US-based food scientists have formulated sugar-reduced chocolates by replacing up to 25% sucrose in chocolate with oat flour to reduce total sugar levels by 13.5%, without any adverse impact on texture or consumer acceptance.

The team used oat flour starch granules smaller than 10 µm for the study, which is expected to satisfy consumers’ sweet tooth without the nclick="updateothersitehits('Articlepage','External','OtherSitelink','Scientists slash sugar in chocolate with oat flour-based innovation','Scientists slash sugar in chocolate with oat flour-based innovation','339399','https://www.foodingredientsfirst.com/news/healthy-indulgence-balancing-enjoyment-with-well-being-plant-based-npd-and-reducing-sugar-and-fat.html', 'article','Scientists slash sugar in chocolate with oat flour-based innovation');return no_reload();">guilt associated with consuming calorie-dense treats.

“Chocolate will always be an energy-dense high-fat treat, but we conducted this work as a proof of concept to see if we could swap some of the sugar for starch-containing flours without compromising the texture of the chocolate,” John Hayes, professor of food science at Pennsylvania State University, US which conducted the study and a corresponding author on the research, tells Food Ingredients First.

“We’re never going to make chocolate healthy because it’s an indulgence, but we can successfully take out some of the sugar for consumers trying to reduce their intake of added sugars.”

Focus on added sugar by formulators is evident in F&B, with the surge of nclick="updateothersitehits('Articlepage','External','OtherSitelink','Scientists slash sugar in chocolate with oat flour-based innovation','Scientists slash sugar in chocolate with oat flour-based innovation','339399','https://www.foodingredientsfirst.com/key-trends/teazen/slashing-sugar.html', 'article','Scientists slash sugar in chocolate with oat flour-based innovation');return no_reload();">sugar claims like nclick="updateothersitehits('Articlepage','External','OtherSitelink','Scientists slash sugar in chocolate with oat flour-based innovation','Scientists slash sugar in chocolate with oat flour-based innovation','339399','https://www.foodingredientsfirst.com/news/fie-live-roquette-showcases-sugar-reduced-and-fiber-forward-plant-prototypes.html', 'article','Scientists slash sugar in chocolate with oat flour-based innovation');return no_reload();">low sugar and nclick="updateothersitehits('Articlepage','External','OtherSitelink','Scientists slash sugar in chocolate with oat flour-based innovation','Scientists slash sugar in chocolate with oat flour-based innovation','339399','https://www.foodingredientsfirst.com/news/barry-callebaut-expands-dairy-free-chocolate-to-mexico-with-callebaut-nxt-and-sicao-zero-launches.html', 'article','Scientists slash sugar in chocolate with oat flour-based innovation');return no_reload();">sugar-free in product launches. For instance, food and beverages with sugar claims witnessed a 3% compound annual growth between October 2018 and September 2023, Innova Market Insights’ data indicates. Sucralose (14%) dominated as a sweetening ingredient in product launches with sugar reduction claims.

The researchers also conducted trials with rice flour chocolate, which blind taste participants found to be of “a chalkier texture,” as compared to the “smoother, softer and creamier” texture of the oat-flour-containing chocolates.

The findings, published in the nclick="updateothersitehits('Articlepage','External','OtherSitelink','Scientists slash sugar in chocolate with oat flour-based innovation','Scientists slash sugar in chocolate with oat flour-based innovation','339399','https://ift.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1750-3841.16923', 'article','Scientists slash sugar in chocolate with oat flour-based innovation');return no_reload();">Journal of Food Science, were able to “show that there is a range in which formulators can manage a sizable reduction in added sugar and people won’t notice and don’t care, in terms of liking,” according to Hayes.