COCOA & CHOCOLATE INGREDIENTS
amongst fl exitarian consumers – with fi gures showing that more than one-third of fl exitarian consumers in Europe would like to see more dairy-free chocolate in supermarkets. Three- quarters also say that it is important that dairy-free chocolate has a similar smooth mouthfeel as products containing dairy.” With consumer trends dominating the thoughts of confectionery manufacturers, Benoit believes that plants and indulgence can go hand-in-hand. However, he warns that delivering on taste and texture are key for manufacturers to achieve repeat purchasing. “This can, of course, be challenging when reformulating chocolate recipes – particularly when consumers want the end result to contain no animal-derived ingredients and also to have a convincing texture and taste.” Indeed, pleasant taste and texture are key, with 44% of consumers responding to the BENEO report rated these aspects as their most important shopping motivation when buying plant-based bakery and sweets. “For manufacturers looking to create plant-based chocolate
that appeals to consumers on all these different levels, rice has been proving particularly popular,” says Benoit. Due to its technological properties rice ingredients can be well suited to the creation of a good taste experience when used to replace milk ingredients. “In terms of the consumer perception of rice as an ingredient, BENEO’s research shows that 73% of European fl exitarians consider it very appealing as a plant- based bakery and sweets alternatives.” To enable manufacturers to meet the demand for indulgent tasting, plant-based chocolate products, BENEO has extended its portfolio of specialty rice ingredients. It offers a range consisting of blends of dried rice syrup, rice fl our and rice starch that can be labelled as rice powder in Europe. “The light colour and neutral taste of this milk powder replacement is a good solution for use in dairy-free chocolate. It enables the development of plant-based cocoa bars providing a good taste, a good snap and a good melting behaviour,” according to Benoit.
Taste and texture Sylvie Lagache, Global Technical Developer, Customer Technical Service at Roquette, agrees that the most dominant consumer trend today is the vegetarian and plant-based topic. In addition, however, she pointed out that the trend towards sugar management continues apace, with ever more sugar-free chocolate bars and organic chocolate options coming to market. Discussing the most common challenges facing chocolate producers, Sylvie says that taste and texture preservation are key when reformulating chocolate to meet consumer demands. “Most consumers are looking for pleasure and indulgence when they buy chocolate. We know that milk chocolate is still a consumer favourite, but formulating a plant-based alternative to replace milk can pose quite a challenge for chocolate manufacturers.” Camille Raimbault, Team Leader Confectionery Application
Lab, Customer Technical Service at Roquette, takes up the story: “For vegetarian ‘milk type’ chocolate – which means without milk at contains protein, fat, and lactose – the challenge is to recreate the creaminess and milky taste but without milk, as well as the melting texture and creamy mouthfeel. It is important to combine plant-based protein with the right carbohydrate to achieve the best taste.
20 Kennedy’s Confection October 2022
KennedysConfection.com
“The most dominant consumer trend today is the vegetarian and plant-based topic”
“When it comes to sugar-free chocolate, there is a requirement to fi nd the closest sugar replacer to achieve the same taste – something that is as sweet as the original sugar – and has the same texture.” Camille believes that maltitol, which offers a sugar-free and tooth-friendly sugar alternative, offers the best sugar replacement in chocolate. The biggest take away from this article is that there would
appear to be no single set of ingredients that will help you create plant-based chocolate products to delight all consumers. The good news, however, is that there are now plenty of options to try. The important message is that not entering this market is no longer an option, so do talk to your suppliers, or fi nd new suppliers who are able to help you on your plant-based journey.
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