Chocolate - just the word can excite the taste buds. It is reported that 52% of Americans prefer chocolate to any other flavor. From cakes to shakes to that deliciously decadent chocolate bar enjoyed while relaxing on a sunny day that ultimately results in a gooey sticky mess. But not anymore if a Swiss chocolate producer has his way. The world’s largest chocolate maker claims to have developed a chocolate that doesn’t melt. Well it does melt but not until it reaches 131f while normal chocolate melts at 86f and consequently no more sticky fingers.
Zurich based Barry Callebaut developed the chocolate by accident while experimenting on new product lines. They have named it ‘Vulcano’ as it is full of bubbles like volcanic rock. But there is another amazing feature to this new chocolate - it has 90% less calories than a regular chocolate bar.
Chocolate consumption is down by 2% in Europe and 8% in the US so a chocolate bar that can be marketed to the figure conscious and to hot climates hopes to reverse this downward fall in sales. It is produced in milk, dark, white and fruit flavors with no artificial ingredients and will be available in both bar and cookie form. It is said to taste crispy rather than creamy due to the bubbles and while ordinary chocolate melts on contact with body heat this chocolate melts on contact with enzymes in the saliva.
It sounds the perfect product, melt resistant chocolate that can be enjoyed guilt free, but it has been tried before. Hershey’s produced its Field Ration “D” bar for the US Army in World War II but that bar, with its oat flour base was never good enough to go on to full production.
Barry Callebaut has an output of 1.1 million tons of cocoa and chocolate products each year so they certainly know their market. Interestingly, they are also working on chocolate that preserves the teeth and another that improves digestion. The only unfortunate part of this new wonder chocolate story is that the bars are not expected to hit the store shelves for another couple of years.
Photos courtesy of Flickr - Katbaro, Super Saiyin Ollie and Sify Renka