What is it that makes chocolate so enjoyable? The sweetness or the bitterness? Maybe it’s the crunch. Or all of the above? Food scientists have pondered upon the question and are now close to creating the perfect piece of chocolate, using innovative technology.
A team of scientists at the University of Amsterdam has been using geometry and physics to create chocolate that’s even more enjoyable. The result of their research so far is 3D-printed. spiral-shaped chocolate candy, which doesn’t resemble anything we find in our supermarkets, but has the potential to change the future of chocolate, and possibly food in general!
This specific research is part of a broader study including edible meta-materials and these 3D chocolates are the first step in creating metafoods. The research is led by Corentin Coulais, a physicist working with non-food meta-materials, materials with non-natural properties and structures, at the University. With the experience of working in the fields like prosthetics and robotics, Coulais and his team turned their focus to chocolate after making a partnership with renowned foods and consumer goods company Unilever.
The spiral-shaped chocolates came with different patterns, ranging from simple S-shapes to complex labyrinth-like structures. The pieces were given for testing (and tasting) to a panel of lucky chocolate enthusiasts, to find out the most preferred shapes and the reason behind these choices. According to Coulais, the more elaborate and intricate shapes, with more cracks in them, were preferred by the testers. He further elaborated that the crunching of food in mouths gave people pleasure, and that’s why the more brittle and ready-to-shatter chocolates are more popular globally.