Mondelez International has patented a process for making chocolate from soluble corn fiberReduce sugar and calorie content. The process could reduce sugar in chocolate products by up to 50%, while maintaining the sweet taste that consumers expect and not significantly affecting the composition of the chocolate. The patent was filed under Kraft Foods, but the intellectual property belongs to Mondelēz.
The technology contained in this patent is behind the reduced-sugar product “Cadbury Dairy Milk,” which was launched in the United Kingdom and India over the summer, a company spokesman said. Soluble corn fiber (SCF) is produced by enzymatic hydrolysis of corn starch. It has a low viscosity, is water-soluble and pH and heat stable. When added to chocolate during processing, scientists found that they could reduce the sugar content in varying proportions from 10% to 50%. The corn fiber has this effect on sugars that come from a natural source such as sucrose, lactose and monosaccharides such as glucose.
The reduced-sugar composition could find use in chocolate bars, as a filling or in baked goods such as cookies, pastries or cakes, the patent notes. It could also be used for chocolate coatings, in the form of sprinkles or flakes, or in nut spreads.
Mondelēz offers a variety of chocolate products that could potentially use these new corn fibers, including Milka and Toblerone. This new chocolate-making process could potentially give the company an even larger share of the crowded chocolate market. The key is to maintain a naturally sweet taste, texture and mouthfeel.
“Consumers and public health authorities are increasingly concerned about the sugar content of foods and, in particular, the sugar content of confectionery products such as chocolate,” the patent states. “Confectionery products with less sugar and/or fewer calories, which can be described as “light” and/or “sugar-free” products, are therefore becoming increasingly popular.”
With increasing interest in reducing sugar in foods and beverages, other chocolate manufacturers have also developed methods and products to achieve this goal. Recent efforts to sweeten products with less sugar have focused on additionnatural alternatives such as steviaand agave, changing the sugar structure, adding low glucose syrup or using flavorings.
Nestlé has developed a technique for using cocoa pulpSweetening chocolatepatented, which does not require the addition of refined sugar. The company also developed an "aerated, porous sugar mass" that contains 30% less sugar and used it in a chocolate bar marketed in the United Kingdom and Ireland in 2018.
And last year, Israel's Stauss Group announced it had developed a milk chocolate with 30% less sugar and more fiber - another health-related aspect consumers are looking for.
