Chocolate is an obsession for many people. It’s not only its taste but its silky-smooth texture that makes it so delicious. Researchers looked at its characteristics to determine how these properties can yield a healthy, and great-tasting treat.
What It’s All About
When you eat chocolate, it transforms from a solid into a smooth emulsion. Researchers suggest that the fat in the chocolate is what makes the texture so appealing. Scientists at the University of Leeds hope their findings will help them develop a luxury chocolate that has the same texture but is healthier to eat.
When the chocolate reaches the tongue, a fatty film is released that coats the entire mouth. It produces a smooth sensation as it is digested. The study reveals that the sensation comes from the way the chocolate is lubricated and how it interacts with saliva.
The fat and solid cocoa particles on the surface play an important role in the chocolate experience. Therefore, researchers feel that reducing the fat inside the chocolate could produce a healthier candy that’s just as enjoyable to eat.
Anewesha Sarkar, professor of colloids and surfaces in the School of Food Science and Nutrition at Leeds said, “Lubrication science gives mechanistic insights into how food feels in the mouth.
“You can use that knowledge to design food with a better taste, texture, or health benefits.
“If chocolate has 5% fat or 50% fat it will still form droplets in the mouth and that gives you the chocolate sensation.
“However, it is the location of the fat in the make-up of the chocolate which matters in each stage of lubrication, and that has been rarely researched.
“We’re showing that the fat layers need to be on the outer layer of the chocolate. This matters the most, followed by an effective coating of the cocoa particles by fat, this help to make the chocolate feel so good.”
The Study
The study, which was published in the ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces Journal, focused on the feel and texture of chocolate rather than how it tastes.
It involved testing a luxury brand of chocolate on an artificial tongue-like surface designed by the team at the University of Leeds.
Dr. Siavash Soltanahmadi from the School of Food Science and Nutrition at Leeds and the study’s lead researcher said, “With the understanding of the physical mechanisms that happen as people eat chocolate, we believe that a next generation of chocolate can be developed that offers the feel and sensation of high-fat chocolate yet is a healthier choice.”
“Our research opens the possibility that manufacturers can intelligently design dark chocolate to reduce the overall fat content.
“We believe dark chocolate can be produced in a gradient-layered architecture with fat covering the surface of chocolates and particles to offer the sought-after self-indulging experience without adding too much fat inside the body of the chocolate.”
Researchers believe similar fat-reducing techniques can be applied to other foods that undergo a phase change including margarine, cheese, and ice cream.
