Improving functionality of chocolate: A review on probiotic, prebiotic, and/or synbiotic characteristics

Enrichment of White Chocolate with Microencapsulated β-Carotene: Impact on Quality Characteristics and β-Carotene Stability during Storage

This study developed functional white chocolate enriched with free (WC-F) and encapsulated β-carotene using whey protein isolate (WPI) and pullulan (PUL) blends through spray drying (WC-SP), freeze drying (WC-LP), and coaxial electrospinning (WC-EL). The thermal properties, rheological properties, hardness, and color of the chocolates were evaluated, and the stability of β-carotene was monitored over 4 months at 25 °C. No significant differences were found in melting profile temperatures among samples; however, WC-LP and WC-EL exhibited higher melting energies (30.88 J/g and 16.00 J/g) compared to the control (12.42 J/g). WC-F and WC-SP showed rheological behaviors similar to those of the control, while WC-LP and WC-EL displayed altered flow characteristics. Hardness was unaffected in WC-F and WC-SP (7.77 N/mm2 and 9.36 N/mm2), increased slightly in WC-LP (10.28 N/mm2), and decreased significantly in WC-EL (5.89 N/mm2). Over storage, melting point, rheological parameters, and hardness increased slightly, while color parameters decreased. β-carotene degradation followed a first-order reaction model, with degradation rate constants (k) of 0.0066 day-1 for WC-SP, 0.0094 day-1 for WC-LP, and 0.0080 day-1 for WC-EL, compared to 0.0164 day-1 for WC-F. WC-SP provided the best β-carotene retention, extending the half-life period by 2 times compared to WC-F (126.04 days vs. 61.95 days). Practical implications: The findings suggest that WC-SP, with its superior β-carotene stability, is particularly suitable for the development of functional confectionery products with extended shelf life, offering potential benefits in industrial applications where product stability is crucial. Future research directions: Further studies could explore the incorporation of additional bioactive compounds in white chocolate using similar encapsulation methods, as well as consumer acceptance and sensory evaluation of these enriched products.

Dark chocolate: delivery medium for probiotic Bifidobacterium breve NCIM 5671

Bifidobacteria are widely acclaimed probiotic bacteria, however, the fragile nature of the bacteria has rendered its delivery through food products a challenge. The aim of the present study was to develop probiotic dark chocolate by incorporating Bifidobacterium breve NCIM5671. The probiotic chocolate was prepared by adding B. breve to dark chocolate at the final tempering stage. The chocolate was evaluated for the viability of B. breve upon preparation and during storage period of 90 days. The effect of addition of B. breve on physiological parameters of chocolate such as color, texture, rheology, melting profile, and sensory profile was also determined. The probiotic chocolate developed retained viability of B. breve (9 log CFU/g) for a period of 90 days. No significant differences were observed in physiological parameters of probiotic chocolate compared to control chocolate. Overall the probiotic dark chocolate was found to be a suitable matrix for delivery of B. breve NCIM5671.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13197-024-05958-6.

What are the main obstacles to turning foods healthier through probiotics incorporation? a review of functionalization of foods by probiotics and bioactive metabolites

Functional foods are gaining significant attention from people all over the world. When added to foods, probiotic bacteria can turn them healthier and confer beneficial health effects, such as improving the immune system and preventing cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. However, adding probiotics to foods is a challenging task. The processing steps often involve high temperatures, and intrinsic food factors, such as pH, water activity, dissolved oxygen, post-acidification, packaging, and cold storage temperatures, can stress the probiotic strain and impact its viability. Moreover, it is crucial to consider these factors during food product development to ensure the effectiveness of the probiotic strain. Among others, techniques such as microencapsulation and lyophilization, have been highlighted as industrial food functionalization strategies. In this review, we present and discuss alternatives that may be used to functionalize foods by incorporating probiotics and/or delivering bioactive compounds produced by probiotics. We also emphasize the main challenges in different food products and the technological characteristics influencing them. The knowledge available here may contribute to overcoming the practical obstacles to food functionalization with probiotics.

Food Technology forecasting: A based bibliometric update in functional chocolates

Technology forecasting (TF) based on bibliometric tools allows knowing the technological trends of developed topics based on experience and current knowledge, thus anticipating future changes. To reduce hunger and improve nutrition, the food-based topic is of central concern, especially functional food. Among these, various studies on chocolates have been performed. On a global scale, these products are at the level of patents, with China leading it, vastly outperforming the cocoa-producing countries. Though no known functional chocolates are sold under that specific name, chocolates on the market serve as "carriers" of bioactive compounds. Unfortunately, they cannot be attributed to health properties since these properties have to be evaluated with in vitro, in vivo, and clinical studies. Launching functional chocolate on the market is possible; however, it would be a long-term process involving previous stages such as studying its ingredients' bioactive properties, laboratory-level product development, functional properties, and quality and acceptance parameters. For research purposes, it is possible to speak of functional chocolates, potentially functional chocolates, or chocolates enriched with bioactive compounds since the development of research does not necessarily involve launching the product on the market.

