PLANT-BASED AND UPCYCLED INGREDIENTS
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Getting fruity with
Researchers at ETH Zurich have created a whole-fruit variety of chocolate which could help increase the value creation of cocoa farming in addition to being a healthier chocolate option for consumers.
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TH researchers have developed a type of chocolate that is said to be more sustainable and nutritious than conventional varieties. The cocoa-fruit chocolate uses cocoa fruit jelly as a replacement for powdered
sugar, reducing the sugar content and increasing the product’s nutritional value.
This new chocolate recipe also has the potential to diversify the income sources of small farmers.
The main components of traditional chocolate are cocoa mass and cocoa butter, which are extracted from the cocoa bean. However, the cocoa fruit pulp, which surrounds the beans, and parts of the cocoa pod husk, do contain valuable
ingredients that have, traditionally, been underutilised. Researchers at ETH Zurich set out to investigate the potential for making maximum use of the cocoa fruit, which would increase the profitability of cocoa cultivation. As part of an Innosuisse project, a research
team – led by emeritus ETH professor Erich Windhab – worked together with start- up Koa, which is dedicated to sustainable cocoa fruit cultivation, and Swiss chocolate manufacturer, Felchlin to develop a recipe for cocoa-fruit chocolate. Kim Mishra, the main author of a study published in Nature Food, explained that the cocoa fruit is similar to the honeydew melon: “These fruits have similar structures. Both have a hard outer shell that reveals the flesh of the fruit when cut open, as well as the cocoa beans or melon seeds and pulp in the interior,” he said. While conventional chocolate only makes use of the beans, the researchers were able to use the flesh and parts of the fruit shell – the endocarp – to develop a cocoa-fruit chocolate recipe. This was processed into a powder form and mixed with part of the pulp to form a cocoa gel. The gel substance is extremely sweet and can replace the added powdered sugar that is normally part of the chocolate experience. However, it was not easy for the scientists
Kennedy’s Confection December/January 2024/25
KennedysConfection.com
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