Chocolate of 'unprecedented' purity wins innovation award in Paris

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Chocolate of ‘unprecedented’ purity wins innovation award in Paris

A premium Swiss chocolate is being hailed for its potential to ‘revolutionize’ the industry with a pioneering production method that claims to achieve the purest chocolate ever created.

Zurich-based chocolate house Barry Callebaut was given the Most Innovative Food Ingredient award at Food Ingredients Europe in Paris this week, for its Terra Cacao, described as a superior product for its unprecedented purity, flavor, intensity and rich aromas.

What sets the product apart from others is a novel fermentation technique that produces top-quality cocoa with zero defects and off-flavors — a method that was said to cause “genuine excitement” among the panel of judges.

“Barry Callebaut demonstrated a novel approach that may completely change the procurement of a much loved product,” said Henry Dixon, chairman of the judging panel in a release.

While chocolate makers have been traditionally dependent on the quality of the cocoa crops, scientists at Barry Callebaut have developed a new fermentation technique that unlocks only the desired flavors and aromas.

The technique involves isolating specific ferments — micro-organisms naturally present in the soil, plants and the air — and creating natural cultures that are mixed with the fresh beans, an all-natural method that enhances the delicate flavors and aromas.

The Terra Cacao range covers milk chocolate — 33.5 percent cocoa, rich in milky and toffee flavors — to 70.5 percent dark chocolate, described as mild, fresh and pleasant with sweet and sour hints of green apples. The line is for industrial and commercial buyers.

Barry Callebaut’s Terra Cacao beat out 80 products vying for the innovation award.

In the baking category, Maltichoc was named the most innovative ingredient, a partial cocoa powder and chocolate replacer in baked goods made with malted ingredients to emulate the color, aroma and flavor characteristics of cocoa.

Meanwhile, in other chocolate developments, a team of US scientists claimed they uncovered a set of new chocolate flavor profiles from a collection of ancient Peruvian cacao trees earlier this fall — a discovery that’s expected to cause a stir in the premium chocolate industry.

The 25th annual Food Ingredients Europe trade show is attended by 1,400 exhibitors from 65 countries and wraps up December 1 in Paris.