Conching process time, sauco by-product concentration, and sacha inchi oil levels identification for the enrichment of dark chocolate

Chocolate is a widely consumed product with high levels of polyphenols; unfortunately, it is reduced during the process. Adding other components allows for counteracting the polyphenols lost during chocolate processing and reducing the content of unsaturated fatty acids, affecting its physical properties. This study identified the conching time, concentration of sauco by-products, and levels of sacha inchi oil to produce enriched dark chocolates. For this study, sauco by-products in percentages of 2, 6 and 10%, sacha inchi oil in levels of 1, 3, and 5%, and three conching times of 16, 20, and 24 h were added to 75% dark chocolates, and the process conditions were optimized through the response surface methodology (RSM). The physicochemical properties of the dark chocolates were studied, observing that the sauco by-product, sacha inchi oil, and conching time significantly affected (p < 0.05) the variables of antioxidant activity, total phenol content, rheology, hardness, and particle size. The R2 correlation of the factors declared against the variables indicated the model's reliability as it was close to 1. The results suggest that incorporating sauco by-products allows for obtaining chocolates with good chemical properties; however, high percentages of sacha inchi oil and shorter conching time cause a negative effect on the chocolate affecting the physical properties.

Authentication of Cocoa Products Based on Profiling and Fingerprinting Approaches: Assessment of Geographical, Varietal, Agricultural and Processing Features

Cocoa and its derivative products, especially chocolate, are highly appreciated by consumers for their exceptional organoleptic qualities, thus being often considered delicacies. They are also regarded as superfoods due to their nutritional and health properties. Cocoa is susceptible to adulteration to obtain illicit economic benefits, so strategies capable of authenticating its attributes are needed. Features such as cocoa variety, origin, fair trade, and organic production are increasingly important in our society, so they need to be guaranteed. Most of the methods dealing with food authentication rely on profiling and fingerprinting approaches. The compositional profiles of natural components -such as polyphenols, biogenic amines, amino acids, volatile organic compounds, and fatty acids- are the source of information to address these issues. As for fingerprinting, analytical techniques, such as chromatography, infrared, Raman, and mass spectrometry, generate rich fingerprints containing dozens of features to be used for discrimination purposes. In the two cases, the data generated are complex, so chemometric methods are usually applied to extract the underlying information. In this review, we present the state of the art of cocoa and chocolate authentication, highlighting the pros and cons of the different approaches. Besides, the relevance of the proposed methods in quality control and the novel trends for sample analysis are also discussed.

Physical, functional and sensory properties of bitter chocolates with incorporation of high nutritional value flours

Due to the growing demand for healthy food products, the industry is seeking to incorporate inputs with high nutritional potential to traditional products. The objective of this research was to evaluate the effect of incorporating Lepidium meyenii, Chenopodium pallidicaule, Amaranthus caudatus, Sesamum indicum and Salvia hispanica flours on the physical, chemical, rheological, textural and thermal characteristics, and the degree of sensory acceptance of dark chocolate bars (65% cocoa). To this end, chocolate bars were made with the incorporation of five flours in four doses (1, 2, 3 and 4%), obtaining 20 different formulations compared with a control treatment (without flour addition). It was found that as flour incorporation levels increased, viscosity, antioxidants and particle size of the chocolates increased, but hardness and pH decreased. The addition of the flours also affected the acceptability and microstructure of the chocolate bars. The incorporation of up to 4% of the flours studied improved the degree of acceptance of the chocolates. Consequently, the incorporation of grain flours with high nutritional value can enhance the characteristics of dark chocolates, becoming a technological alternative for the chocolate industry.

Functional Microbes and Their Incorporation into Foods and Food Supplements: Probiotics and Postbiotics

Life expectancy has dramatically increased over the past 200 years, but modern life factors such as environmental exposure, antibiotic overuse, C-section deliveries, limited breast-feeding, and diets poor in fibers and microbes could be associated with the rise of noncommunicable diseases such as overweight, obesity, diabetes, food allergies, and colorectal cancer as well as other conditions such as mental disorders. Microbial interventions that range from transplanting a whole undefined microbial community from a healthy gut to an ill one, e.g., so-called fecal microbiota transplantation or vaginal seeding, to the administration of selected well-characterized microbes, either live (probiotics) or not (postbiotics), with efficacy demonstrated in clinical trials, may be effective tools to treat or prevent acute and chronic diseases that humans still face, enhancing the quality of life.

