Electric chocolate...

Thread Starter

cmartinez

Joined Jan 17, 2007
8,218

WBahn

Joined Mar 31, 2012
29,976
I was tempted to post this article on either the General Electronics, or the Science forum. But after some thought, I decided to post it here.
It's very interesting to me to see that a simple electric trick can lead to a more healthy recipe:

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/sweet-electrical-trick-may-lead-to-less-fat-in-chocolate/

@WBahn, what do you think, is this the most adequate place to post an article like this one?
I'd say either General Science or here. Since it's here in Off Topic already, let's leave it be.
 

GopherT

Joined Nov 23, 2012
8,009
I was tempted to post this article on either the General Electronics, or the Science forum. But after some thought, I decided to post it here.
It's very interesting to me to see that a simple electric trick can lead to a more healthy recipe:

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/sweet-electrical-trick-may-lead-to-less-fat-in-chocolate/

@WBahn, what do you think, is this the most adequate place to post an article like this one?

Temple university has some amazing rheology experts. Also, special rheology patents in electrorheological and magnetorheological effects. This is a new use of electrorheological behavior that I have not seen before. Funding by Mars (and publicly acknowledged that it is funded by Mars is pretty special because Mars doesn't usually say anything about processes or future direction of candy making. A very secretive organization.
 

Thread Starter

cmartinez

Joined Jan 17, 2007
8,218
Temple university has some amazing rheology experts. Also, special rheology patents in electrorheological and magnetorheological effects. This is a new use of electrorheological behavior that I have not seen before. Funding by Mars (and publicly acknowledged that it is funded by Mars is pretty special because Mars doesn't usually say anything about processes or future direction of candy making. A very secretive organization.
Thank you Gopher, for making me look up the meaning of rehology ... it's a word that was stored in the back of my mind, but hadn't needed to consult for at least 30 years! Materials science is something that I very much enjoyed while studying mechanical engineering.
 

boatsman

Joined Jan 17, 2008
187
Usually to make chocolate smoother and flow easily when melted up to 10% of cocoa butter is added. I usually melt raw chocolate over a water bath, but have been unsuccessful so far in making a chocolate melter that would keep the molten mass at 30 C. ( Mods: if this is hijacking the thread please remove.)
 

Thread Starter

cmartinez

Joined Jan 17, 2007
8,218
Usually to make chocolate smoother and flow easily when melted up to 10% of cocoa butter is added. I usually melt raw chocolate over a water bath, but have been unsuccessful so far in making a chocolate melter that would keep the molten mass at 30 C. ( Mods: if this is hijacking the thread please remove.)
As the thread starter, I say that your comment is very much welcome. I don't think you're hijacking anything. We're talking about chocolate, aren't we?

Why 30* C specifically?
 

WBahn

Joined Mar 31, 2012
29,976
As the thread starter, I say that your comment is very much welcome. I don't think you're hijacking anything. We're talking about chocolate, aren't we?

Why 30* C specifically?
The TS has quite a bit of say in declaring what is and is not a hijack, so this is good to go. But it does cement that Off Topic is the proper place. :D
 

wayneh

Joined Sep 9, 2010
17,496
I believe the last thing like this we saw in this forum was using fields (electric, I think, not magnetic?) to reduce viscosity of flowing crude oil in pipelines.

If I worked every day pumping a viscous solution like chocolate, I would jump on trying this technology.

In fact I just had some ideas about the industry I used to work in.

The holy grail of the cheap chocolate business is to reduce the cocoa butter content, since that's the high value component. This isn't just about "reduced fat". That's the public spin on "cheaper".
 

boatsman

Joined Jan 17, 2008
187
Between 30 C and 40 C are the preferred temperatures for melting and pouring chocolate into moulds. I once tried melting chocolate in a microwave oven and soon discovered how easily it is to burn chocolate. As wayneh has pointed out, cocoa butter is an expensive component. Incidently, going to another extreme, cocoa butter is also used in suppositories
 

GopherT

Joined Nov 23, 2012
8,009
Between 30 C and 40 C are the preferred temperatures for melting and pouring chocolate into moulds. I once tried melting chocolate in a microwave oven and soon discovered how easily it is to burn chocolate. As wayneh has pointed out, cocoa butter is an expensive component. Incidently, going to another extreme, cocoa butter is also used in suppositories
Finally, I understand the intended use of Hershey 'chocolate'.
 

wayneh

Joined Sep 9, 2010
17,496
Like a lot of American products, it's a victim of the never-ending quest to sell more water, air or sugar as food. I worked as a supplier to the food industry and you can't believe how much "food science" is devoted to that quest. Replacing real flavors with cheap alternatives probably comes next. And making things have infinite shelf lives.

In their defense, the food industry doesn't set the agenda. Consumers do. The industry tries to follow the fads, but they don't start them. As long as we buy water, air and sugar for a low price instead of more costly, "real" food, the industry will supply the product to meet the demand.
 

GopherT

Joined Nov 23, 2012
8,009
Like a lot of American products, it's a victim of the never-ending quest to sell more water, air or sugar as food. I worked as a supplier to the food industry and you can't believe how much "food science" is devoted to that quest. Replacing real flavors with cheap alternatives probably comes next. And making things have infinite shelf lives.

In their defense, the food industry doesn't set the agenda. Consumers do. The industry tries to follow the fads, but they don't start them. As long as we buy water, air and sugar for a low price instead of more costly, "real" food, the industry will supply the product to meet the demand.
Real flavors and factory-made flavors don't (unfortunately) have to be differentiated as long as the factory-made flavor is the same molecule that exists in nature. The flavor/fragrance companies even get to call their factory-made product, "natural" and by-pass any approval processes.

My favorite commercial lately is for a yogurt company. They make the claim, "no artificial hormones". Of course not, an animal will not usually respond to molecules that are not the exact same as the real thing. The cows milked for the yogurt may come from farms that Added, enriched, enhanced or supplemental hormones that match the milk-making hormones of a cow - (and are made in a factory) but can still be considered, natural, and, therefore, can be advertised as non-synthetic, but completely misleading their customers.
 
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