A new study from the University of Surrey has revealed that biotechnology could be the missing ingredient in helping cocoa farmers get a better deal for their beans.
Scientists have discovered how a single ingredient can create glossy, tasty, melt-in-the-mouth chocolate without having to go through the complex and lengthy tempering process.
The forecast has been bad for domesticated cacao. But some environments in Peru might hold the key to the future of the world’s sweet tooth.
You’re unwrapping your favorite chocolate bar when all of a sudden, surprise! It has turned…white? What do you do with it? Buzz60’s Maria Mercedes Galuppo has the answer (click, HERE).
Research suggests a mostly plant-based diet can improve your heart health. However, you don’t need to go totally vegan — evidence suggests foods like cheese, chocolate, and yogurt have benefits, too.
Israeli security officials captured and confiscated a shipment of 23 tons of chocolate bars headed to the Gaza Strip they say was part of a network financing Hamas military operations in the territory.
Barrel aging is a key process in wine and spirits production. Lately, chocolate roasters have discovered that using Bourbon, rum, Port, Sherry, Sauternes and Cognac barrels to age their cacao nibs or finished chocolate can impart a variety of flavors like caramel, vanilla and cherry to their products.
One small study recently published in the FASEB Journal of 19 postmenopausal women found that two small windows of time are especially effective for eating chocolate and reaping the benefits. According to the study, older women were more likely to benefit from consuming a small portion of chocolate (about 85 grams daily) one hour after waking or one hour before bed.
Dietitians Susie Burrell and Leanne Ward revealed if eating chocolate is healthy. They said you can eat it, provided it’s your only ‘soul food’ of each given day. Their trick is to remember the pleasure you get is highest in the first few squares. The dietitians treat themselves to the brand they love most and eat mindfully.
Researchers at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) have developed a way to make lab-grown chocolate — adding a sweet treat to the lengthening list of lab-grown foods.
Unroasted means raw and there’s a lot of debate about raw chocolate and is it actually raw if it’s been fermented, etc. Raw purists don’t think cocoa beans should be roasted (they say it interferes with the flavor) and those that roast think raw chocolate isn’t really chocolate because roasting brings out the flavor.
As the floodwaters receded in the river valleys of industrial eastern Belgium, the smell of cocoa was mixed with the stench of spilled fuel oil and churned up river mud. Among the many businesses knocked temporarily out of action by the unprecedented inundation was the Galler factory, home to one of the country’s iconic luxury chocolate brands.
Americans love their chocolate. It’s the go-to sweet indulgence for many. And it comes in several forms. Chips, chunks and blocks. Dark, milk and white chocolate. Alkalized and natural cocoa powders. There’s a chocolate for every dessert. But figuring out the best ways to use chocolate in formulations takes a deep understanding about the ins and outs of each format.
The researchers stated, “our results also show that chocolate in the morning decreases fasting glucose. Chocolate may improve glucose homeostasis by slowing carbohydrate digestion and absorption.” There were also favorable changes in the participants microbiota’s short chain fatty acid content that may have accounted for better hunger control. Before you make a beeline to the nearest chocolate bar, this study involved a small number of targeted female participants—postmenopausal females. One size does not fit all. To read this study, you can access it by going to maxwellnutrition.com.
This gigantic chocolate bar is the façade of the Meiji Confectionery factory in Osaka, Japan. It measures roughly 544 feet wide and 91 feet tall, and holds the Guinness World Record for the largest advertising board made of plastic. (I guess if they made it from chocolate it would quickly melt in the sun!). Click, here, to see.
It appears to be the world’s first playable chocolate flute. A pastry chef and a flautist walked into a bar… and created what appears to be the world’s first ever playable chocolate flute. Click, here, to see!
Chocolate sales are on the upswing at convenience stores, and retailers are optimistic for the months ahead as pandemic restrictions lift.
We Americans love our chocolate—in fact, we consume a whopping 2.8 billion pounds of the stuff per year. This breaks down to 11 pounds per person! Although this may sound like a lot, the Swiss—perhaps not surprisingly—consume the most chocolate in the world, followed by residents of the United Kingdom. With all this indulgence, it’s no wonder that chocolate has become a focus of health research. But is chocolate good for you? Some studies say yes.