Sugar-Free Dark Chocolate Consumption Results in Lower Blood Glucose in Adults With Diabetes

Diabetes is characterized by an impaired ability to appropriately control blood glucose. Postprandial hyperglycemia, in particular, is associated with complications in people with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and type 2 diabetes (T2D). The objective of this study was to determine how sugar-free dark chocolate sweetened with stevia, erythritol, and inulin impacts postprandial blood glucose levels in individuals with diabetes compared to conventional dark chocolate. In a randomized crossover design, 13 participants consumed 1 bar (34 g) of sugar-free dark chocolate or 1 bar (34 g) of conventional dark chocolate with glucose levels measured before and throughout a 120-min postprandial period. The incremental area under the curve (iAUC) was lower after the consumption of sugar-free dark chocolate (−65%, P = .04) compared to conventional dark chocolate. No significant differences between chocolates were found for peak glucose value above baseline, the total area under the curve, or peak glucose values. Our results suggest that a sugar-free dark chocolate bar sweetened with stevia, erythritol and inulin led to a lower blood glucose iAUC compared to the conventional dark chocolate bar in people with diabetes, whilst longer-term effects on glucose control remain to be determined.

Strategies to improve the survival of probiotic Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus R0011 during the production and storage of granola bars

The goal of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of two approaches to protect the viability of probiotic cells during granola bar manufacturing and storage: microencapsulation (ME) and inclusion in chocolate chips. In the process used, hot honey (138 °C) was blended with cereal ingredients, resulting in an initial blend temperature of 52 °C. Chocolate chips carrying probiotics were added; however, when the blend was cooled to 42 °C. The viability of Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus R0011 probiotic was assessed by flow cytometry (FC) and plating (CFU). There was an uneven distribution of inoculated probiotic bacteria throughout the cereal bars, resulting in variability in the CFU data. By providing total and viable counts, FC assessed the correct number of inoculated cells in the sample, which enabled the accurate calculation of survival levels. Spray coating with ME increased survival during manufacturing, but ME in alginate particles was detrimental. Including the cultures in chocolate improved the stability of the probiotics during storage at 25 °C, but only in the first 4 weeks. FC analyses showed that viability losses during bar manufacturing could be linked to damage to the cell membrane, but less so during storage.

Immune status, well-being and gut microbiota in military supplemented with synbiotic ice cream and submitted to field training: a randomised clinical trial

Strenuous physical activity, sleep deprivation and psychological stress are common features of military field training. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of supplementation with a synbiotic ice cream on salivary IgA, gastrointestinal symptoms, well-being indicators and gut microbiota in young military participants undergoing field training. Sixty-five military completed the study: one group was supplemented for 30 d with synbiotic ice cream containing: 2·1 × 108 CFU/g for Lactobacillus acidophilus LA-5 and 2·7 × 109 CFU/g for Bifidobacterium animalis BB-12 and 2·3 g of inulin in the 60 g of ice cream at manufacture, and the other with a placebo ice cream. Volunteers were evaluated at pre-supplementation (baseline), post-supplementation and after a 5-d military training. Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus genera were measured in stool samples and both showed a higher differential abundance post-supplementation and training. Salivary IgA and gastrointestinal symptoms decreased at post-training in both groups (P < 0·05; main effect of time); however, supplementation with synbiotic did not mitigate this effect. Tenseness and sleepiness were decreased in the synbiotic-treated group, but not in the placebo group at post-military training (P = 0·01 and 0·009, respectively; group × time effect). The other well-being indicators were not affected by the synbiotic supplementation. In conclusion, 30 d of synbiotic ice cream supplementation containing inulin, L. acidophilus LA-5 and B. animalis BB-12 favourably modulated gut microbiota and improved tenseness and sleepiness in healthy young military undergoing a 5-d field training. These improvements may be relevant to this population as they may influence the decision-making process in an environment of high physical and psychological stress.

