Part of a burgeoning field of ‘edible metamaterials,’ Dutch physicists found that 3-D printed spiral-shaped candies give the ideal eating

Have Scientists Designed the Perfect Chocolate?

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2022-05-13 06:30:08

Part of a burgeoning field of ‘edible metamaterials,’ Dutch physicists found that 3-D printed spiral-shaped candies give the ideal eating experience

Think about biting into a piece of chocolate. What makes it enjoyable? Is it the sweetness? The way it melts in your mouth? The crunch? The sound it makes? All of the above?

A team at the University of Amsterdam is attempting to use physics and geometry to answer some of these questions, and to—hopefully—create an even more enjoyable treat. Their result, a spiral-shaped 3-D printed candy, doesn’t look like anything currently on the supermarket shelf. But it may just be the future of food.

“There wasn’t anyone on the team who didn’t like chocolate, fortunately,” says Corentin Coulais, a physicist at the University of Amsterdam who led the research, laughing.

Coulais normally works with non-food “metamaterials”—materials with structures and properties not found in nature. In the past, his work has involved shape-changing materials with applications for robotics, prosthetic limbs and electronics. But a partnership with the food and consumer goods giant Unilever had him and his team turning their minds to chocolate.