Eating a candy bar is fun because of a rather complex process, partly related to fat. By understanding it better, scientists may also have grasped how to reduce the fat content, without reducing the pleasure.
How good it is to enjoy a chocolate bar! At Christmas, at Easter, for a specific occasion or at any time, this delicacy is a pleasant taste pleasure. But it’s not just because of the taste: the texture has a lot to do with it. It is not we who affirm it, but science. Because yes, science is now very interested in chocolate.
American scientists have to analyse each step of the physical process at work in the tasting of a chocolate bar. In doing so, they have one goal: to imagine a new form of tablet that would taste just as good, but be healthier.
Towards a “new generation of chocolate”
At the heart of the process studied: lubrication — or “greasing”. When you bite into the bar, the sensation comes from the way the chocolate is lubricated (by cocoa butter for example). ” Fat plays a key role almost immediately when a piece of chocolate is in contact with the tongue », explain the authors of this work. This fat is what will gradually release the cocoa particles, the ingredient that contains the pleasant tactile sensation, sticking them to the taste buds. It serves as a “guide” to lead the ingredients, through the saliva, to the right destination.
For their experiment, the authors mobilized a robotic mouth. They were able to observe that it was the layer of fat outside the bar that coated the tongue, then interacting with the taste buds. The fat located deeper in the candy bar was almost never in direct contact with the tongue. This means that this deeper fat does not directly contribute to taste pleasure.
This is where, according to the authors, lies a key element in making these treats healthier – because fat is not very healthy – without reducing the pleasure. ” It is the location of the fat in the composition of the chocolate that matters at each stage of lubrication, and this aspect has rarely been researched. “, they explain. And their study shows that the layer of fat must be on the outer layer of the chocolate, that is what matters the most (…). In short: it would be a question of reducing the fat located most deeply in the chocolate delicacy.
” We believe it is possible to develop a new generation of chocolate that offers the same sensation as high-fat chocolate, while being a healthier choice. “say the authors.
Do you like our media? Tell us in this survey!
