Chocolate’s champion chompability
Tom Husband melts into the sumptuous chemistry of chocolate’s silky smooth texture
Imagine yourself holding a bar of chocolate. As you tear off the wrapper, you are greeted by the glossy sheen of the chocolate. You break off a square with a satisfying snap and place it on your tongue. The flavour intensifies as the chocolate starts to melt in the warmth of your mouth. Delicious compounds are unlocked while the creamy mass glides across your taste buds. The flavour of chocolate is sensational but the consistency – how it feels to eat – is just as important. Not only did the cocoa bean give us those wonderful flavours, it also gave us another substance responsible for that trademark consistency – cocoa butter.
Thanks for using Education in Chemistry. You can view one Education in Chemistry article per month as a visitor.
Register for Teach Chemistry for free, unlimited access
Registration is open to all teachers and technicians at secondary schools, colleges and teacher training institutions in the UK and Ireland.
Get all this, plus much more:
- unlimited access to resources, core practical videos and Education in Chemistry articles
- teacher well-being toolkit, personal development resources and online assessments
- applications for funding to support your lessons
Already a Teach Chemistry member? Sign in now.
Not eligible for Teach Chemistry? Sign up for a personal account instead, or you can also access all our resources with Royal Society of Chemistry membership.