Printing chocolate with the ideal mouthfeel
Researchers from the University of Amsterdam, Delft University and Unilever used metamaterials — that is, materials not found in nature but created in a lab — to create shapes of chocolate that offer a satisfying eating experience.
These tasty metamaterials were creating using a 3D printer full of tempered chocolate. The scientists printed a variety of shapes of chocolate in a bid to understand what makes a satisfying mouthful of the moreish treat. The shapes were not standard squares, circles or rectangles, as you might usually find in a heart-shaped box, but rather a series of squiggles and swirls. The researchers found that these shapes would create a unique shattering and cracking effect — something that was key to the mouthfeel of the chocolate being satisfying.
The ideal shape for mouthfeel was a spiral, as found by an enthusiastic board of chocolate testers, since it created a satisfying cracking effect when bitten through vertically. The scientists then turned to mathematical modelling to optimise the chocolate shapes to balance the rigidity and resistance to biting, which resulted in a selection of odd but sturdy shapes for a satisfying snack.
It is early days for the research, with the scientists suggesting that the metamaterial chocolate shapes are proof that a more satisfying eating experience is possible for chocolate with the application of mathematics and engineering.
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