The Barry Callebaut Group has reached an agreement to acquire Europe Chocolate Co. (ECC), a Belgian privately-owned business-to-business manufacturer of chocolate specialties and decorations.
Premium chocolate maker Scharffen Berger has returned to private ownership after The Hershey Co. sold the brand for an undisclosed amount.
A team of Australian scientists has discovered a curious “chocolate frog” tree frog in the lowland rainforests of New Guinea. Tree frogs are known for their green skin — but due to its brown coloring, researchers named it “chocolate frog” — and the name stuck.
When enjoying a chocolate bar, most people don’t think about how the molecules within it are organized. But different arrangements of the fats in chocolate can influence its taste and texture. Now, researchers have found that the side of a chocolate bar facing the mold has a more orderly crystalline structure than the side facing air, knowledge that might help chocolatiers produce tastier confections, the researchers say.
If you could condense your home state into a single flavor, what would it be? Chocolatier Phillip Ashley Rix thinks Missouri, for example, tastes like vanilla custard—at least, based on his new Taste of America chocolate collection, with 50 unique pieces of chocolate to represent the 50 states. Click, HERE, and find the list of states and their chocolate flavors.
When Charles Henry Harrod coined his store’s catchphrase in 1849, it is safe to assume that he did not foresee the consequences that would unfold 172 years later. Harrods’ motto of “Omnia Omnibus Ubique” translates from the Latin, less catchily, as “all things for all people, everywhere.” So imagine a department store floor just for chocolate. And not only that, but, London’s most iconic department store is selling a single bar of chocolate for £350 ($491). Never has the intention to be inclusive been more exclusive.
The meteoric rise in palm oil prices is poised to inflate costs for everyone from restaurants to confectionery and cosmetic manufacturers, and could potentially change consumption patterns.
A Maryland candy company is selling chocolate covered cicadas to celebrate the emergence of the noisy insects that have spent the last 17 years underground. Chouquette Chocolates is selling the cicadas — dipped in either milk or dark chocolate — online, but it also posted the recipe on its Facebook page for brave chefs looking for something to do with the bugs.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta tell us how eating certain types of chocolate can help us live to 100 (click, HERE, for video presentation).
The Hershey Company has signed an agreement to acquire Lily’s, health conscious chocolate company. Lily’s makes low-sugar products include dark and milk chocolate bars, baking chips, peanut butter cups and other confection products that align with Hershey’s multi-pronged better-for-you snacking strategy.
Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report “Chocolate Market – Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2021 – 2026)” – https://www.reportlinker.com/p06067779/?utm_source=GNW. Consumers’ in-home consumption of chocolates witnessed a steep rise during the lockdown. Chocolates, among other consumables, were bought in bulk, which led to higher volume sales through supermarkets and hypermarkets. On the other hand, the premium sector of the global chocolate market was severely affected by low sales volume due to the COVID-19 pandemic, partly due to supply-side issues linked to quality and certification. Consequently, varied public sectors provided support to the strengthening partnership between fine cocoa producers and chocolate companies to enhance the resilience of marketing infrastructure. In 2020, the chocolate market witnessed an inclination toward the darker varieties of chocolate, as consumers showed preference for them over other varieties, on account of better health benefits, lower in calories, and altering perception toward premiumization.
The Hershey Company has issued a voluntary recall for its Hershey’s Chocolate Shell Topping after at least 1,700 bottles were incorrectly filled with Heath Shell Topping, which contains almonds. The recall notice, which was posted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and also on Hershey’s website, says that the 7.25-oz bottles containing the almonds were shipped nationwide between April 15 and May 3 with the product code 25JSAS1. Anyone with an allergy or severe sensitivity to almonds may be at risk of a life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume the recalled products. The recall notice says that the “situation arose due to an isolated error at a contract manufacturing facility,” and Hershey took “immediate steps” to ensure the issue did not occur again. There have been no reports of illness or injury, according to the recall notice.
