CACAU = CHOCOLATE

O PODER QUE TEM O CACAU NO NOSSO CORPO!

Theobromine, with the chemical formula C7H8N4O2, is the main component of cacao plant

Today’s Chemical Cuisine deals with a food we all know and love – chocolate. While we might all have our different percent preferences (I am a personal fan of 70% cocoa), the sentiment remains the same. And at the core of the deliciousness of chocolate lies (you guessed it) science. Chocolate can physically affect your brain by causing the release of specific neurotransmitters, which are the molecules in charge of sending signals between neurons. In this case, eating chocolate leads to direct increase in the level of endorphins (…which are released when you exercise…) as well as dopamine released into your brain. Dopamine is significant for it can lead to a direct increase in mood, as well as potentially help increase memory and learning capabilities.

Chocolate is basically engineered to give people that amazing ‘melt-in-your-mouth’ experience. The secret to chocolate is no real secret at all – cocoa butter. Cocoa butter is stored in the form of large fat molecules called triglycerides (which, as you might have guessed, are composed of three prongs). Within the chocolate itself, these molecules are packed tightly together yet also highly susceptible to temperature changes. The tighter the molecules are packed, the harder the chocolate itself will be. When chocolate is being processed in a factory, it is purposely not introduced to temperatures higher than 64 degrees Fahrenheit (17.7 degrees Celsius). This is done purposely so that when chocolate enters the mouth, it experiences warm temperatures for the first time, and immediately begins to expand and melt into its delectable liquid form.

But that’s not all. In 2007, researches in Britain conducted a study that tested couples’ reactions to eating chocolate as well as kissing their partner. The couples each had electrodes attached to their heads, which monitored their heart rate. Although both actions sparked heart rates, chocolate’s effects were both stronger and longer lasting than that of kissing (in some cases – it was even 4x as powerful!) So, while throughout your entire life you might have thought that your love of chocolate was unnatural, you can now be comforted to know that our bodies clearly want us to love chocolate…and I’d like to think this research also validates eating an entire box on your own…

Por isso que eu digo: É CHOCOLATE!

By Rachel Weisberg

The Chemical Cuisine column explores cooking and food through a scientific lens. We try to answer the common questions and investigate the mysteries of the culinary and the gastronomic world.

second image via www.sciencebrainwaves.co