Chocolate Composition Using Oats for Low Sugar and Fluidity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Producing vegan raw chocolate with suitable fluidity properties and reduced sugar content is challenging due to high sugar content in conventional chocolate compositions and the bitterness of non-roasted cocoa beans, which requires large amounts of sweeteners to balance taste.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a mixture of dry non-fat cocoa solids and a plant-based oats component, with grinding and addition of a fat and sweetener component, maintaining temperatures below 45°C, to create a chocolate composition with 55% or less cocoa solids by weight, using oats to reduce sweetener needs and enhance fluidity without additional emulsifiers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional chocolate compositions are used to balance the bitterness of non-roasted cocoa beans, then the taste is improved, but the sugar content increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
Oats act as an intermediary substance between the bitter cacao and sweeteners. The oats component provides a natural sweetness and texture that mediates the bitter taste without requiring excessive amounts of added sugar, thus resolving the contradiction between taste balance and sugar content reduction
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the compositional parameters by introducing oats (18-25 wt%) and limiting sweetener content (20-32 wt%, preferably 25-30 wt%). This parameter adjustment allows achieving acceptable taste balance with reduced sugar content compared to conventional chocolates where sugar often exceeds 40%
2Ease of operation
If additional emulsifiers are added to improve fluidity properties, then the fluidity is improved, but the device complexity and ingredient list increase
Solution Approach 1:
The oats component serves itself as both a structural ingredient and a natural emulsifying agent. The oats provide fluidity properties through their inherent characteristics (18-25 wt% content) without requiring additional emulsifiers, thus the system is self-sufficient and avoids increasing ingredient complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The oats component performs multiple functions simultaneously: it provides sweetness, texture, structure, and fluidity properties. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate emulsifier ingredients, resolving the contradiction between achieving good fluidity and maintaining simple ingredient composition
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The method results in a chocolate composition with reduced sugar content, improved fluidity, and a balanced taste, avoiding bitterness and the need for high sweetener amounts, while maintaining the characteristics of raw chocolate without using additional emulsifiers.
Implementation Method 1
a second step of grinding the first mixture
Implementation Method 2
the rest of the production process is carried in a temperature which is less than 45°C... temperature does not rise above 45°C and preferably such that the temperature does not rise above 42°C
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a method for producing chocolate composition having dry cocoa solids content of 55 % or less by weight. The method comprises a first step (100) of providing a first mixture comprising dry non-fat cocoa solids component and plant-based component, a second step (200) of grinding the first mixture and a third step (300) of adding a fat component and a sweetener component to the first mixture for providing the chocolate composition.