Chocolate science and its application to engineering

Chocolate as a material exhibits a plethora of interesting chemical principles, and knowledge of these has great importance for engineers to understand.

The speaker, who has a background in chemistry, will explain some of these scientific principles and how they are used in the engineering world.

The topics covered include:

Basic background to making chocolate: dark, milk, white, ruby.

Rheological properties (i.e., flow) of chocolate: non-Newtonian rheology (i.e., viscosity changes under force) and particle size requirements. And how considerations of these properties are important in various industries.

Hydrophobic and hydrophilic properties (i.e., water ‘hating’ and water ‘loving’) of chocolate. And how colloid chemistry (dispersed solids in solution) is used in paints and building structures.

Polymorphism (i.e., different forms) of cocoa butter, how this impacts the final chocolate product, and how tempering is important for glass and steel production.

Some interesting chemicals are found in chocolate that have therapeutic and antioxidant properties.