Sabrina Del Fico A more sustainable and healthier chocolate because it is produced without sugar: this is the innovation proposed by a group of Swiss researchers who try to reconcile environmental sustainability, the fight against waste and consumer well-being
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Chocolate is one of the most cherished and consumed food products in the world. From dark to milk, enriched with nuts or spices, there is a type to suit every pocket and taste.
Few people are aware that the cacao fruit provides much more than just its seeds, which are considered the main ingredient for producing cocoa butter and cocoa mass to be used later in the confectionery industry. The pulp and the shell of the fruit, so far considered as waste, also contain valuable components.
A team of researchers at the ETH in Zurich has just published a study that illustrates some of that potential. The team has come up with one ingenious type of chocolate-ingenious enough to make everything different in terms of the nutritional and environmental challenges facing the industry today.
This chocolate, which utilizes not only the cacao beans but also other parts of the fruit, promises to be healthier-as in sugar-free-and to increase the sustainability of cacao cultivation.
Study
The team of ETH Zurich collaborated with Koa, a startup that grows cacao beans in a highly sustainable way, and Swiss manufacturer Felchlin to develop a new recipe for chocolate.
The goal has been to maximize the entire fruit, reducing the amount that is wasted and improve profitability for farmers involved in the supply chain.
The study developed the pulp and parts of the cacao shell, technically known as the endocarp. These were processed into powder and gel to be mixed with the cocoa mass, yielding a sweet foodstuff that can be used in lieu of refined sugar commonly used in chocolates.
The balance between sweetness and texture was the main challenge because too much extraction of juice from the pulp resulted in lumpy chocolate, while too little pulp juice did not provide the required sweetness.
After several experiments it became apparent that chocolate can contain up to 20% cacao gel, which provides a sweetness level equivalent to that of chocolate containing 5-10% powdered sugar, while the classic dark chocolate can contain up to 40% sugar.
To verify the efficiency of the new recipe some experts from Bern University of Applied Sciences organized sensory tests compared with the new type of chocolate and the traditional types.
The results
Perhaps one of the most interesting outcomes of this new process is the improved nutritional profile of the chocolate with its sugar replaced by cacao gel, providing whole-fruit chocolate with more fiber and less saturated fat than dark chocolate.
New chocolate contains 0.5 ounces of fiber in every 3.5 ounces of the product, whereas the old one consists of 0.42 ounces in a 3.5-ounce quantity, but provides only 0.81 ounces of saturated fats compared with usual ones totaling 1.16 ounces.
It is also an important dietary fiber that ensures good intestinal activity and prevents sudden jumps in blood sugar levels, while saturated fats help reduce the risks of cardiovascular diseases.
Besides nutrition, the new variety promises more cacao sustainability.
Currently, small farmers earn a living solely from the cacao seeds, but now they can also make a living from other components of the fruit-the pulp and endocarp for cacao gel.
The concept is to make for farmers a supply chain that is also more valuable since it can diversify its income by selling three products instead of just one.
Another advantage is that the fruit shell, in most cases discarded and wasted, can be used as fuel or compost, making cacao cultivation even more ecological.
The drawback to such good news is that whole-fruit chocolate will take some time to reach grocery store shelves. Adaptations throughout the production chain will require further development phases.
Farmers will need to invest in the necessary infrastructure on the pulp and the endocarp, while food companies will need to add it in their product line.
Source: Nature Food