In 1937, Pablo Picasso channeled fierce anti-fascist and anti-militaristic sentiment into an 11.5- by 25.5-foot painting titled Guernica, rendering the horrors of war in stark geometry and shades of gray, black and white. The iconic mural has since inspired countless imitations in other mediums, including a fiber-art version and one composed entirely out of Legos. Compared with its peers, the latest rendition of Guernica is significantly sweeter. As Vincent West and Nathan Allen report for Reuters, confectioners in Spain’s Basque Country recently created an all-chocolate version of the Cubist masterpiece in honor of the 85th anniversary of the April 1937 bombing that inspired the mural. To see what it looks like, click here.
There’s no better dessert for the pseudo-healthy than dark chocolate. The age-old myth about dark chocolate is that it is a relatively healthy dessert option. In fact, rumor has it that dark chocolate isn’t just less unhealthy, but that it might have some nutritional value of its own—a rich combination of beneficial antioxidants.
Chocolate is a beloved treat, but sometimes the cocoa beans that go into bars and other sweets have unpleasant flavors or scents, making the final products taste bad. Surprisingly, only a few compounds associated with these stinky odors are known. Now, researchers reporting in ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry have identified the two compounds that cause musty, moldy scents in cocoa — work that can help chocolatiers ensure the quality of their products.
In the pandemic, there has been a lot of emphasis on healthy eating. Experts have always insisted that your health and immunity are directly dependent on the food you eat. As such, the government has listed some food items on its mygovindia Twitter handle, which it recommends you consume to boost your natural immunity amid the Covid crisis. Read on (CLICK “HERE“)
A Belgian chocolate company that put white masks on its Easter bunnies a year ago is now producing large chocolate syringes as it tries to keep step with the evolving trend of the coronavirus pandemic. And as Belgium steps up its vaccination campaign against COVID-19, specialist confectioner Cocoatree is also touting the natural health benefits of chocolate as a kind of “vaccine” in its own right against certain conditions. To see what the bunnies with syringes look like and how they are made, click, “here“.
Chocolate Necco Wafers are making a return to New England, the Spangler Candy Company announced Monday. Rolls of the candy will be handed out at two points along the Boston Marathon route on Patriots’ Day in an effort to “fill the absence of something iconic with something nostalgic,” according to the company.
Many of us start their day with a cup of coffee and end it with a piece of dark chocolate. There are reasons why something typically referred to as junk food or addiction might be slightly healthier than people give it credit for. There are potential health benefits you can expect from eating a moderate amount of dark chocolate or drinking coffee on your skin and hair. High quality dark chocolate is rich in antioxidants, iron, fiber, copper, manganese, magnesium and other minerals. Coffee is loaded with antioxidants as well.
For the second year in a row, Easter was largely online affair, with socially distanced egg hunts and virtual church services. But there was one notable difference in Britain. Domestic chocolate makers, who should be celebrating one of their busiest times of year, were fuming instead, and all of them cite the same cause: Brexit.
WOODHAVEN, Mich. — Police are searching for five men who poured chocolate syrup over merchandise at a Michigan Target then left the store. Surveillance video shows the group go to the seasonal area of the store around at 10 p.m. last Friday, pour Hershey’s syrup over myriad products and then leave the store. They were in the store for about 10 minutes and caused about $1,000 worth of damage, authorities said.
There is research to support that chocolate or cocoa could act as a laxative (Nutrition & Metabolism, April 18, 2012). Eat an ounce or so of dark chocolate and you could be in the bathroom within about 20 minutes! The authors of the study conclude that “regular consumption of cocoa products increases dietary fiber intake and … improves bowel habits.” Researchers have also shown that probiotic chocolate can improve bowel function in constipated rats (Food Research International, February 2019).
Swiss scientists have broken down the aromas of cocoa and chocolate and identified poop as one of the major scents.
First there was Atkins diet, then keto, and a range of raw and other dietary fads. These days, gut health is all the rage. And the best way to take care of the good microorganisms in the gut, according to doctors and research, is to nourish them with healthy foods.
