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As expected, this is pretty misleading. “The food company is using a patented technique to turn the white pulp that covers cocoa beans into a powder that natur

As expected, this is pretty misleading. “The food company is using a patented technique to turn the white pulp that covers cocoa beans into a powder that naturally contains sugar.” They’re not adding any processed sugar, so they can make the “no added sugar” claim. They’re still adding sugar via another method.

Finnucane 7y ago
Yeah, it's unclear from the article what the product is actually going to be composed of. 70% dark chocolate means basically 70% cocao and 30% sugar. Is it still going to be 30% sugar? It might not be cane sugar, but it'll still be sugar.
- pteraspidomorph 7y ago
  That's really not true. Or at least in europe, 70% chocolate contains 70% cocoa solids. The remaining 30% are mostly butter (cocoa butter or another type of fat) and can contain sugar and milk.
  - arcticbull 7y ago
    At least in the US to be called chocolate it has to be cocoa butter. Chocolate is an FDA regulated term. Hershey learned this lesson the hard way a few years back as they tried to change over to vegetable oil, IIRC. [1] Apparently in the UK it must be at least 20% cocoa solids. [1] https://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/09/business/worldbusiness/09iht-chocolate.1.7055816.html https://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/09/business/worldbusiness/09...
  - Finnucane 7y ago
    Generally, manufacturers include the cocao butter in the percentage of cocao solids. And only low-grade chocolates would substitute another kind of fat.
dang 7y ago
Ok, we've changed the title to mostly the subtitle.
pkaye 7y ago
Those who want no added sugar can always get the 100% dark chocolate.
- ineedasername 7y ago
  Basically bakers chocolate. I remember finding some in the pantry as a kid. Hidden candy! Until I took a bite and the bitter crumbly taste of 100% dark hit me.
INTPenis 7y ago
Since it's coming from under the rind of the cocoa bean, wouldn't it be fructose then?
- thatcat 7y ago
  They probably use enzymes to breakdown some cellulose into fructose which is sweeter tasting than glucose or convert glucose to fructose, so they could add less sugar. FTA:"... finding a way to alter the structure of sugar to boost its sweetening power" and then go on to say since it's sweeter they can use 40% less.
p1necone 7y ago
Reminds me of people adding date paste to health foods instead of sugar. Date paste is only sweet because it contains heaps of sugar...
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
dTal 7y ago
"Patented technique" sounds pretty damn processed to me. Just replace "cocoa beans" with "sugar cane" and read it again.
- rolltiide 7y ago
  I mean if just exciting a few electrons turns a molecule into an -ose or -ase polymer, then what do you want to call it? processed sugar has a different colloquial meaning that has nothing to do with whether you found it like that on your farm I think "natural" is the best most relatable term here
  - dTal 7y ago
    Why is it more natural to extract simple sugars from cocoa beans than from sugar cane, beets, corn, or other plants? It sounds exactly the same to me.
Dylan16807 7y ago
> They’re not adding any processed sugar, so they can make the “no added sugar” claim. They’re still adding sugar via another method. This sugar is very much processed. The difference is that they changed the recipe to stop removing this sugar. I wouldn't call it 'added sugar'; it's like using whole milk directly instead of reducing it to 1% milk.
- ineedasername 7y ago
  And I guess from the sound of it the current process is more like reducing to 1% milk and then adding back some fat from another source.
kbenson 7y ago
> They’re not adding any processed sugar, so they can make the “no added sugar” claim. They’re still adding sugar via another method. To me the "no added sugar" pretty clearly encapsulates and is understood to be in-line with what is going on here. The most common place I can think of seeing that phrase in on packaging for fruit juice drinks, and I think it's pretty clearly understood that they still have plenty of sugar, and the only thing it really denotes is whether the product is more "natural" (in a marketing sense).
fitzroy 7y ago
Similar to cured meat with "no added nitrates” but a bunch of added celery powder (which is high in nitrates). https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/the-uncured-bacon-illusion-its-actually-cured-and-its-not-better-for-you/2019/04/19/0c89630c-608c-11e9-9ff2-abc984dc9eec_story.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/the-uncured-ba...

