Good news for chocolate lovers-scientists may have discovered a way to make sweets healthier.
Drinking dark chocolate in moderation has long been praised for its antioxidant properties, but not everyone can start with its rich bitterness.
A research team from the American Chemical Society (ACS) found that adding peanut flour skin to milk chocolate can make indulgences more antioxidants than dark varieties without compromising its creamy or light texture.
When given to a group of taste testers, more than half even preferred the peanut-skinned milk chocolate than those bought in stores today.
First author Dr. Lisa Dean said: “The idea of ​​the project started with testing the biological activity of different types of agricultural waste, especially peanut skins.”
“Our initial goal was to extract phenols (a class of chemicals with antioxidant properties) from the skin and find a way to mix them with food.”
When peanuts are roasted into nut butter or confectionery, their red paper crust is discarded, resulting in thousands of tons of waste every year.
This leaves lignin and cellulose (two substances in plant cell walls), which increase the roughage content of animal feed.
The resulting powder is then mixed with maltodextrin (a common food additive) to make it easier to incorporate into milk chocolate.
Dr. Dean said: “Phenolic resin is very bitter, so we have to find some way to alleviate this feeling.”
When used by taste testers, the team found that it could detect concentrations of more than 0.9%, which affected the flavor or texture.
The results presented at the ACS 2020 virtual conference and exhibition show that more than half of the taste testers even prefer 0.8% phenol milk chocolate than the ordinary variety, and the antioxidant activity of this sample is higher than that of most dark chocolates.
People who choose dark chocolate for health benefits may also notice that dark chocolate is more expensive than milk varieties due to its higher cocoa content.
Scientists believe that adding peanut skin to milk chocolate can improve health at the same cost.
They acknowledge the risk of allergies, but any chocolate rich in peanuts must be labeled as containing common allergens.
To alleviate this concern, scientists plan to test coffee grounds and other waste in a similar way.
They hope to also find out whether the antioxidants in peanut skins can extend the shelf life of nut butters, which will rot quickly due to their high fat content.
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