Sleep is something everybody wants more of these days. Despite the fact that our bodies are capable of basically growing a new skeleton every 10 years, something as seemingly small as eating the wrong thing before bed can really mess them up. Two experts name the foods to avoid eating late at night, and both agreed that chocolate before bed is a no good, very bad idea.
If you were thinking of companies that might want to increase the value of their shares by buying back stock, Lindt & Sprungli AG would likely come near the bottom of the list. Primary shares in the Swiss chocolate-maker closed at 81,600 Swiss francs ($87,650) a piece March 1, 2021. That’s roughly enough money to buy a brand-new electric Porsche Taycan, or a five-bedroom house with a vineyard in Portugal. The next day, Lindt announced plans to buy back 750 million Swiss francs of equity, edging the shares closer to the record 93,800 franc level they peaked at last February.
A care package is a great way to let someone know you’re thinking of them. A care package containing a chocolate phallus, on the other hand, may be enough to “shock, offend, and frighten” the recipient. That’s the basis of a case filed against Ruin Days, a New York prank company.
Americans eat 2.8 billion pounds of chocolate a year and science reports that chocolate is good for you — well, at least 70% dark chocolate is, in 1-ounce-a-day doses. But that makes folks who vape think chocolate-flavored electronic cigarettes are healthy, too. Far from it. A new study found that of all the lung-polluting elixirs added to e-cigs, chocolate flavor (with a high dose of what the researchers say is benzene-ring flavorings) is the most harmful. According to the study published in the American Journal of Physiology/Lung, Cellular and Molecular Physiology, it delivers a brew of toxins that can kill off lung cells and reduce the ability of your immune system to remove bacteria and regulate inflammation.
Chocolate is the greatest gift to mankind—full stop. You can have it on your birthday via a rich chocolate cake with a luscious ganache, as a beverage when you feel like cozying up with a cup of hot chocolate, or even at the dinner table as a beer-infused sauce for your rib eye. It’s true that incorporating chocolate into your meals is easy, but how to remove chocolate stains from your clothes (when you throw table manners out the window at the mere sight of it—we’ve all been there), is another story. Click, HERE, to discover the way to remove chocolate stains!
The heart and the brain are undoubtedly two of our body’s most vital organs. Thankfully, taking care of one inadvertently tends to the other. One simple way to support our brain and our heart is by eating nutrient-dense foods—and no, it’s not all fruits and veggies. According to neuroscientist and neurodegenerative disease researcher Kristen Willeumier, Ph.D., dark chocolate is one of the most powerful functional foods we can add to our diet.
For the first time since 1982, average annual chocolate consumption in Switzerland has fallen below the 10 kg per person mark. On average, a Swiss resident munched 9.9 kg of chocolate in 2020, 6.9% less than the year before, according to the Association of Swiss Chocolate Manufacturers (Chocosuisse). This decline was at the expense of Swiss-made chocolate, as the import volume of foreign-made chocolate increased by 1.8%. and its share rose from 41% to 43%. The industry body blames protectionist measures at home for the rising sales of imported chocolates in Switzerland.
Jasmine Harrison, the youngest woman to make the 3,000-mile journey alone, relished the freedom of doing it all by herself. Instead of the ration packs people normally eat on these long journeys, she lived off biscuits and chocolate – “I think I ate 40kg of chocolate,” she laughed – and could choose to avoid rowing in the rain. “I could do what I liked. If it’s raining outside, and I’m in my cabin because I’ve just woken up, I ain’t gonna go out and row.”
Hershey recently announced that it will be launching its plant-based sugar chocolates as a part of the ‘Better-for-you’ category with an investment in a company that is developing sugars that have fewer calories than conventional chocolates and a negligible glycemic index impact.
Simran Sethi – she hosts “The Slow Melt” podcast, where she explores all things chocolate. And she reports on the latest episode of NPR’s Life Kit podcast, which is titled How To Savor Chocolate Like A Cocoa Expert. Sethi says the first step to enjoying chocolate like a pro is picking the right bar. For more tips, click, HERE.
