Episode 8: Yes, Chocolate is a Material

Did you know that chocolate has a crystal structure? We all think of metals, ceramics, polymers, electronic materials, composites and so forth as materials. But what else? Is chocolate an engineering material? In this episode we dive into this amazing substance and describe the critical processing steps that makes it a unique including regional differences in cocoa, chocolate tempering and more. Along the way we'll cover the fundamental materials science topic of crystallization and solidification.

Referenced Articles:

• Beckett's Industrial Chocolate Manufacture and Use, Fifth Edition [LINK]
• “Fat bloom in chocolate and compound coatings” by Lonchampt and Hartel [LINK].
• Stuff Matters by Mark Miodownik [LINK]
• Harvard University has an excellent YouTube series on cooking science [LINK]

This episode is sponsored by Matmatch. Check out how they can help you find the perfect material for your next engineering project!

Thanks to Kolobyte and Alphabot for letting us use their music in the show!

If you have questions or feedback please send us emails at [email protected] or connect with us on social media: Instagram, Twitter.

Materialism Team: Taylor Sparks (co-host, co-creator), Andrew Falkowski (co-host, co-creator), Jared Duffy production, marketing, and editing), Ramsey Issa (editing assistance).

Keywords: chocolate tempering processing phase crystal structures

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