Finnucane 7y ago

Yeah, it's unclear from the article what the product is actually going to be composed of. 70% dark chocolate means basically 70% cocao and 30% sugar. Is it still going to be 30% sugar? It might not be cane sugar, but it'll still be sugar.

pteraspidomorph 7y ago
That's really not true. Or at least in europe, 70% chocolate contains 70% cocoa solids. The remaining 30% are mostly butter (cocoa butter or another type of fat) and can contain sugar and milk.
- arcticbull 7y ago
  At least in the US to be called chocolate it has to be cocoa butter. Chocolate is an FDA regulated term. Hershey learned this lesson the hard way a few years back as they tried to change over to vegetable oil, IIRC. [1] Apparently in the UK it must be at least 20% cocoa solids. [1] https://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/09/business/worldbusiness/09iht-chocolate.1.7055816.html https://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/09/business/worldbusiness/09...
- Finnucane 7y ago
  Generally, manufacturers include the cocao butter in the percentage of cocao solids. And only low-grade chocolates would substitute another kind of fat.

dang 7y ago

Ok, we've changed the title to mostly the subtitle.

pkaye 7y ago

Those who want no added sugar can always get the 100% dark chocolate.

ineedasername 7y ago
Basically bakers chocolate. I remember finding some in the pantry as a kid. Hidden candy! Until I took a bite and the bitter crumbly taste of 100% dark hit me.

INTPenis 7y ago

Since it's coming from under the rind of the cocoa bean, wouldn't it be fructose then?

thatcat 7y ago
They probably use enzymes to breakdown some cellulose into fructose which is sweeter tasting than glucose or convert glucose to fructose, so they could add less sugar. FTA:"... finding a way to alter the structure of sugar to boost its sweetening power" and then go on to say since it's sweeter they can use 40% less.

p1necone 7y ago

Reminds me of people adding date paste to health foods instead of sugar. Date paste is only sweet because it contains heaps of sugar...

deleted 7y ago
[deleted]

dTal 7y ago

"Patented technique" sounds pretty damn processed to me. Just replace "cocoa beans" with "sugar cane" and read it again.

rolltiide 7y ago
I mean if just exciting a few electrons turns a molecule into an -ose or -ase polymer, then what do you want to call it? processed sugar has a different colloquial meaning that has nothing to do with whether you found it like that on your farm I think "natural" is the best most relatable term here
- dTal 7y ago
  Why is it more natural to extract simple sugars from cocoa beans than from sugar cane, beets, corn, or other plants? It sounds exactly the same to me.

Dylan16807 7y ago

> They’re not adding any processed sugar, so they can make the “no added sugar” claim. They’re still adding sugar via another method. This sugar is very much processed. The difference is that they changed the recipe to stop removing this sugar. I wouldn't call it 'added sugar'; it's like using whole milk directly instead of reducing it to 1% milk.

ineedasername 7y ago
And I guess from the sound of it the current process is more like reducing to 1% milk and then adding back some fat from another source.

kbenson 7y ago

> They’re not adding any processed sugar, so they can make the “no added sugar” claim. They’re still adding sugar via another method. To me the "no added sugar" pretty clearly encapsulates and is understood to be in-line with what is going on here. The most common place I can think of seeing that phrase in on packaging for fruit juice drinks, and I think it's pretty clearly understood that they still have plenty of sugar, and the only thing it really denotes is whether the product is more "natural" (in a marketing sense).

fitzroy 7y ago

Similar to cured meat with "no added nitrates” but a bunch of added celery powder (which is high in nitrates). https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/the-uncured-bacon-illusion-its-actually-cured-and-its-not-better-for-you/2019/04/19/0c89630c-608c-11e9-9ff2-abc984dc9eec_story.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/the-uncured-ba...