A rapid method to evaluate the chocolate smoothness based on the tribological measurement

Abstract

Cocoa is the primary ingredient in chocolate, and cocoa concentration attributes to the smoothness of the chocolate. Supporting this statement, we assessed the smoothness and melting properties of five chocolates of different cocoa concentration from three brands using the professional sensor evaluation and weight method, respectively. Artificial saliva was added to obtain the mixed chocolate solutions, and their viscosity and coefficient of friction (CoF) were measured for three rubbing pairs. The correlation of chocolate smoothness with their viscosities and average CoF (aCoF) was also discussed. The results indicated that the cocoa concentration significantly affected the smoothness of the chocolates among the three brands. The mixed solution of 50% chocolate could be a representative of oral processing, but their viscosities were not proficient enough to effectively characterize their smoothness. The aCoF of 50% chocolate solution could be rapid and effective to evaluate their smoothness. In addition, the Two-GCTPE rubbing pair was more suitable way to evaluate the smoothness of similar foods in the oral environment. The study results will provide a better insight into characterizing certain attribution of similar foods.

Influence of Test Parameters on the Evaluation of Chocolate Silkiness Using the Tribological Method

“…Other components of these three chocolates are listed in Table 1. The artificial saliva was obtained, and its detailed properties can be seen in previous work [35]. To evaluate the time variation in chocolate silkiness with the oral processing, the chocolates were first cut into diamond shapes, the artificial saliva was added to them, and mixed solutions with chocolate mass percentages of 100%, 75%, 50%, 25% and 5% were prepared.…”

“…The evaluation of chocolate silkiness was commissioned by the Food Sensory Evaluation Laboratory of Jiangnan University, and a detailed procedure of the silkiness evaluation can be seen in previous work [35]. In this way, 32 subjects with the same ratio of men The same brand of commercial chocolates with three cocoa concentrations of 25%, 48% and 66% were employed and named D1, D2 and D3, respectively.…”

“…The evaluation of chocolate silkiness was commissioned by the Food Sensory Evaluation Laboratory of Jiangnan University, and a detailed procedure of the silkiness evaluation can be seen in previous work [35]. In this way, 32 subjects with the same ratio of men to women were selected to participate in the evaluation.…”

A review of advances in tribology in 2020–2021

“…The effects of oral lubrication on satiety, satiation, and salivary biomarkers were investigated, as a potential novel strategy to reduce obesity [733]. The perception of a number of foods and drinks were investigated, including wine [734], milk [735], coffee [736], melted chocolate [737], etc. In addition to dental implants, tribological problems in other dental appliances also existed, including archwires and brackets [738], etc.…”

In vitro oral simulation based on soft contact: The importance of viscoelastic response of the upper jaw substitutes

“…A great deal of work has been done in combining food lubrication behavior with oral perception. For example, Qian et al investigated the lubrication behavior of different brands of chocolates by in vitro tribology experiment (Qian et al, 2020). Cocoa concentration was found to influence the lubricity and the perceived smoothness of the chocolate.…”