Cocoa-laden cadmium threatens human health and cacao economy: A critical view

In the recent decades, Cd burden in cocoa-based products threatened global food safety, human health and the future of chocolateries. Increased Cd bioavailability is an acute problem in cacao-based horticulture. Poverty, poor maintenance, unjustified traditional farming, and paucity of knowledge on Cd-binding propensity in cacao discourage the application of risk-mitigation measures. Progressive accumulation of Cd, with a half-life of 10-30 years, in the human body even at ultra-trace levels may lead to serious health complications. If Cd accumulates in the food chain through cocoa products, consequences in children, who are the primary consumers of chocolates, include morbidity and mortality that may result in a significant demographic transition by the year 2050. Developing cacao clones with an innate capability of taking up low Cd levels from soils, and site-specific Cd-cacao research might contribute to limiting the trophic transfer of Cd. This review highlights the possible routes for Cd uptake in cacao plants and discusses the measures to rescue the chocolateries from Cd pollution to promote "healthy" cacao farming. The potential human health risks of chocolate-laden Cd and mitigation strategies to minimize Cd burden in the human body are also presented. The challenges and prospects in Cd-cacao research are discussed as well.

Dark chocolate as a stable carrier of microencapsulated Akkermansia muciniphila and Lactobacillus casei

The viability of probiotics is affected by several factors during manufacturing, storage and gastrointestinal tract passage. Protecting the probiotics from harmful conditions is particularly critical for oxygen sensitive species like Akkermansia muciniphila, a bacterium which recently has been proposed as a next-generation probiotic candidate. Previously, we have developed a protocol for microencapsulating A. muciniphila in a xanthan/gellan gum matrix. Here, we report the enhanced survival during storage and in vitro gastric passage of microencapsulated A. muciniphila embedded in dark chocolate. Lactobacillus casei, as a representative species of traditional probiotics, was included in order to compare its behavior with that of A. muciniphila. For A. muciniphila we observed a 0.63 and 0.87 log CFU g-1 reduction during 60 days storage at 4°C or 15°C, respectively. The viability of L. casei remained stable during the same period. During simulated gastric transit (pH 3), microencapsulated A. muciniphila embedded in chocolate showed 1.80 log CFU mL-1 better survival than naked cells, while for L. casei survival was improved with 0.8 log CFU mL-1. In a hedonic sensory test, dark chocolate containing microcapsules were not significantly different from two commercially available chocolates. The developed protocol constitutes a promising approach for A. muciniphila dosage.

Low-moisture food matrices as probiotic carriers

To exert a beneficial effect on the host, adequate doses of probiotics must be administered and maintaining their viability until consumption is thus essential. Dehydrated probiotics exhibit enhanced long-term viability and can be incorporated into low-moisture food matrices, which also possess high stability at refrigeration and ambient temperature. However, several factors associated with the desiccation process, the physicochemical properties of the matrix and the storage conditions can affect probiotic survival. In the near future, an increased demand for probiotics based on functionally dominant members of the gut microbiome ('next-generation probiotics', NGP) is expected. NGPs are very sensitive to oxygen and efficient encapsulation protocols are needed. Strategies to improve the viability of traditional probiotics and particularly of NGPs involve the selection of a suitable carrier as well as proper desiccation and protection techniques. Dehydrated probiotic microcapsules may constitute an alternative to improve the microbial viability during not only storage but also upper gastrointestinal tract passage. Here we review the main dehydration techniques that are applied in the industry as well as the potential stresses associated with the desiccation process and storage. Finally, low- or intermediate-moisture food matrices suitable as carriers of traditional as well as NGPs will be discussed.

SYNBIOTIC ADDITIVES IN THE WAFFLES TECHNOLOGY

The problems considered in the paper are the incidence of dysbiosis in the Ukrainian people, the reasons for it, and the methods of improving the diet of those suffering from microfloral disorders. Useful properties and effects of the microorganisms Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus, and of inulin and lactulose have been studied as well as the ways in which they help to restore a person’s normobiocoenosis. After a research in vitro, with the conditions imitating the human gastrointestinal tract, the survival rate of encapsulated cells of bifidobacteria and lactobacilli in an unfavourable environment has been determined. It has been grounded how necessary microencapsulated forms of microorganisms are in the production of confectionery – firstly, to ‘protect’ them against physiological and technological factors, and secondly, to help them reach the lower regions of the small intestine where their capsules are destroyed and the bacteria are released. The reasons have been given why fatty filling for waffles, as an object to be enriched with useful ingredients, should be preferred when developing healthy and wholesome confectionery. It has been shown how promising probiotics and prebiotics are if used in confectionery technology. The two synbiotic complexes SC 1 and SC 2 have been developed, and such parameters have been determined as the optimum weight fractions of inulin and lactulose in the formulation of the filling, and the number of probiotic microorganisms. It has been established that lactulose can reduce sugar in the formulation of the filling, and using inulin results in replacement of an equivalent amount of fat. To prove how practical it is to add synbiotics to waffles, and to determine the product’s consumer appeal, a tasting assessment of the new types of waffle products has been made. It has been proved that adding synbiotic complexes to the formulations of waffles will result in the consistent high quality of the products, and in their better sensory characteristics. Besides, it can contribute to making the people of Ukraine healthier and fitter for work.

