chocolate in the news
Eco-box: Chocolates Goes Green
October 29, 2010
A very large grocery store chain in the UK, Marks & Spencer, is now selling a line of Swiss chocolates in a compostable package. Yes, it means after eating all the chocolates, you can throw away the box, without guilt, onto the compost pile.
They say it completely disintegrates in 3 weeks because of the bio-plastic it is made from.
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World’s Largest Chocolate Truffle?
October 23, 2010
The Queen’s Head Inn, a pub in Worcestershire UK, made a 250 kg chocolate truffle and they’re hoping it sets a new world record for the world's biggest chocolate truffle!
Now that is a lot of chocolate! (And, an awesome photo!)
The pub plans to show off the massive treat to mark the beginning of National Chocolate Week.
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Probiotic Chocolate Milk
October 22, 2010
MojoMilk™ is a new product on the market and the first chocolate drink mix to incorporate probiotics.
Probiotics are living microorganisms consumed to promote digestive health and boost immunity.
MojoMilk is classified as functional food and comes in individual stick packs which can be poured into a glass of milk. It has less sugar than regular chocolate milk mixes and contains 10 times the active cultures found in probiotic yogurt.
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Raw Chocolate
October 21, 2010
Raw foodists believe in eating uncooked, unprocessed, and often organic foods as a large percentage of their diet. Sometimes called superfoods, raw foods are often vegetables and plant derived products, but not always (raw milk, for example).
Raw cacao, cocoa powder, and chocolate are considered superfoods because they deliver great amounts of antioxidants and other essentials like calcium, iron, carotene, thiamine, riboflavin, and magnesium. In general, superfoods are rich in phytochemicals which are known for their disease fighting properties.
Raw cacao nibs are not roasted but still have a good crunch. Raw chocolate is going to be a very different experience compared to a typical chocolate bar. Texturally, raw chocolate tends to be grainy and fudgy and usually there is no snap. Raw chocolate does not contain sugar (sucrose) or milk so the flavor is remarkably intense and fairly bitter.
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Ben Tre and Chuao Origins
October 15, 2010
Here are a couple of new limited-edition chocolates for your tasting pleasure.
Ben Tre - 72% Cacao Single Origin Dark Chocolate
Scharffen Berger now offers a 72% Vietnamese single-origin chocolate bar. The bar, named after the growing region of Ben Tre, comes from seven-year old cacao in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. This is the first that I have heard about Vietnamese chocolate available in the U.S.
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Does Chocolate Cause Migraines?
October 14, 2010
It has long been attributed, especially by women, that chocolate acts as one of the triggers for migraine headaches. So far, however, scientists have failed to show any correlation between migraines and chocolate.
One study found that 19% of 490 persons with migraines reported they thought chocolate caused their headaches, while other studies had participants report no relationship between chocolate and migraine headaches.
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Chocolate Goes No Sugar Added
October 12, 2010
Hot off the press! Chocolate maker, Barry Callebaut, claims to be the first to manufacture a “no added sugar” chocolate on an industrial scale. They use a solution made from Stevia plant extract which is between 100 and 400 times the sweetness of sugar with zero calories.
Stevia extract contains no artificial intense sweeteners and does not induce a laxative side-effect (there's good news!). The product is still in the approval stages in some countries, and in the US it is currently has GRAS status for food applications. (GRAS means Generally Recognized As Safe.)
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New Lindt Chocolate Flavors
October 8, 2010
Good News! Lindt is expanding its Excellence chocolates with two new premium creations. Introducing…..
Excellence Roasted Almond and Excellence Black Currant
The roasted almond variety combines dark chocolate with slivered almonds, and the black currant variety combines dark chocolate with tart, dried black currants and roasted slivered almonds.
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Nestlé Aero Celebrates 75
October 5, 2010
If you are fortunate enough to have traveled to Europe, you probably encountered an aerated chocolate by Nestle called the Aero Bar. Aero celebrates its 75th anniversary this month.
In 1935, a company called Rowntree’s patented the process of incorporating air into chocolate. The chocolate bar is bubbly in texture, giving the chocolate a fast melt and quick release of flavor.
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