The characteristics that set haute chocolate apart can be seen at the microscale, thanks to recent research performed by researchers from the University of Guelph at the Advanced Photon Source, located at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory.

At ISM in Cologne on Jan. 28, Barry Callebaut hosted a pre-publication launch event for "Hidden Persuaders in Cocoa and Chocolate: A Flavor Lexicon for Cocoa and Chocolate Sensory Professionals." As someone who has been interested in the topic professionally for nearly two decades, I was happy to accept the invitation to the launch.

In case you needed another reason to eat more chocolate, here’s one: Chocolate may be good for your brain.

Published in the journal Appetite, research by Felipe Reinoso Carvalho, Janice Wang, Raymond van Ee, Dominique Persoone and Charles Spence suggests music may affect the way listeners taste chocolate, particularly its perceived “creaminess.”

Recent findings from the Nutritional Physiology Research Center at the University of South Australia, the University of Maine and LIH Luxembourg Institute of Health suggest that chocolate improves cognitive function.

New research, published last month in the Journal of Food Science, has revealed a method that could improve the health profile of milk chocolate without affecting its taste.