Baking & Snack - December 2013 - 41

FORMULATION
Chocolate

Chocolate ingredients take bakery
and snack products to the next
level on both the indulgence
and nutrition scales.

by Charlotte Atchley
Chocolate reigns king as the flavor of choice among consumers. Despite the best intentions of the food police,
chocolate entices its way into the top spot with its obvious charm.
"There will always be a demand for indulgent and premium bakery products," said Courtney LeDrew, cocoa
and chocolate marketing manager, Cargill, Minneapolis.
"As an affordable luxury, premium bakery items are one
way for consumers to treat themselves."
Chocolate perseveres through the health trends because it in itself carries some better-for-you benefits and
is so conducive to added nutrients. And this once politically incorrect ingredient is jumping on the sustainability bandwagon with gusto as major chocolate suppliers
develop programs to aid cocoa farmers in farming sustainably and fairly (see " 'Do good' cocoa" on Page 42).
Nothing, not even the obesity epidemic, seems capable
of toppling this king of flavors.

Draped in decadence
The idea of indulgence has evolved in recent years, but
chocolate remains a key player. Americans are experimenting, wanting to combine flavors never thought to
pair well such as sweet with savory, for example, the recent trend of adding bacon and salted caramel to everything in sight. Chocolate has not escaped this trend and
in some ways benefitted. Incorporating chocolate into
a food, no matter how mundane, will raise it to deca-

dent. Specifically in the bakery category, Emily Villette,
product manager for the Real Chocolate Business Unit,
Puratos Group, Cherry Hill, NJ, sees a dominance of
chocolate and cocoa flavors, and this prevalence continues to increase.
"Chocolate is used to elevate the appearance of a finished product or add different texture components or
flavor," Ms. Villette said. "A lot of products that traditionally were not made with chocolate now have a chocolate
variety." She has seen combinations of fruit with chocolate in bakery items such as panetone with strawberry
and chocolate as well as chocolate decorations on cakes
and croissants and shortbread dipped in chocolate.
The National Confectioners Association's 2009 Trend
Report surveyed 40 industry experts who pointed to
consumer interest in chocolate flavored with spices,
salts, herbs and floral essences, particularly ones with
an ethnic flair. Sweet-and-savory also is heavily on the
minds of shoppers - pairings like chocolate with cheese.
Chocolate in its many forms is being seen in BBQ sauces, rubs and spice blends, carving out a new frontier for
the ingredient and proving that innovative possibilities
are endless in the bakery and snack categories.
"Consumers are experience-driven; they're willing to
try new things, and they actively seek out exciting and
intense flavor pairings and new textures," Ms. LeDrew
observed. This desire for sensory experience provides an
opportunity for chocolate innovators.

Adding indulgent
chocolate to baked
goods gives them a
premium flair.
Puratos Group

December 2013 / Baking & Snack / 41

Baking & Snack - December 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Baking & Snack - December 2013