The Improbable Making and Chemistry of Chocolate

Chemistry, Food
[caption id="attachment_23742" align="alignright" width="480"] Cacao pods contain the makings of chocolate, but the contents must first go through a fermentation and drying process. Image by Medicaster.[/caption] Some years ago, some made the claim that genuine chocolate isn’t ‘good for you’. They made the claim that artificial chocolate made from carob beans is superior. Curiously, so-called dog chocolate was already made from carob... Thank goodness, science now concedes that chocolate is not all that bad; most of us can eat and enjoy at least some chocolate. And now that we know it’s OK to eat chocolate – and it may even be good for us – did you ever wonder: How do we make cocoa from cacao, and what is the chemistry behind this treat? Chocolate Chemistry: The Cacao Bean The…
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Fermentation Adds Pleasure to Our Diet

Chemistry, Food
[caption id="attachment_23185" align="alignright" width="480"] Sausages, mashed potatoes, and sauerkraut.[/caption] When most people think of fermentation, they think of fruits rich in sugar, or of potatoes or other starches. In most cases, they are thinking in terms of alcoholic beverages, Grog! But it is not limited alcoholic beverages. For instance, did you know sauerkraut, coffee and chocolate are made utilizing fermentation? Let's Define Fermentation When yeast converts sugar, it yields alcohol plus carbon dioxide gas. When yeast is used to bake bread, the alcohol and the gas cause the bread to rise. But alcohol in beverages, involves no cooking. The alcohol must be "disposed of" in a different way! Now yeast is a budding, single-cell fungus. So fungus can serve a useful purpose. And what about sauerkraut?1 The fermentation of sauerkraut…
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Why Chocolate Truffle Centers Cool the Tongue

Chemistry, Food
[caption id="attachment_14026" align="alignright" width="480"] Yum! Chocolate Truffles.[/caption] A chocolate truffle may be a hollow sphere of hard chocolate filled with a special sort of chocolate filling. The filling inside melts in a unique way. When you put a truffle in your mouth, the inside chocolate cools your tongue. Is that really possible? Yes it is. It is not merely a psychological effect. Chocolate truffle centers really do cool the tongue. Chocolate Truffle Centers Cool the Tongue When the truffle is put into the mouth and the lips close around it, energy comes from the cheeks, the palate, and especially the tongue. The temperature of the tongue generally remains nearly constant and is higher than that of the truffle's center. The outer chocolate of the truffle dissolves away slowly. The center…
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Chocolate Alkaloid Theobromine

Chemistry, Food
Chocolate is everyone’s favorite. It is a hard core sweet. There is chocolate candy, pudding, cake, and pie. And don't forget chocolate fudge, brownies, and doughnuts. Yet it must be asked, has the average person even heard of the chocolate alkaloid theobromine? Coffee Chocolate is not our only "favorite" food. We have bacon. We have beer. We have coffee. We have pizza. Just as coffee contains an alkaloid caffeine, there is a chocolate alkaloid theobromine. Structure of Theobromine? An alkaloid is a natural occurring, nitrogen containing base. Alkaloids produce physiological effects. These are sometimes good, sometimes bad. Theobromine is a xanthine alkaloid. Caffeine is a xanthine alkaloid. There is little difference between the two. In fact, there is only one methyl group difference (‒CH3)! Compare the images. Theobromine has the…
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