Baking&Snack - November 2012 - 44

CHOCOLATE

Puratos Corp., Cherry Hill, NJ, developed its conching process to produce its Oxanti dark chocolate from Belcolade. This chocolate retains a maximum amount of antioxidants from the Belgian dark chocolate. The trouble with chocolate’s health benefits is they come with a

lot of baggage in the form of fat and sugar. Reduced-sugar, no-sugaradded and reduced-fat chocolate ingredients from suppliers address this challenge. Barry Callebaut’s Rebalanced line lowers sugar and/ or fat levels in chocolate and allows customers to meet nutritional

Sustaining cocoa for the future
Cocoa is a hot commodity as demand for it around the world continually increases. But because of poor farming practices and devastating infrastructure problems, cacao farmers struggle to keep the cocoa beans coming, leaving chocolate suppliers concerned. Instead of waiting for local governments to step up and address the sustainability of cocoa, many of these companies took on the challenge themselves. “If this industry will survive, the foundation of the industry, which lies with farmers and growers, must be supported and improved, said ” Neil Widlak, director, product services and development, ADM Cocoa, Milwaukee, WI. Like many of the chocolate suppliers working to ensure a sustainable cocoa supply, ADM Cocoa addresses the problem in two ways: farmer education and community support. The company established its own program, Socially Environmentally Responsible Agricultural Practices, that sends ADM Cocoa employees to cacao farms around the world to educate farmers in best agricultural practices. The company also improves community infrastructures by building bridges Farmer education and community support from chocolate and improving roads so that farmers suppliers around the world address the current cocoa will be able to transport cocoa beans sustainability challenge. to ports for export. Barry Callebaut, Chicago, IL, also aims to educate farmers and improve cacao farming communities. With sustainable cocoa as one of its four strategic pillars, the company made the issue a top priority. The company’s Quality Partner Program (QPP) advances farmers’ livelihoods by teaching them how to maintain their farms and increase yield and improving bean quality and traceability. QPP also provides access to basic healthcare, schools and clean water. The company’s Cocoa Horizons program takes farming education to the next level by inviting cacao farmers to model farms where they can work with a trainer for a hands-on education. Cargill, Inc., Minneapolis, MN, has educated farmers through its Cargill Sustainable Cocoa Program for more than 10 years now. Beyond improving farming techniques through its field schools, Cargill also teaches cacao growers how to handle the business aspect of their farms so that they can increase yield and quality to earn a higher income. Cargill is also a founding member of UTZ Certified, a program that ensures cocoa beans meet specific sustainable criteria. ADM offers Rainforest Alliance and fair trade certified products. Barry Callebaut and Cargill offer Rainforest Alliance, fair trade and UTZ certified chocolate and cocoa products.

concerns and guidelines while still offering chocolate’s decadent flavor profile. However, the missing sugar or fat must be replaced with a bulking agent. That’s where added functional ingredients come in. In addition to contributing natural flavonoids and other antioxidants, chocolate and compound coatings are being used to deliver extra fiber and protein, which contribute to digestive health and satiety. Compound coatings are a great carrier for functional ingredients such as fiber and protein because they mask off notes that can come with these ingredients, said Christie Nagy, territory sales manager for cocoa and chocolate, Cargill, Inc., Lititz, PA. “Functionally speaking, in actual product development, it’s easier to add extra protein to a bar using a compound coating. That’s a carrier for extra protein that isn’t always easy to add into a product,” she added. ADM Cocoa, Milwaukee, WI, uses the company’s Fibersol line of fiber ingredients to replace some of the sugar and fat in chocolate and attain the added fiber health benefit. “Soluble fiber works well with delivering fiber benefits,” said Neil Widlak, director, product services and development, ADM Cocoa. “It incorporates very easily into chocolate.” Chocolate is basically composed of chocolate liquor, sugar and added cocoa butter. Fiber works well with chocolate because it can replace some of the sugar easily. Being a dry solid particle, Fibersol blends effectively with the hygroscopic cocoa solids. “It contributes very little to the viscosity of the product,” Mr. Widlak said. “It’s a very friendly product to add because it doesn’t change flavor or performance characteristics dramatically.” Nutriose soluble fiber from Roquette America, Geneva, IL,

/ Baking & Snack / November 2012

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Baking&Snack - November 2012

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