Exploring the Food Pairing Hypothesis in Saudi Cuisine Using Genetic Algorithm

Computational gastronomy has emerged as one of the recent hot research topics in the field of food science. It is a field that studies food in the era of data. One of the current research topics in this field is the food pairing hypothesis, which states that food with common flavor compounds tastes good when consumed together. The hypothesis has been studied in Western and European gastronomic societies. However, there are no reported studies conducted in Arab counterparts. In this study, we used genetic algorithms (GAs) to validate this hypothesis in Saudi cuisine. We developed a quantitative model and applied it to a dataset consisting of ingredients compounds found in Saudi cuisine recipes. Our research revealed that the pattern of ingredients occurring in Saudi dishes showed positive food pairing results like western cuisine. Moreover, our research directs the light to new dimensions where GA can be applied to explore the field of food science and computational gastronomy.

Construction, comparison and evolution of networks in life sciences and other disciplines

Network approaches have become pervasive in many research fields. They allow for a more comprehensive understanding of complex relationships between entities as well as their group-level properties and dynamics. Many networks change over time, be it within seconds or millions of years, depending on the nature of the network. Our focus will be on comparative network analyses in life sciences, where deciphering temporal network changes is a core interest of molecular, ecological, neuropsychological and evolutionary biologists. Further, we will take a journey through different disciplines, such as social sciences, finance and computational gastronomy, to present commonalities and differences in how networks change and can be analysed. Finally, we envision how borrowing ideas from these disciplines could enrich the future of life science research.

Computational Gastronomy - Use of Computing Methods in Culinary Creativity

Nowadays in culinary practices there is a great variety of regional cuisine in line with the cultural diversity of a place. This raises the question of whether there is a common pattern in determining the combination of food ingredients or the same principles in making recipes and producing certain tastes. For example, Western cuisine tends to use ingredients that have many flavor compounds, while East Asian cuisine tends to avoid ingredients sharing compounds. This study is driven by the results of previous studies showing the science of gastronomy is developing and producing the domain of computational gastronomy which contributes to the creation of recipes in innovative and creative ways. The purpose of this study is to understand the use of computational gastranomy in diverse food network in culinary creativity. The research design is exploring and looking for relationships between various aspects of food such as taste, aroma, seasoning, food ingredient, texture, and cooking methods. Cross sectional and longitudinal research are also carried out to find a causal relationship between computational gastronomy and culinary creation. The results showed that there was a relationship between various aspects, namely computational gastronomy, culinary creations, food content, and the use of technology in creating food recipes. The application of computational creativity in the culinary field can increase business value in the hotel kitchen area, the creation of recipes and food science.