Swiss researchers invent healthier, more sustainable chocolate
Scientists at federal technology institute ETH Zurich have developed a new type of chocolate that is more sustainable and richer in nutrients than using conventional production methods, as presented in a study published on Tuesday.
Do you want to read our weekly top stories? Subscribe here.
ETH Zurich researchers replaced granulated sugar in their chocolate with parts of the cocoa fruit that are not used in conventional chocolate. They presented the new recipe in a study in the specialist journal Nature Food.
+ How much would you pay for chocolate?
In addition to the cocoa beans, the pulp and parts of the fruit peel are also found in the chocolate, as the university writes in a statement about the study.
The researchers processed the shell of the cocoa beans into a powder, which they mixed with the pulp to make a jelly. With this extremely sweet jelly, the researchers replaced the sugar that is normally added.
The laboratory chocolate contains more fiber and less saturated fatty acids than normal chocolate, making it healthier, the study shows. Small farmers could also benefit, according to the ETH. They could diversify their product range and increase their income by using more parts of the cocoa fruit.
More
How the humble cocoa bean gets turned into chocolate and money
According to ETH, finding the perfect recipe for the cocoa fruit chocolate was not easy for the researchers. Because too much of the juice obtained from the pulp causes the chocolate to clump, too little of it makes it not sweet enough.
In the laboratory, the scientists therefore had to systematically test the consistency of the different compositions.
The experiments showed that you can add a maximum of 20% jelly to a chocolate, which corresponds to the sweetness of a chocolate with around 5 to 10% granulated sugar. For comparison: 30 to 40% granulated sugar is quickly added to conventional dark chocolate.
However, it will still be a while before the chocolate can be bought in stores. First, the entire value chain must be completed, explained ETH. But a first step has been taken: the recipe for the cocoa fruit chocolate has been registered as a patent by the ETH.
Translated from German by DeepL/mga
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles. You can find them here.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
External Content
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Almost finished… We need to confirm your email address. To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you.
More
Why Switzerland is among the ten fastest-warming countries in the world
More
In Switzerland four out of ten people have a migrant background – who are they?
More
Mennonite movement turns 500 in Zurich, where it all began
More
Suicides in Switzerland quadruple among older people
More
French gangs target luxury cars in Switzerland
In compliance with the JTI standards
More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.