Scientists have discovered why chocolate is so irresistible beyond the taste, it is also due to the process in which it changes from a solid emulsion to a smooth one in the mouth, due to the ingredients themselves and the combination with saliva.
The work was carried out by researchers from the School of Food Sciences and Nutrition in Leeds, United Kingdom, who analyzed in depth the physical process that occurs in the mouth when eating a piece of chocolate and the pleasure produced by its touch and texture.
The study, whose conclusions are published today in the journal ACS Applied Materials and Interface, can contribute, according to those responsible, to the development of a new generation of chocolates with the same sensation and texture but healthier for consumption.
Fat plays a key role when a piece of chocolate comes into contact with the tongue. After that moment, the solid cocoa particles are released and become important in terms of tactile sensation.
Therefore, the deeper fat within the chocolate plays a very limited role and can be reduced without impacting the sensation of pleasure in consumption, argue the authors of the work.
The tests were carried out using a luxury brand of dark chocolate on a surface similar to an artificial tongue designed at the University of Leeds.
The researchers used analytical techniques from a field of engineering called “tribology,” which studies the friction, wear and lubrication that occur when moving solid surfaces come into contact.
In this case, the scientists verified the interaction between the ingredients of the chocolate itself and saliva, and how, when it comes into contact with the tongue, it releases a film of fat that covers the tongue and other surfaces of the mouth and that is this film the one that makes this product soft all the time it is in the mouth.
For the team of researchers, the physical techniques used in the study can be applied in the investigation of other foods that undergo a phase change, where a substance goes from a solid state to a liquid state, such as ice cream, butter or cheese.
The project of which this study is part received funding from the European Research Council within the framework of the Horizon 2020 research and innovation program of the European Union.
Source: TSF
