Reducing Sugar Intake

Problem

Can healthier chocolate still taste good?

• Dark chocolate is particularly high in flavonoids, which are considered functional ingredients due to their associated health benefits.
• However, to make chocolate more likeable, it is usually sweetened to mask the cocoa bean's inherent bitterness and astringency.

Findings

Researchers took a novel approach to studying bitterness perception and consumer acceptability of 100 percent chocolate by using human sensory evaluation to study the variation of cocoa-related bitterness.

• The study involved 27 100-percent-chocolate preparations made from cocoa beans roasted at various intensities and 145 people who came to Penn State Sensory Evaluation Center on five consecutive days, evaluating five different samples each day.
• The researchers reported that more intense roasting conditions led to chocolate consumers finding unsweetened chocolate the most acceptable.

Impact

Confection makers who want to develop products containing 100 percent chocolate and no sugar for health-conscious consumers can reduce bitterness and optimize flavor acceptance by roasting cocoa beans longer and at higher temperatures.

Research Credit

Team

• Alan McClure, Helene Hopfer, Ingolf Grüxfcn

Participating Department

• Food Science

Partners

• Patric Chocolate
• University of Missouri
• Guittard Chocolate
• Marañon Cacao
• Penn State Sensory Evaluation Center

Competitive Funding

• Professional Manufacturing Confectioners Association

Federal and State Appropriations

• USDA NIFA Hatch Project PEN04624, Accession #1013412

Emerging Discoveries

More intense roasting of cocoa beans lessens bitterness, boosts chocolate liking

February 22, 2022

Confection makers who want to develop products containing 100% chocolate and no sugar for health-conscious consumers can reduce bitterness and optimize flavor acceptance by roasting cocoa beans longer and at higher temperatures, according to a team of researchers.

Published Research

Optimizing consumer acceptability of 100% chocolate through roasting treatments and effects on bitterness and other important sensory characteristics.

• McClure, A. P., Hopfer, H., & Grüxfcn, I. U. (2022). Optimizing consumer acceptability of 100% chocolate through roasting treatments and effects on bitterness and other important sensory characteristics. Current Research in Food Science, 5, 167-174. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crfs.2022.01.005