`Sniffer' to unlock secrets of chocolate

The mysterious allure of chocolate may become less baffling thanks to a hi-tech breath-test machine and a chocolate expert.

A visiting American food scientist who specialises in the chemical make-up of chocolate is using a Christchurch invention to understand what so enamours humans with the chocolate taste.

Sheryl Barringer, a professor at Ohio State University, said taste could be divided into four categories sweet, sour, bitter and salt.

However, scientifically speaking, humans actually get taste from the smell that flows to nasal cavities from inside the mouth as it chews and heats up the food.

Barringer is using Syft Technologies' Voice200 device a hi-tech "sniffer" that can detect volatile organic compounds (VOCs) on breath.

Chocolate carries about 1000 of these VOCs but scientists do not agree which are the most important.

Knowing which VOCs are the most important could allow chocolate makers to improve the taste of their product.

During the experiments, Barringer chews a piece of chocolate then breathes into the Voice200, which spits out VOC data.

Already she has discovered that some of the compounds thought to be vital are not present once the chocolate is inside a mouth.

"Of course, chocolate is measured by its taste, not how it smells when it's on the counter."