Probiotic Properties of Lactobacillus Plantarum LRCC5193, a Plant-Origin Lactic Acid Bacterium Isolated from Kimchi and Its Use in Chocolates

This study involves an investigation of the probiotic properties of lactic acid bacteria isolated from Kimchi, and their potential applications in chocolate. Lactobacillus plantarum-LRCC5193 (LP-LRCC5193) demonstrated a significantly higher degree of heat, acid, and bile acid tolerance compared to other Kimchi isolates. The intestinal adhesion assay also revealed that 84.2 log percentage of LP-LRCC5193 adhered to the Caco-2 cells after 2 h of incubation. Furthermore, the lyophilized LP-LRCC5193 maintained 92.9 log percentage and 97.2 log percentage survival rate within artificial stomach juice (pH 2.5, pepsin 0.04%) and artificial intestinal juice (oxgall 0.5%, trypsin 0.04%, and pancreatin 0.04%), respectively. Meanwhile, we also found that lyophilized LP-LRCC5193 incorporated in chocolate exhibited significantly higher survivability than lyophilized LP-LRCC5193 in both artificial gastric and intestinal juice under 1 to 3 hr incubation, where the survivability was within the range of 96.3 to 98.5 log percentage, and 98.8 to 98.9 log percentage, respectively. A 6-month storage test further revealed that LP-LRCC5193 demonstrated higher stability than the lyophilized LP-LRCC5103 in 3 different temperature ranges, where the final survival rates were 97.2 log percentage (20 °C), 89.2 log percentage (33 °C), and 94.4 log percentage (15 to 30 °C/wk). Altogether, our data suggest that chocolate can be used as a tasty delivery vehicle for delivering putative probiotic strain, LP-LRCC5193 to the gastrointestinal tract. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Lactobacillus plantarum LRCC5193 (LP-LRCC5193) isolated from Kimchi demonstrated high stability under gastrointestinal environmental stresses and good adhesion to the intestinal epithelial cells in vitro. In addition, LP-LRCC5193 containing chocolates remained highly stable after storage at room temperature for 6 months. Chocolate containing LP-LRCC5193 can thus be considered a promising probiotic delivery system.

Synbiotics for Improved Human Health: Recent Developments, Challenges, and Opportunities

Research on combining pro- and prebiotics as synbiotics to enhance human and animal health has accelerated in the past 10 years, including many clinical trials that have assessed a diverse range of synbiotic formulations. In this review, we summarize these studies as well as the commercial applications of synbiotics that are available. In particular, we critically assess the claimed health benefits of synbiotic applications and the ecological and therapeutic factors to consider when designing synbiotics and discuss the implications of these concepts for future research in this field.

Cacao biotechnology: current status and future prospects

Theobroma cacao-The Food of the Gods, provides the raw material for the multibillion dollar chocolate industry and is also the main source of income for about 6 million smallholders around the world. Additionally, cocoa beans have a number of other nonfood uses in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. Specifically, the potential health benefits of cocoa have received increasing attention as it is rich in polyphenols, particularly flavonoids. At present, the demand for cocoa and cocoa-based products in Asia is growing particularly rapidly and chocolate manufacturers are increasing investment in this region. However, in many Asian countries, cocoa production is hampered due to many reasons including technological, political and socio-economic issues. This review provides an overview of the present status of global cocoa production and recent advances in biotechnological applications for cacao improvement, with special emphasis on genetics/genomics, in vitro embryogenesis and genetic transformation. In addition, in order to obtain an insight into the latest innovations in the commercial sector, a survey was conducted on granted patents relating to T. cacao biotechnology.

INVESTIGATION OF CHANGES OF STRUCTURAL-MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF FATTY FILLING FOR SYNBIOTIC WAFERS

There was grounded the choice of functional ingredients for creating the synbiotic complex, consisted of immobilized bifidobacteria and inulin. There was demonstrated the necessity to realize the process of immobilization for “defending” bifidobacteria cells from the effect of unfavorable factors. There was determined the number of microorganisms’ cells and mass share of inulin for introducing in the recipe of a fatty filling. There was studied the influence of synbiotics on structural-mechanical properties of a fatty filling for wafers. The limit speed, that the high-quality filling can be received at, was established, according to experimental data. It was studied, that the decrease of the fat quantity in the mass and simultaneous increase of the solid phase leads to the increase of the filling firmness that allows to shorten of the process of wafer layers cooling. There was grounded the expedience of using the synbiotic complex in the technology of wafers fatty filling that allows to receive new wafer types of the functional directionality.