Production and Quality Evaluation of Spiced Dark Chocolate Bars

Abstract

The quality of chocolate incorporated with different spices was assessed. Chocolate was produced from cocoa beans and incorporated with different spices (ginger, garlic, turmeric and cinnamon) while plain chocolate sample serves as control using standard processing methods. The chocolate samples was analysed for their proximate composition, vitamin A, vitamin C, phytochemicals, polyphenols, free fatty acid and sensory qualities. The result of the analysis showed that there was significant difference (P<0.05) among the samples in all the parameters evaluated. The results obtained in this research work showed that incorporation of different spices into chocolate samples increased significantly the protein, fibre, ash and dry matter content of the samples while the fat, moisture and carbohydrate contents decreased. The vitamins A and C, epicathechin, cathechin, total polyphenol, total flavonoid and free fatty acid contents of the chocolate samples increased significantly (P<0.05) as a result of incorporation of different spices. In terms of sensory attributes, there was significant difference (P<0.05) among the samples in terms of mouth feel, colour, taste and aroma while there was no difference among the samples (P<0.05) in terms of texture and overall acceptability. In general, all chocolate samples were judged acceptable by the panelist since all have mean score above 5 which is the minimum acceptable score on a 9-point hedonic scale. Chocolate samples incorporated with cinnamon followed by those with ginger had the highest nutrient content and were rated high in terms of sensory quality based on the findings of this study and could therefore be recommended for consumption. Functional chocolate with improved nutritional and sensory attributes could be produced with incorporation of the different spices used in this study for potential health benefits.