The Netherlands – Cargill's cocoa & chocolate business has unveiled the breakthrough technology behind the first chocolate to achieve an EU-approved consumer claim of "reduced calorie".
The 30 per cent calorie reduction is double that of any other chocolate on the market and is equivalent to a saving of up to 160 calories for a 100g chocolate bar.
This innovation has been achieved through applying Cargill's chocolate expertise to an innovative process using a patented blend of sweeteners, including Cargill's zero-calorie bulk sweetener, Zerose™ erythritol.
Zerose™ erythritol is the only polyol which is recognised as zero-calorie, is produced by a fermentation process and does not exhibit the digestive intolerance that can be associated with other polyols. Erythritol occurs naturally in nature in fruits such as grapes, and in fermented foods and drinks, such as wine and soy sauce. It is also recognised as 'toothfriendly' by Toothfriendly International, as it does not cause tooth decay.
The chocolate experts at Cargill's confectionery applications centre in Vilvoorde, working in conjunction with the chocolate R&D team in Mouscron, have developed the formulation using extensive taste panel testing to deliver a great sensory experience.
"Unlike chocolate made with alternative sweeteners, our new reduced-calorie chocolate can achieve a calorie reduction of 30 per cent. As a result, it can carry the EU-approved reduced calorie claim," says Blanche Olry, research and development manager at Cargill Cocoa & Chocolate. Olry brings with her years of experience in working with sweeteners from previous roles within Cargill Sweetness.
As an alternative to the reduced calorie claim, the Cargill innovation also offers two further benefits to manufacturers using chocolate as an ingredient: they can reduce the calorie level per portion; or they can use more chocolate in their product for the same calorie amount.
"This latter option is certain to appeal to manufacturers of cookies, cereal bars and other snacks where 99 calories per portion is the target maximum," continues Olry. "With our reduced calorie chocolate, there is now the option to increase the amount of chocolate for the same number of calories."
Expected to be available commercially next year, the innovation demonstrates the pioneering results that are produced from the powerful combination of Cargill's broad food ingredients knowledge coupled with its deep chocolate expertise.
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About Cargill Cocoa & Chocolate:
Cargill Cocoa & Chocolate offers the food industry a wide range of both standard and customised cocoa and chocolate ingredients to be used in delicious bakery, confectionery, and dairy applications.
As a leading provider of high quality chocolate and cocoa offerings across Europe and all over the world, the company's extensive product range includes premium Gerkens® cocoa powders, chocolate, including Wilbur®, Peter's®, Veliche® coatings, fillings, cocoa liquors and cocoa butters. With years of experience in technical food expertise Cargill supports its customers in new recipes and new product development.
Our facilities in Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Côte d'Ivoire, France, Germany, Ghana, the Netherlands, UK and the USA are fully dedicated to produce in accordance with the highest food safety standards.
To secure a good quality and sustainable supply of cocoa beans we have our own cocoa bean sourcing operations for buying, handling and/or exporting of cocoa beans in Brazil, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Indonesia and Vietnam. Presence in all the leading producing countries allows Cargill to oversee the supply chain from beans at origin to cocoa and chocolate products on our customers' doorstep. In addition, extensive market research and analysis proves to be a source of valuable information to our customers.
For more information visit: for EMEA www.cargillcocoachocolate.com and for North America www.cargill.com/food/cocoachocolate
About Cargill:
Cargill is an international producer and marketer of food, agricultural, financial and industrial products and services. Founded in 1865, the privately held company employs 131,000 people in 66 countries.
Cargill helps customers succeed through collaboration and innovation, and is committed to applying its global knowledge and experience to help meet economic, environmental and social challenges wherever it does business. For more information, visit www.cargill.com
Source: Cargill
