Scientists Revolutionize Chocolate: New Method Makes Delicious Healthier and More Sustainable

Scientists have found that this "whole food" approach results in a more nutritious product than conventional chocolate, while also using less land and water.

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The technique replaces part of the sugar in chocolate with a sweet jelly made from cocoa husks - Photo Reproduction/Getty Images

Chocolate, one of the world's most beloved delicacies, is undergoing a revolutionary transformation. Scientists have developed a new production method which not only improves the health of consumers, but also makes the process more sustainable. This innovation promises to change the way chocolate is produced and consumed globally.

Innovation

Swiss scientists and chocolatiers have developed a new chocolate recipe that is healthier and more sustainable. Instead of using sugar, they use vegetable waste, such as the pulp and shell of the cocoa pod. By crushing this waste, they were able to create a sweet, fibrous gel that can replace the sugar in chocolate. According to a report published in Nature Food, this "whole food" approach results in a more nutritious product and also uses less land and water. Plus, chocolate continues to satisfy your sweet tooth.

According to Kim Mishra, food technologist at the Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH Zurich) and lead author of the study, the seeds of the cocoa fruit were the only parts used To date, however, there are many other fantastic things about this fruit. Researchers used cocoa pulp and juice to create a gel that can be added to chocolate to replace conventional powdered sugar. Normally, adding moisture to chocolate is strictly prohibited as it essentially damages it, Mishra said.

The expert also highlighted that this approach violated one of the most important rules in chocolate manufacturing. He highlighted that the results could make chocolate healthier and more sustainable, while also offering farmers a new source of income.

Sustainability and Global Warming

The study demonstrated that, in the laboratory, the new method used 6% less land and water, but increased emissions that cause global warming by 12%, due to the need for an extra drying step that consumed large amounts of energy. However, by intensifying the process and using sun drying or solar panels, it was found that greenhouse gas emissions could be reduced. Alejandro Marangoni of the food science department at the University of Guelph in Canada, who was not involved in the study, said this study is a comprehensive proposal that now needs to be validated through a pilot.

Industry and Market

The farmers of tropical countries, which are responsible for the production of cocoa for the chocolate industry valued at 100 billion dollars, usually receive only a small part of the profits generated by this industry. According to Marangoni, if cocoa processing were carried out in the countries where it is grown, the greatest benefits would be observed in these nations. However, the researcher emphasizes that, as chocolate consumers, it is expected that this change will not affect the quality of the product.

The consumption of chocolate is highly polluting, as is some meat, due to greenhouse gas emissions per kilogram of food. Mishra and his team decided to reduce waste in production and discovered they could also make it healthier. However, for chocolate lovers, the discovery has a downside, as the new product does not have the same fine-tuning capacity that the industry values ​​in icing sugar.

Flavor

Mishra stated that the sweetness of the gel is similar but does not reach the same exact level. The researcher mentioned that making this chocolate requires balance, and if you add too much sweetening gel, the chocolate cannot be processed, and if you don't add enough, the chocolate will not be sweet enough. However, he stated that the laboratory-made chocolate was practically the same in texture as dark chocolate and had a similar flavor to delicious South American dark chocolates. According to him, the sweetness manifests itself a little more gradually when consumed compared to traditional dark chocolate and presents fruity notes and acidity from the juice.