The Science Of Chocolate

By Author: Tracy Pridemore
Total Articles: 12
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Who knew science could taste so good! Without science the candy bar as you know it would not exist, and that would not be fun at all. The cacao tree was first discovered over 2,000 years ago in the tropical rain forest of South America. The ancient Aztec and Maya people used the cacao bean to make a spicy frothy drink which was really bitter. The explorers took the bean back to the old world where sugar was added and other various uses came to be.

Did you know that Americans eat about 10 pounds of chocolate a year! Chocolate cake, chocolate candy, chocolate milk, chocolate pudding, and chocolate ice cream -Yum! If only chocolate grew on trees Hey! Wait a minute! It does!

The Cacao tree (Theobroma cacao) grows in warm, temperate countries of the world like Indonesia, South and Central America and Africa.

When the tree matures, it produces a fruit about the size of a small pineapple. Inside these fruits are the seeds called cocoa beans. The chocolate comes from inside the cocoa beans.

When the ripe fruits are harvested they are left to ferment for about a week before the beans ...
... are removed and dried in the sun. After they're dried the outer husks of the beans are removed and then the small, brown, wrinkled cocoa beans are roasted to bring out their flavor.

All seeds contain some fat but cocoa beans are made up of 50% fat (cocoa butter) so when the roasted seeds are ground they form a thick liquid called chocolate liquor. At this stage the chocolate is still very bitter. Try tasting a small amount of unsweetened cooking chocolate and you'll see what I mean.

A Bar is Born!

To make a delicious chocolate bar, lots of sugar has to be added along with other ingredients and flavors, like vanilla. Often milk or cream is added, too. Milk chocolate has more sugar and fat in it than bitter cooking chocolate.
This mixture is then put through a process called conching where a special machine blends the mixture to help smooth out the texture. Finally the chocolate is tempered. Tempering is accomplished by slowly heating, then slowly cooling the chocolate. This is necessary to prevent the cocoa butter from settling out of the chocolate.

What is it about chocolate that makes us feel so happy about eating it? Phenylethylamine is the chemical responsible for our love of this fragrant, smooth, delicious treat. This hormone occurs naturally in the human body and is often called the love chemical because it gives people feelings of happiness, friendliness and contentment. Scientists have found that high levels of phenylethylamine are found in chocolate. Maybe that's why we give chocolate to those we love on Valentines Day and not say. Brussels sprouts!

Try several different brands of chocolate. Try chocolate that comes from different countries. Can you taste the differences in the bars? Why would they not all taste the same? Are their textures different? Which is your favorite?