Delicious Science: a little knowledge about chocolate
Delicious Science: a little knowledge about chocolate
A few little knowledge about chocolate

1: cocoa butter in chocolate has six crystalline states

it's not easy to make chocolate. Many people may have tried to melt the bought chocolate and pour it into their favorite mold before solidifying it. However, the chocolate made in this way often tastes bad. If the chocolate melts in summer and freezes it in the refrigerator, you will feel that it doesn't taste right. As mentioned before

, the reason for this is that the cocoa butter in chocolate is polycrystalline, and it is difficult to guarantee the most delicious crystal form if the crystallization process is not controlled.

the melting points of the six crystal forms are as follows, of which the fifth is what we most want when making chocolate:

in order to get the best crystal form, it is very important to control the crystallization conditions, which is why chocolate needs to be adjusted.

2: the cocoa powder in chocolate should be ground to less than 20 microns, so that people will not feel granular when eating it, but will feel very delicate

the picture below is a century-old mixer that has been used in a chocolate factory in Barcelona. It is used to grind chocolate:

Grinding also promotes the full release of flavor substances in cocoa

3: cocoa beans have to be fermented and baked to produce the flavor of chocolate

the taste of freshly picked cocoa beans is not like chocolate, and many flavor substances will not be produced until fermentation and baking. Maillard reaction, which occurs during baking, will transform the flavor precursors produced during fermentation into the familiar chocolate flavor.

4: dogs can't eat chocolate, nor can cats. Why?

Chocolate contains theobromine, which belongs to the same category as caffeine in coffee and theophylline in tea (methylxanthine). There's nothing wrong with eating chocolate and drinking coffee, and it's usually just panic at most, because we primates metabolize and excrete these methylxanthines efficiently.

however, our cats and dogs are not so effective at removing theobromine (or caffeine) from their bodies, so these substances are more likely to cause serious side effects and can be life-threatening. Even if they stare at you, you can't feed them _ (: lecithin)

5: lecithin: a good partner of chocolate

Lecithin is an emulsifier that can be used in food, and you can often see it in the list of ingredients of chocolate. In the process of fine grinding chocolate, lecithin is added, which can reduce the viscosity of the molten chocolate paste during the grinding process, thus improving the taste of the final chocolate and making it more "silky".

6: is chocolate an aphrodisiac?

does not. In fact, scientists have not really found that what to eat can have an exact aphrodisiac effect. (see the original text for details)

the taste of freshly picked cocoa beans is not like chocolate, and many flavor substances will not be produced until fermentation and baking. Maillard reaction, which occurs during baking, will transform the flavor precursors produced during fermentation into the familiar chocolate flavor.

4: dogs can't eat chocolate, nor can cats. Why?

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Chocolate contains theobromine, which belongs to the same category as caffeine in coffee and theophylline in tea (methylxanthine). There's nothing wrong with eating chocolate and drinking coffee, and it's usually just panic at most, because we primates metabolize and excrete these methylxanthines efficiently.

however, our cats and dogs are not so effective at removing theobromine (or caffeine) from their bodies, so these substances are more likely to cause serious side effects and can be life-threatening. Even if they stare at you, you can't feed them _ (: lecithin)

5: lecithin: a good partner of chocolate

Lecithin is an emulsifier that can be used in food, and you can often see it in the list of ingredients of chocolate. In the process of fine grinding chocolate, lecithin is added, which can reduce the viscosity of the molten chocolate paste during the grinding process, thus improving the taste of the final chocolate and making it more "silky".

6: is chocolate an aphrodisiac?

does not. In fact, scientists have not really found that what to eat can have an exact aphrodisiac effect. (see the original text for details)