Is it Mousses or Meese?

How does the whipping time of the egg whites affect the fluffiness and density of
the chocolate mousse?

Sage Davis
04.12.2019
TH​
11​ GRADE CHEMISTRY

 
ABSTRACT

Throughout this investigation, I conducted four tests to determine how the whipping time
of egg white affects the fluffiness and density of chocolate mousse. The question I tested was,
How does the whipping time of the egg whites affect the fluffiness and density of the chocolate
mousse? Through this experiment, I did a lot of research on how the protein in the egg whites
and the fats combine with air pockets to create the fluffy foam that has a lot of structural
integrity. After doing my research on how the egg whites make the mousse fluffy, I began
conducting taste tests and measuring the mousses. I tested each mousse by whipping the egg
whites for four different amounts of time than conducting taste tests to determine how the
texture affected the preference of the mousse. In the end, I found that the lighter and fluffier
mousse is most preferred rather than the mousses that were more creamy. I chose to make the
mousse because not only is it one of my favorite desserts, it has been made so often in my
family that it is almost a tradition to have mousse on holidays… or whenever we are really
needing some. For a lot of delicious dessert recipes you are called to beat the egg whites until
firm or fluffy and I decided that since I love this dish so much and a dish of chocolate mousse
should always be prepared as perfect as possible, fluffy and rich, and if you are looking for the
answer then you have come to the right place.

Key Terms​: Mousse, Fluffiness, Density, Egg whites, whipping time, structural integrity

INTRODUCTION

A chocolate mousse is a French dish served as a dessert that uses air bubbles to give it
a light fluffy texture. Mousse can range from creamy and thick to light and fluffy depending on
the preparation that goes into the egg whites and the rest of the process. Chocolate mousse is
to be enjoyed as the final course of a French meal, topping off your night with a mouthful of rich
fluffy mousse. Some may argue that it is the taste that matters
most but it is really the texture that completes the whole dish. To
create the proper mousse, you are told to beat the egg whites or
whipped cream until there are “stiff peaks visible.” The stiff peaks
are formed in the foam, the most crucial part of the chocolate
mousse. Foams are made up of the proteins from the egg whites
and are formed after whipping the whites or whipped cream.
When you whip egg whites, the proteins unfold encountering oils
and fats when combining with the sugar. The “water-loving parts”

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of the egg whites stay in the water and the “water avoiding” parts unfold so that they stick to the
fats and air, avoiding the water. The longer you whip it, the air bubbles become smaller and
smaller which are then surrounded by a film made of proteins giving it the stiff peaks. You can
make the egg white foam more stable by increasing the number of places where the proteins
bond together. You can do this by beating them in a copper bowl which causes the amino acids
to bond with the sulfur. Another way is to add lemon juice or cream of tartar which can help form
more bonds between the protein, stabilizing the foam. I decided to not use either of these
methods so that I could keep the variables relatively low on what changes. I found that the more
fluffy the mouse was, the more people enjoyed the mousse.

MATERIALS

● Large mixing bowl

● Double boiler (one small pot inside of a larger pot with boiling water)
● Four smaller bowls (for separate mousse tests)
● Mixing bowl for yolks and cream
● Whisk
● Measuring tools

INGREDIENTS

● 3 ounces semisweet chocolate

● 3 ounces chocolate truffles
● 4 eggs separated
● ¼ cup heavy cream
● 1 tsp vanilla extract
● ¼ cup sugar

PROCEDURE

1. Separate the yolk from the egg whites (into separate bowls)
2. Melt chocolate in a double burner
3. Mix egg yolks and cream
4. Add to the melted chocolate
5. Stir in vanilla

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 6. Beat egg whites and sugar until firm peaks are visible
a. Beat egg whites for 1 minute, take a ¼ cup out and set in another bowl
b. Repeat step above for 2 and 3 minutes
c. Mix the rest until firm peaks are visible
7. Fold egg white mixture into the chocolate mixture
8. Repeat 7 for each bowl of mousse
9. Cover the bowls with foil or saran wrap and refrigerate until set

For my procedure, the independent variable, the variable I was

changing, was the time I beat the egg whites for. The dependent
variable, the outcome of the change, was the fluffiness/density of the
mousse overall. I measured the density of the mousse by taking each
of the mouses separately and filling up a small 2x2 cardboard box that
I made then measuring the base, height, and length of the mouse on
the inside, multiplying all of those together and getting the volume. I then weighed the box of the
mousse, subtracting the weight of the box, then dividing the mass (weight) of the mousse by the
volume.

METHODS

1. Cut out five 2in x 2in squares of cardboard 

2. Tape together to form a box without the top 
3. Weigh the box and record 
4. Use all of the mousses in the bowl and move it to the box 
5. Measure the  
a. Base 
b. Height 
c. Length 
6. Then measure the weight and subtract the weight of the box.  
7. Divide the mass by the volume  
8. Repeat steps 4-7 for each of the mousses  

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DATA

Experimental test (table 1)

BEATING TIME MEASUREMENTS

MOUSSE OBSERVATIONS
(minutes) (density)

Large air pockets and

not many of them.
Mousse 1 1 minute 0.75 oz/in³
Very creamy, liquidy
texture.

Large air pockets and

Mousse 2 2 minutes 0.40 oz/in³ more of them. Still
very slimy.

Smaller air pockets

and more of them.
Mousse 3 3 minutes 0.40 oz/in³ The lighter texture
though still kind of
slimy.

A lot of really small air

5 minutes (until the pockets. Very light
Mousse 4 0.625 oz/in³
peaks were stiff) and fluffy, not slimy
anymore.

Figure 1: Taste Test Fluffiness Question (Graph 1)

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Figure 1: Taste Test Density Question (Graph 2)

Figure 1: Taste Test (most rich and fluffy) Question (Graph 3)

RESULTS/DISCUSSION

After conducting my tests with taste and measuring the density, I found a few things.
According to the taste tests (chart 1 and 2), mousse 4 was the fluffiest and mousse 2 was the
densest. According to the measurements (table 1), mousse 1 was the densest with mousse 4
coming in close, and mousse 2 and 3 were the least dense. Finally, the taste tests (chart 3)
showed that people prefer mousse 4 the mousse that was perfectly whipped. Through these
tests, there was not much room for error as I kept the majority of variables the same, eliminating
other outcomes and possibilities.The longer the egg whites were whipped, the more they were

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enjoyed by the people taste testing them.

Overall, the results showed that the fluffier and richer the mousse the more people enjoy
the tasty treat. This test also showed me that around 5 minutes is the perfect time for whipping
eggs to create the ideal chocolate mousse. As shown by the tests, the fluffier the mousse, the
more people enjoyed it because of the ease it takes to enjoy it, not being too heavy on the
stomach and the rich flavor. The ideal chocolate mousse is a perfect way to top off any meal
and will leave your taste buds dancing.

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