Traditionally, cocoa fruit has been utilized for chocolate production, with the beans being used and the remainder disposed of.
However, culinary experts in Switzerland have now developed a method of producing chocolate without the need for sugar and by using the whole cocoa fruit as opposed to simply the beans.
Scientist Kim Mishra and his colleagues created the chocolate at the esteemed Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich. It is made of the cocoa fruit pulp, juice, and husk, or endocarp.
Companies that produce sustainable food have already expressed interest in the method.
It’s said that traditional chocolate manufacture, which uses only the beans, leaves the remaining it.
Mr. Mishra notes that the new chocolate’s secret ingredient is its extremely sweet liquid, which has a “very fruity, a bit like pineapple” flavor.
This 14% sugar juice is distilled down to create a very concentrated syrup, which is then blended with the pulp. Taking sustainability to new heights, the juice is then combined with the dried husk, or endocarp, to create an extremely sweet cocoa gel.
When the gel is mixed with the cocoa beans, sugar is not required to make chocolate.
