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Chocolate 'gives you the giggles'
25/07/2005 12:13 - (SA)
London - Nitrous oxide - laughing gas - is the best for creating the right-sized bubbles in chocolate, British scientists working with a recipe from Nestle have discovered.
That melt-in-the-mouth sensation that the Swiss-based chocolate maker strives to achieve in its Aero brand is best achieved with this "dentists' gas", according to researchers working at Reading University.
The team tried nitrogen, argon, and carbon dioxide, testing the results on a panel of non-expert chocolate tasters, but they found nitrous oxide (N2O) gave the best results.
"This study illustrates, for the first time, the sensory response of bubble-included chocolates in relation to bubble size," team leader Keshavan Niranjan said in the magazine Chemistry and Industry.
According to the research, argon and nitrogen made for smaller bubbles and produced a chocolate that was harder, the panel of tasters adjudged.
Nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide caused larger bubbles, and the chocolate melted more rapidly on the tongue.
Niranjan suggested that bubbles were undervalued in their role in food.
"They can be used to add novel textures, structures and mouth-
feels, without adding any extra calories," he said.
- SAPA
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