Abstract
The increasing numbers of overweight or chronically obese individuals have led the market to produce sweet snacks and desserts that are low in calories, low in fat or low in sugar. Sugar replacers have low calorific value and lower glycaemic index as compared to sucrose which not only helps in controlling weight but also is safe for diabetics. The study is aimed to develop a sugar free chocolate by using a combination of various zero calorie sweeteners i.e., stevia, isomalt and erythritol through response surface methodology (RSM). The final run optimized by RSM consists of 21.9g cocoa butter, 5.1g erythritol, 0.10g stevia and 14.9g isomalt. Organoleptic evaluation of modified chocolates was evaluated using 9 point hedonic scale for the parameters like, appearance, color, aroma, taste, texture, mouthfeel, aftertaste and overall acceptability. The overall acceptability of sugar free chocolates was found to be 8.9. Further, the fortification of chocolates was done with the help of vitamins and minerals rich fruit powders such as beetroot powder, jamun seed powder and pink pithaya powder (dragon fruit). Vitamins and minerals analysis was performed for sugar free chocolate fortified with beetroot. Shelf-life study of sugar free chocolate fortified with beetroot was carried out.
Highlights
The word ‘chocolate’ is derived from Nahuatl word ‘Xocolatl’ meaning ‘bitter water’
Sweetners like Stevia (Aoxing Stevia, Shandong, China), Erythritol (Baolingbao Biology Co.Ltd, china), Monk fruit sweetener of Urban Platter was purchased through Amazon
The results showed that the sugar free chocolate prepared with 4% of beetroot, jamun and dragon fruit powder was most optimized without masking and when masked with 1% coffee 4% of beetroot, jamun and dragon fruit powder showed optimized results
Summary
The word ‘chocolate’ is derived from Nahuatl word ‘Xocolatl’ meaning ‘bitter water’. In its original embodiment in the Mayan and Aztec societies, it refers to as a hot and spiced beverage. Chocolate being a solid mixture, is composed of cocoa powder, cocoa butter, and certain type of sweeteners likes sugar. Polyphenols, called as phytonutrients are the main components found in plants that are believed to promote and improve the human health. Flavonoids are seen to activate antioxidant enzymes These important functions depict chocolate as having significant medicinal uses [2]. People with diabetes always face difficulty in balancing their blood sugar levels. By limiting their sugar consumption by replacing it with artificial sweeteners, they can enjoy all varieties of food. Persons with reactive hypoglycemia produce an excess of insulin when glucose is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream This results into the fall of blood glucose levels below the advisable amount for physiological functions. The beetroots contain other composites that can help suppress inflammation [3]
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