ACADEMIA Letters

Taste of Chocolate: Biting enhances the taste of chocolate

Tania Dey, Department of Biotechnology, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of
Technology, NH-12, Haringhata, Nadia, West Bengal 741249, India

The history of chocolate dates back to 450 BC. Aztecs and Mayans believed that chocolate
is a gift from god. They had chocolate as a drink on victorious and religious occasions and
used the cacao beans as currency. Since then we have come a long way and we all know
the health benefits of dark chocolate now, including its antioxidant, heart disease preventing,
skin protecting and brain function improving properties. But most of all, chocolate remains a
source of irresistible indulgence and can have a pretty complex flavor profile.
What is chocolate from a chemical perspective? Chocolate consists tiny clumps of cocoa
solids, sugar, and milk solids dispersed in cocoa butter. As water and oil do not mix on their
own, an emulsifier helps the clumps stay small and well dispersed in the fat, giving rise to a
smooth creamy texture and optimal stabilization.
Cocoa butter has at least six different polymorphic or crystal forms, out of which only form
V is desirable to consumers. These crystal structures differ in molecular arrangement which
in turn affects the appearance, taste and structure of the chocolate. This is why chocolate
tempering becomes important, as during this process the molten chocolate is cooled at room
temperature which allows all cocoa butter polymorphs to form except form VI and then heated
gently to just below the melting point of form V (33.8oC) so that it is the major form. To avoid
the ugly fat bloom i.e. the migration of cocoa butter to the surface of the chocolate, chocolates
should be stored between 18°C and 20°C.

Taste Profile of Chocolate

The main flavor compounds in chocolate are polyphenols, which comes from raw cocoa bean
and undergoes transformation during production, and pyrazines formed during production,

Academia Letters, April 2022 ©2022 by the author — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0

Corresponding Author: Tania Dey, taniadey@hotmail.com

Citation: Dey, T. (2022). Taste of Chocolate: Biting enhances the taste of chocolate. Academia Letters, Article
5108.

1
followed by aldehydes, ketones, and esters. Chocolate production is a combination of fer-
mentation, drying and roasting of cocoa beans as well as chocolate conching and tempering,
all of which helps in chocolate flavor development [1]. The most desirable taste profiles in
chocolate are a good balance of astringency and bitterness (not overpowering), an enjoyable
cocoa aroma, and also some delicate notes such as fruity, floral, spicy, herbal, nutty, earthy,
or caramel tastes. Four neurotransmitters, namely endorphin, dopamine, serotonin and oxy-
tocin, are responsible for the warm fuzzy feeling and sense of happiness that we get by eating
chocolates. Anti-oxidants like flavonoids and stimulants like theobromine are also found in
chocolates, that affect our cognitive performance [2]. Several factors make analysis of flavor
somewhat demanding including their presence in low concentration (in ppm, ppb and ppt), the
complexity of mixtures, instability of some flavor compounds and sometimes their extremely
low or high volatility [3].
It was observed that biting enhances the taste of chocolate much more than just sucking it
in mouth. The taste profile of chocolate is much pronounced when some bites are taken first
from the chocolate. To support this observation, a quick study was performed with Toblerone
milk chocolates, although any chocolate will do. The reason for choosing Toblerone is be-
cause they have not outsourced their manufacturing from Switzerland to other countries, so
the taste will not vary. From the product description, these chocolates are known to contain
sugar, whole milk powder, cocoa butter, cocoa mass, honey (3%), milk fat, almonds (1.6%),
emulsifier (soya lecithin), egg white and flavoring. The taste profile of these chocolates were
constructed in the form of a spider chart (also known as radar chart or web chart), after having
the same chocolate by biting and by sucking. For statistical purpose this study can be extended
further to more tasters, for example buyers in the supermarket or students in a classroom.

Academia Letters, April 2022 ©2022 by the author — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0

Corresponding Author: Tania Dey, taniadey@hotmail.com

Citation: Dey, T. (2022). Taste of Chocolate: Biting enhances the taste of chocolate. Academia Letters, Article
5108.

2
 Figure 1: Taste profile (spider chart) of chocolate: Biting vs. sucking.

Biting vs. Sucking the Chocolate

The spider chart clearly shows the prominent tastes when biting occurs in comparison to suck-
ing. This phenomenon has not been reported before and can occur due to multiple reasons.
First of all, it is the sound of cracking the chocolate by teeth that sends a sense of pleasure
to our brain [4]. Secondly, the chocolate is breaking down but not getting softened by our
saliva when we are biting it. This releases the maximum flavor profile, because the amylase
and lipase enzymes in our saliva [5, 6] will eventually break down the carbohydrate and fat
respectively in the cocoa solid, therefore reducing the flavor profile during sucking. However,
the sweet taste predominated during sucking. So, to enjoy the full taste of the chocolate, one
should always take some bites before sucking it in our mouth, one should not put it straight
into the mouth.
The aim of this brief report or opinion article is to offer some valuable insight behind food
perception, particularly the taste profile of chocolates and how it can be enjoyed the best. This
interesting revelation about biting vs. sucking of the chocolate should be studied in further
details in terms of microscopic, textural and thermal properties.

Academia Letters, April 2022 ©2022 by the author — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0

Corresponding Author: Tania Dey, taniadey@hotmail.com

Citation: Dey, T. (2022). Taste of Chocolate: Biting enhances the taste of chocolate. Academia Letters, Article
5108.

3
References
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2. Nehlig A. (2013). The neuroprotective effects of cocoa flavanol and its influence on
cognitive performance. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 75(3), 716-727. doi:
10.1111/j.1365-2125.2012.04378.x

3. Dey, T. (2012). Fennema’s Food Chemistry (4th ed.), Srinivasan Damodaran, Kirk L.
Parkin, Owen R. Fennema (Eds.), CRC Press, 2007. Food Chemistry, 135(1), 146-149.
doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2012.04.040

4. Spence, C. (2015). Eating with our ears: assessing the importance of the sounds of con-
sumption on our perception and enjoyment of multisensory flavour experiences. Flavour,
4, 3. doi: 10.1186/2044-7248-4-3

5. Gachons, C. P. D., Breslin, P. A. S. (2016). Salivary amylase: Digestion and metabolic

syndrome. Current Diabetes Reports, 16(10), 102. doi: 10.1007/s11892-016-0794-7

6. Lai, W. Y. W., Chua, J. W. M., Gill, S., Brownlee, I. A. (2019). Analysis of the lipolytic
activity of whole-saliva and site-specific secretions from the oral cavity of healthy adults.
Nutrients, 11, 191. doi: 10.3390/nu11010191

Academia Letters, April 2022 ©2022 by the author — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0

Corresponding Author: Tania Dey, taniadey@hotmail.com

Citation: Dey, T. (2022). Taste of Chocolate: Biting enhances the taste of chocolate. Academia Letters, Article
5108.