regulates intestinal activity and prevents blood sugar levels from rising too rapidly when consuming chocolate,” continued Kim. “Saturated fat can also pose a health risk when too much is consumed. There is a relationship between increased consumption of saturated fats and increased risk of cardiovascular diseases.”
to find the perfect recipe for cocoa-fruit chocolate. They systematically tested the texture of various compositions in the laboratory to find the perfect balance between sweetness and texture. Too much fruit juice extracted from the pulp made for a clumpy chocolate, while too little resulted in an insufficiently sweet product.
The experiments showed that chocolate can contain up to 20% of gel, which is equivalent to the sweetness of chocolate with between 5 and 10% powdered sugar. In comparison, conventional dark chocolate can easily contain between 30 and 40% powdered sugar.
Sensory experience To test the sensory experience of the new recipes, trained panellists from the Bern University of
Applied Sciences taste-tested pieces of chocolate weighing 5 grams each, containing various amounts of powdered sugar and others containing the variety sweetened with cocoa gel. “This allowed us to empirically determine the sweetness of our recipe as expressed in the equivalent amount of powdered sugar,” explained Kim. By using cocoa gel as a sweetener, cocoa- fruit chocolate boasts a higher fibre content than the average European dark chocolate (15 grams versus 12 grams per 100 grams). It also contains only 23 grams of saturated fat as opposed to the traditional 33 grams. This means that ETH researchers were able to increase the fibre content by around 20% while reducing the saturated fat percentage by around 30%. “Fibre is valuable from a physiological perspective because it naturally
Wider adoption of the use of cocoa-fruit gel in chocolate would enable small-scale farmers to diversify their product offerings and increase their income. And, if most of the fruit can be used to produce cocoa-fruit chocolate, then the only waste would be the shell, which traditionally is used as fuel or composting material. “This would mean that farmers can not only sell the beans, but also dry out the juice from the pulp and the endocarp, grind it into powder and sell that as well,” argued Kim. “This would allow them to generate income from three value-creation streams. And more value creation for the cocoa fruit makes it more sustainable.” “The results of this research project has shown that our chocolate is attractive and has a comparable sensory experience to normal chocolate,” concluded Kim. “Of course, the entire value creation chain would need to be adapted, starting with the cocoa farmers, who would require drying facilities. Cocoa- fruit chocolate can only be produced and sold on a large scale by chocolate producers once enough powder is produced by food processing companies.” But, the first step has now been taken – ETH has filed a patent for its cocoa-fruit chocolate recipe and the development of cocoa-fruit chocolate is a promising example of how technology, nutrition, eco-compatibility and income diversification for small farmers can all work in tandem to improve the entire value- creation chain of the cocoa plant.
Upcycled cacaofruit added to solutions portfolio
Barry Callebaut has added upcycled 100% cacaofruit ingredients to its product portfolio. The move follows years of work to develop a unique upcycling supply chain for the products. Since its introduction, Barry Callebaut has also
been working to raise awareness about this largely overlooked fruit which has gained it recognition for its sustainable impact and flavour by well-known industry institutions, and it has established partnerships with pioneering brands, including chocolatier VandenBulcke.
KennedysConfection.com Kennedy’s Confection December/January 2024/25 15
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