British scientists discover why chocolate is so irresistible

A team of scientists from the United Kingdom discovered Why is chocolate irresistible? The reasons are not related to its taste, but to the process that takes place inside the mouth when it goes from a solid to a soft emulsion, due to its special components and its mixture with saliva.

Researchers at the Leeds School of Food Science and Nutrition (UK) An in-depth analysis of the physical process that occurs in the mouth when eating a chocolate bar and the pleasure produced by touch and texture. The conclusions of the study that were Published in the journal Applied Materials and ACS Interface, can help develop A new generation of chocolate that produces the same satisfaction but may be healthier to consume.

As shown in the work, the deep fats within chocolate play a somewhat limited role and can be reduced without affecting the sense of pleasure generated by consumption. said Siavash Sultan Ahmadi, of the School of Food Science and Nutrition in Leeds and lead researcher on the study.

For the study’s tests, they used a premium brand of dark chocolate on a surface similar to an artificial tongue designed at the University of Leeds. With this, the researchers used analytical techniques from an engineering field called tribology, which studies the friction, wear, and lubrication that occur during contact between moving, solid surfaces.

so they can check the interaction between the components of the chocolate itself and saliva, And how, when it comes into contact with the tongue, it releases a layer of fat that coats the tongue and other surfaces of the mouth, making this product soft.

The researchers believe the physical techniques used in the study could be applied to investigating other foods that undergo a phase change, in which matter changes from a solid to a liquid, such as ice cream, margarine, or cheese.

The project on which this work is framed has received funding from the European Research Council under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.

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