Scientists create 'healthy' half-fat chocolate bar
After the excess of Easter there will no doubt be more than a few Brits who have sworn to cut back on their chocolate consumption. But British scientists have paved the way for a healthier way to feed your sweet treat habit.
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Scientists from Warwick University have developed a new "healthy" choccie bar by replacing cocoa butter and milk fats with fruit juice.
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The technique uses tiny droplets of fruit juice that form micro-bubbles, allowing the chocolate to retain its firm-but-melt-in-the-mouth texture. And it doesn't matter what your preference may be - the researchers insist it works with milk, dark and white chocolate.
Speaking at the national meeting of the American Chemical Society in New Orleans, lead researcher Dr Stefan Bon said: "We have established the chemistry that's a starting point for healthier chocolate confectionary.
"This approach maintains the things that make chocolate 'chocolatey', but with fruit juice instead of fat."
Dr Bon suggested the use of fruit juice could also reduce the overall sugar content of chocolate, and the technique already prevents the 'sugar bloom' that coats your bar with a white film.
While the scientists admitted the finished article does have a fruity flavour, they claim the same technique could work with vitamin C water, giving the bar that familiar chocolatey taste.
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According to the Daily Mail, he added: "Since the juice is spread out in the chocolate, it doesn't overpower the taste of the chocolate. We believe that the technology adds an interesting twist to the range of chocolate confectionery products available."
Dr Bon hopes that the technology would encourage confectioners to create "tasty, lower-fat chocolate bars and other candy".
Would you swap your usual chocolate bar for a healthier, fruity alternative? Leave your comments below...
