Qualitaly_115

FEB. MAR. 2020 VII Lombardy and Liguria, “are two essential aspects in the debate on man’s relationship with food. And, in the catering sector, they arise when there is a functional organization of production areas, managed efficiently. New technologies facilitate this aspect. Technology, which is often seen as a negative, is instead a positive.” In addition to these two aspects, there is another one that has become topical in recent times: attention to food waste, an issue that also concerns catering because waste is uneconomical. “I find, however,” Donegani stressed, “that this problem is understood in a reductive sense. We focus, in fact, on food that ends up in the trash, without evaluating the essence of food from a nutritional point of view. If you don’t cook thinking about preserving the content of the food (vitamins, minerals...) you waste it, even without throwing it away. I’ll throw away vitamins, minerals... Besides, if a food has an excellent nutritional value, even less is enough.” FROM PREPARATION TO COOKING There are three times when this qualitative waste can occur: storage, preparation, cooking. During storage, the “enemies” of the nutritional content are time, temperature, light, humidity and oxygen in the air. “These factors,” Donegani explained, “lead to the decay of certain nutrients, in particular fats, vitamins and proteins. They generate enzymatic reactions, oxidative or structural damage, such as frost damage in fruit.” The preparation is a fundamental phase. In fact, cutting vegetables has a major impact on nutrient maintenance: a sharp blade cuts cells and tissues and does not tear them. “During the peeling,” he stressed, “we must re-evaluate traditions handed down over time that in the past had reason to be for hygienic reasons, but which today no longer make sense. For example, I advise not to discard the peel of potatoes because it concentrates the ‘caiapo’, a strongly hypoglycaemic substance.” In the washing process it is necessary to take inspiration from the practices adopted by the 4 th range industry, limiting soaking to a minimum, which solubilises many nutrients, in favour of a mechanical action that does not damage the tissues but guarantees deep cleaning. Cooking is another nodal point. “Today, crudism is back in fashion,” Donegani said, “but it’s not always good. Cooking acts in an important way on certain nutrients, not only for the hygienic aspects. For example, there are few proteins that do not improve their digestibility when cooked. The ideal cooking is the one that acts on the surface of the food making it “waterproof” because it keeps the juices and nutrients inside.” Among the main cooking methods, the one with moist heat cooking in water has the problem of solubilisation and dispersion of nutrients. “Pressure or steam cooking,” he said, “is better than boiling, but this technique is the one that best preserves the omega 3 in the fish. This teaches that in choosing the technique we must also evaluate the food according to its nutritional composition.” Dry cooking, in the oven or by direct contact (grill, barbecue...) has the advantage of waterproofing the surface, but can present toxicological problems linked to the formation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) and Heterocyclic Amines. “It is sufficient, however, to marinate in oil before placing meat or fish on the grill,” Donegani explained, “to significantly reduce the formation of heterocyclic amines.” Two cooking processes that have been wrongly mistreated, on the other hand, are interesting ones: microwave cooking produces the same result as boiling, but without loss of constituents, thanks to the short cooking time. “In particular,” he remarked, “the loss of Vitamin C is reduced by 20-30% and folic acid is maintained. Frying, instead, favours the formation of a superficial crust that prevents the loss of nutrients and also opposes the penetration of fats.” THE TECHNOLOGY TO OPTIMIZE PROCESSES The techniques, more or less evolved, are many, but to ensure that the cooking takes place within a quality and safe regime, it is necessary to guarantee the correct ratio between cooking time and temperature. “Technology is of great help,” explained Giubilesi, “for example, the most modern ovens are equipped with probes that govern the cooking parameters (time, temperature, humidity) and can modify the functionality of the oven, also allowing you to set different zones according to the food you are cooking. The “intelligent and sustainable” cooking allows you to reduce weight loss, the food remains more succulent and richer in nutrients, the cooking is homogeneous throughout all parts of the product. In addition to cooking, rapid cooling is also important, especially as you often work in advance of serving.” Among the new cooking technologies, there is the low-intensity vacuum. “It has high potential,” said Giubilesi, “not yet widespread in commercial