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Can sugar-reduced chocolate still be tasty?

20 Nov 2019

Blog
Chocolate
Organic

Puratos’ Taste Tomorrow survey reveals that consumers are adapting their eating habits and are looking for healthier alternatives and products that contribute to their well-being. With our Puratos Health & Well-Being programme we strive to create healthier solutions. Belcolade is taking this commitment to the next level. We have discovered a way to reduce sugar while maintaining the great indulgence power of our chocolate with absolutely no compromise on taste or texture!

Change is needed

The struggle is real. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that a maximum of 10% of our calorie intake should come from sugars. Compared to consumption patterns nowadays, the average person consumes 300% more sugar than recommended! Consumers who are looking for ways to improve their eating habits, often look at lowering their sugar intake. That’s why Puratos has set out on a quest to develop a full range of sugar-reduced patisserie ingredients. And now we have managed to reduce the sugar level in chocolate by 40%! Meet our New Belcolade Selection Noir & Belcolade Selection Lait Sugar-Reduced!

Full taste, less sugar

Sugar reduction is rarely a straightforward task. In chocolate, sugar plays an important role. It provides sweetness, bulking effect, texture, smoothness and its crystalline structure positively influences the processability. So it is not an easy task to replace sugar. But we did it! We have create 2 exceptionally delicious chocolates with 40% less sugar, only adding natural ingredients: Belcolade Selection Noir, with 55% cocoa and Belcolade Selection Lait with 34% cocoa.
Our sugar-reduced chocolates are not only healthier, they are also 100% natural. Thanks to a new generation of sugar-reduction technology using only clean label ingredients, we decrease the sugar content by 40% and maintain the important functionalities of sugar. And with striking success: our sugar-reduced Selection Noir chocolate exceeded consumer expectations during our Sensobus test. Our Belgian consumers confirmed that even when reducing sugar, we still guarantee a superior taste!

The holy grail

Needless to say, at Belcolade, we are totally passionate about taste. But we also want to build a truly sustainable future for cocoa. Through our focus on continuous taste improvement, our sugar-reduced chocolate also benefits the cocoa farmers, who receive an additional Chocolate Bonus for every kilo of chocolate sold. The impact on living income for our Cacao-Trace farmers is an average three times higher than trough other sustainability programmes. Marrying the game-changing Cacao-Trace programme with our Belcolade Selection Noir & Lait sugar-reduced chocolates, brings together the best of three worlds: the holy grail of taste, health and sustainability.

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How to claim sugar reduction

A question that is often asked, is if the same level of sugar reduction could also be obtained by just using a chocolate with a higher cocoa content. The simple answer is no. Because by doing so, you create a completely different kind of chocolate with a different taste profile and functionality. While ’sugar-reduction claim’ is set versus the reference. And there’s more to it. Because chocolate with a higher cocoa content is also higher in fat, it results in higher calories. When sugar is reduced but the calories are increased, the ‘sugar-reduced’ claim is not valid.

Let your consumers enjoy chocolate products with a full-on taste and texture while also being in line with the clean(er) labels trend. As easy as it sounds, no need to adapt your process or recipe! However, you should keep in mind that if you want your full finished good to carry the claim ‘sugar-reduced’, your entire finished good must contain at least 30% less sugar, not just the chocolate. To help you with that, Puratos developed a full range of sugar-reduced solutions in chocolate and patisserie. We'll make your sugar reduction a piece of cake!

Discover our full range now! Contact your local Puratos sales representative to learn more about our sugar reduction solutions.