved from scientific laboratories to professional kitchens will be covered.

CUSC-450: Senior Thesis: Culinary Science Research Projects

This course will give students the opportunity to work independently with a faculty member and develop projects exploring a topic in culinary science that involves library research and applied kitchen experiments. Final results will be presented to the faculty in a thesis.