Barry has decades of experience in the chocolate industry and before his retirement, worked as head of cocoa R&D at the Mars Confectionery Company, both in the cocoa plantations and here in the UK.
He gave the Isle of Wight Cafe Scientifique audience the benefit of this considerable knowledge on 9th June 2104 to first run through the origins of chocolate as far back as the 15th century when Aztecs not only drank it as Xocolatl, but also used dried Cocoa beans as currency.
Its arrival in England is put down to Sir Hans Sloane (of Sloane Square), who collected the beans from Jamaica between the 17th-18th century. He’s also credited with adding milk to drinking it.
The process
Bringing us up to date, Barry detailed the current sources of Cocoa beans and the process of growing, harvesting Cocoa pods, retrieving the beans from their husks and the fermentation process, including the chemical reactions that occur.
Due to concerns with supply, Barry explained that the chocolate industry spent considerable efforts trying to understand the chemistry of chocolate – trying to locate the essence of its scent and flavour. Despite years of research, it still remains a mystery.
Finally Barry touched on Mars Symbioscience, who are using extracts of chocolate, extolling their health benefits.
Barry Arnold: Presentation slides
Q&A with the audience