Bogumiła Urbańska

Czekolada to najczęściej spożywany wyrób cukierniczy, ceniony za swój niepowtarzalny smak, a także za korzystny, prozdrowotny wpływ na organizm człowieka. Zwiększenie walorów zdrowotnych czekolady poprzez zastąpienie sacharozy miodem w proszku było przedmiotem niniejszych badań. Przygotowano pięć wariantów mas czekoladowych, w których sacharoza została częściowo lub całkowicie zastąpiona proszkiem miodowo-mlecznym. Masy czekoladowe poddano ocenie organoleptycznej pod względem dziewięciu wyróżników, stosując skalę pięciopunktową. Modyfikacja składu surowcowego w kierunku ograniczenia lub wyeliminowania sacharozy ze składu czekolad i zastąpienia jej miodem w proszku wydaje się być obiecująca. Najwyższą ogólną ocenę uzyskały masy, w których sacharoza została całkowicie zastąpiona proszkiem miodowo-mlecznym. Wyniki wskazują na potrzebę dalszych badań w kierunku modyfikacji receptury.

The content of polyphenols in chocolate depends on many factors related to the properties of raw material and manufacturing parameters. The trend toward developing chocolates made from unroasted cocoa beans encourages research in this area. In addition, modern customers attach great importance to how the food they consume benefits their bodies. One such benefit that consumers value is the preservation of natural antioxidant compounds in food products (e.g., polyphenols). Therefore, in our study we attempted to determine the relationship between variable parameters at the conching stage (i.e., temperature and time of) and the content of dominant polyphenols (i.e.,catechins, epicatechins, and procyanidin B2) in chocolate milk mass (CMM) obtained from unroasted cocoa beans. Increasing the conching temperature from 50 to 60 °C decreased the content of three basic flavan-3-ols. The highest number of these compounds was determined when the process was carried out at 50 °C. However, the time that caused the least degradation of these compounds differed. For catechin, it was 2 h; for epicatechin it was 1 h; and for procyanidin it was 3 h. The influence of both the temperature and conching time on the rheological properties of chocolate milk mass was demonstrated. At 50 °C, the viscosity and the yield stress of the conched mass showed its highest value.

The aim of the study was to analyze the antioxidant character of conched chocolate milk masses, taking into account different protein content in milk. For the study, cocoa liquor obtained from roasted and unroasted cocoa beans from different regions, as well as milk powder obtained by spray and cylindrical drying were used. The analysis that was carried out showed that the protein content of powdered milk products ranged from about 11.6% (w/w) to over 31% (w/w). Lower content of polyphenols and lower antioxidant activity were shown in the masses to which the addition of milk with higher protein content was applied. The analysis of antioxidant character of chocolate milk masses showed higher total polyphenols content in masses prepared from unroasted cocoa beans liquor.

The polyphenol content of cocoa beans and the products derived from them, depend on the regions in which they are grown and the processes to which they are subjected, especially temperature. The aim of the study was to compare the total content of polyphenols and antioxidant activity of chocolates obtained from roasted and unroasted cocoa beans. The chocolates produced from each of the six types of unroasted beans and each of the five types of roasted beans were investigated. The seeds came from Ghana, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, Colombia and Ecuador. The highest total polyphenol content was determined in cocoa beans originating from Colombia and in the chocolates obtained from them. A higher content of total polyphenols was found in unroasted cocoa beans, which indicates the influence this process had on the studied size. The ability to scavenge free DPPH radicals was at a high level in both the beans and the chocolates produced from them, irrespective of the region where the raw material was grown. A positive correlation between the total polyphenol content and the ability to scavenge free radicals was found.