Traditionally, chocolate production involves using cocoa beans mixed with a small amount of the pulp that encases them within the fruit. This cocoa mass is then blended with sugar, milk powder, and other ingredients, depending on the desired darkness of the chocolate.
However, the addition of substantial amounts of sugar makes chocolate a less healthy snack option. Additionally, environmental and economic challenges are leading to concerns about a potential global chocolate shortage.
The Development at ETH Zurcich
Researchers at ETH Zurich have devised an innovative chocolate recipe that could address these issues. Their approach involves utilizing more components of the cocoa pod that are typically discarded, including additional pulp and the inner lining of the husk, known as the endocarp. These components are combined to create what the researchers call “cocoa jelly,” an exceptionally sweet substance capable of replacing powdered sugar in many chocolate recipes.
Developing the right concentrations for this new ingredient required extensive experimentation. An excess of cocoa jelly resulted in clumpy chocolate, while too little failed to achieve the desired sweetness.
The research team ultimately found a formulation that includes up to 20% cocoa jelly, which, according to blind taste tests conducted with a panel of trained experts, matched the sweetness profile of existing dark chocolate.
The newly formulated chocolate not only matches traditional dark chocolate in taste but also offers nutritional benefits. It contains 20% more fiber and 30% less saturated fat than the average European dark chocolate, potentially making it a less indulgent treat. Additionally, this new method could provide financial benefits for cocoa farmers.
Better for Cocoa Farmers
Kim Mishra, the lead author of the study, explains, “Farmers can now sell not only the beans but also dry out the juice from the pulp and the endocarp, grind it into powder, and sell that as well. This would enable them to generate income from three value-creation streams, thereby enhancing the sustainability of the cocoa fruit.”
Before this innovative cocoa fruit jelly chocolate can be commercially available, significant infrastructure changes are necessary. Cocoa farmers will need equipment to dry the materials to produce the jelly, and chocolate manufacturers will need to adapt their processes to incorporate it.
Despite these challenges, the prospect of improving everyone’s favorite treat while promoting sustainability and economic benefits for cocoa farmers is an exciting development.
The information in this article is sourced from ETH Zurich and Nature Food.
It has been fact checked by the Editors at BOXROX.
