Why is chocolate so scientifically special?

Stacey’s friend has posed an unusual question: Why don’t Flake chocolate bars melt? Turns out, dark, milk, or amorphous solid, there is some decadent science behind the every day chocolate bar. From the 6 crystal structures, the art of tempering, and why some chocolate achieves that perfect snap while others crumble. Then it’s back to Year 7 science for Clinton with a recap on the states of matter and a sweet link between the ‘food of the Gods’ and Carl Linnaeus, the physician who formalised scientific taxonomy. Stacey unwraps the chemicals behind a chocolate high, why too much of a good thing sends your dog to the vet, and the role of the Maillard reaction. Plus the team breaks into the biology of the Theobroma cocoa plant, cauliflory, pollinating midges and why chocolate is eaten in space.

Curriculum Links

States of Matter: Solids, liquids, and gases, particularly in relation to chocolate's melting and the concept of amorphous solids like glass. 

Physical and Chemical Changes: Melting, tempering, and roasting are explored as examples of physical and chemical changes, including the Maillard reaction. 

Mixtures and Pure Substances: Chocolate as a mixture, and the components like cocoa butter, solids, and sugar. 

Melting Temperatures and Properties: The melting points of different chocolate types and the effect of crystal structures. 

Enzymes: The role of enzymes in theobromine metabolism in humans and dogs.

Classification: Carl Linnaeus and the binomial nomenclature system. 

Plant Biology: The Theobroma cacao plant, its growth, pollination by midges, and cauliflory. 

Ecosystems and Pollination: The role of midges in the cacao ecosystem and pollination. 

Chemicals and Their Effects: Theobromine, caffeine, tryptophan, and other chemicals in chocolate and their effects on the body. 

Earth and Space: The use of chocolate as space food. 

CRISPR: Gene editing techniques in cacao plants.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.