Editorial Sciences, Jan. 12 (EFE). – A team of scientists has discovered why chocolate is so irresistible, and it is not only due to the taste, but also to the process in which it changes from solid to solid in the mouth to a soft emulsion due to its special ingredients and the combination of saliva.
It was studied by researchers from the School of Food Science and Nutrition in Leeds (UK), who did an in-depth analysis of the physical process that occurs in the mouth when eating a piece of chocolate and the pleasure produced by touch and feeding. texture.
The study, the conclusions of which are published today in the journal ACS Applied Materials and Interface, may, according to officials, contribute to the development of a new generation of chocolate that has a similar feel and texture but is healthier for consumption.
Fats play a major role at the moment a piece of chocolate comes into contact with the tongue, and after that moment the solid cocoa particles are released and become important in terms of sense of touch, therefore the deep fats inside chocolate play a somewhat limited role and can be reduced without affecting the sense of pleasure from consumption .
The tests were carried out using a luxury brand of dark chocolate on an artificial tongue-like surface designed at the University of Leeds, and the researchers used analytical techniques from an engineering field called tribology, which studies friction. and the lubrication that occurs during contact between hard moving surfaces.
In this case, check this interaction between the ingredients of the chocolate itself and saliva, and how when it touches the tongue it releases a fatty film that covers the tongue and other surfaces of the mouth and this is a film that makes this product feel soft throughout its time in the mouth.
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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