Students learn of chocolate’s chemistry

Students learned about the science behind the “food of the gods” Wednesday, as Joe A. Vinson, professor of chemistry at Scranton University in Pennsylvania, lectured on “Chocolate Chemistry: The Science Behind the World’s Guilty Pleasure.” The forum was held in the lobby of the Eric and Sarah Rodgers Library at 3:30 p.m.

Vinson said he has studied chocolate and its effects for about 15 years. His lecture focused on the history and manufacturing of chocolate, health-related issues and the composition of chocolate.

Vinson said chocolate was given the name cacao, meaning “food of the gods.” He said chocolate is known as a comfort food and is a way of relieving stress.

Vinson said chocolate is usually grown around the equator. There are three kinds of chocolate: forastero, which is used to produce 90 percent of the chocolate consumed; criollo, which is the oldest form of chocolate; and trinitaro, which is a cross of the previous two. Unlike most fruits, chocolate grows on the stalk of the plant.

“I began studying chocolate because I had studied all the healthy foods, and I wanted to make sure I studied all the foods we eat,” Vinson said.

Vinson said there is always something new to study with chocolate. He said he would like to do a cognitive function study with chocolate, and study a super chocolate due to lack of studies on it.

“I hope that students that attend my lectures understand more about antioxidants,” Vinson said.

Vinson said, through studies, researchers have come to consider chocolate healthier, as it contains less fat than they previously thought, though it still has a lot of sugar.

“Chocolate, unlike sodas, fills you up when you eat it so you end up not eating as much cause it’s not empty calories like soft drinks,” Vinson said.

Vinson said he prefers speaking at campuses because most chemists like himself teach at college campuses.

“I also prefer campuses because my lectures are a health message for the young,” Vinson said.

Maegan Carroll, a junior majoring in psychology, said she heard about the lecture in her chemistry class Wednesday morning and decided to attend.

“I thought it was very informative because you hear so much about antioxidants in the news, and it was nice to learn some of the chemistry behind it,” Carroll said.

For those interested in attending the second part of the series, Vinson will be presenting his lecture on coffee at 205 Amelia Gayle Gorgas Library today at 3 p.m.