What are the beneficial properties of chocolate?
Chocolate has several beneficial properties, says Yulia Butyrina, associate professor at the Department of Marketing at Synergy University. The healthiest dark chocolate is one that has at least 70% cocoa content. “This product is rich in antioxidants that protect the body from inflammation. Moderate consumption of dark chocolate (about 20-30 grams or 1-2 pieces a day) is good for the heart, reduces blood pressure and has a beneficial effect about operation”. of the blood vessels,” highlighted the expert.
Dietitian and nutritionist Larisa Gabdulkhakova has a similar opinion. “Real chocolate really lifts your mood and helps combat stress; cocoa produces this effect,” she emphasized.
However, don’t forget that chocolate is high in calories and sugar. Too large an amount of this delicacy can cause excessive weight gain, dental problems and increased blood sugar levels, experts recalled.
How to choose the right chocolate?
First of all, you should read the label carefully. “The composition should contain cocoa beans, cocoa butter, milk powder and sugar. Do not be afraid of additives such as emulsifier soy lecithin, vanillin, etc. The higher the percentage of cocoa, the richer and more bitter the taste will be “The higher the fat content, the more delicate and mild the taste, but too much fat makes the product melt quickly,” Nikolai Jomenets, associate professor at the department of agricultural engineering at RUDN, explained in an article. conversation with RG.
Chocolate should be chosen first of all according to the composition indicated on the label, Butyrina agrees. He highlighted that the order of ingredients in the composition is directly related to their quantity in the product. “The main component of good chocolate is cocoa and cocoa butter. In high-quality chocolate, this ingredient should always appear first in the composition, followed by milk, sugar and fillers (nuts, fruits etc.), Butyrina said. .
When choosing chocolate, it is also necessary to pay attention to the presence of sugar and its location in the composition, clarified dietician-nutritionist Gabdulkhakova in a conversation with RG. If sugar comes first, this chocolate is low quality.
“Of course, if you follow the principles of proper nutrition, it is better to choose unsweetened chocolate. If you do not give up sugar, it is advisable that it does not occupy the first or second place in the composition; after all, the further away an ingredient is in the composition, the smaller their amount will be in the product. In addition, it is not recommended to give preference to chocolate containing dyes, especially if it is chocolate for a child, such an ingredient can cause allergies,” Gabdulkhakova recalled.
He also highlighted that milk chocolate contains much less cocoa, making this chocolate useless. Chocolate containing wheat, wheat balls or rice balls also does not provide any benefit. But if the chocolate contains seeds or nuts, this, on the contrary, improves the nutritional component of the product, and that type of chocolate is welcome, says the nutritionist.
What shouldn’t be in chocolate?
According to experts, good chocolate should not contain artificial colors or flavours, GMOs, preservatives (sorbates and benzoates), thickeners or vegetable fats in place of the declared cocoa butter. The packaging should be clean and of high quality, with information about the manufacturer and the expiration date.
As for the chocolate bar itself, its color must be uniform, its shape must be correct and it must give off its characteristic aroma. “It shouldn’t have a white coating,” Butyrina noted.
Also visually the chocolate should be smooth and shiny, without lumps or cracks. “If you notice a dull color, this can often indicate a low quality of the product. Don’t forget about the expiration date. Beyond that, the chocolate loses its original flavor,” Jomenets added.
What are the attributes of bad chocolate taste and consistency?
In most cases, a white coating can be seen on low-quality chocolate, say the experts interviewed by RG. This means it was packaged incorrectly or stored at high temperatures.
The second major problem is the bitter taste, which indicates inadequate production or too much cocoa powder. A bitter taste may be due to the use of low-quality cocoa powder or a violation of storage conditions.
Another sign of low-quality chocolate is that it crumbles easily and has an oily consistency. “Factors like these indicate poor mixing during chocolate production and possible overheating,” says Homenetz.
“High-quality chocolate cannot be cheap, because it must be made from high-quality ingredients. If a chocolate bar costs 30 rubles, most likely its composition contains a minimum amount of cocoa and cocoa butter,” he says. nutritionist Gabdulkhakova.
The most obvious way to determine the quality of chocolate, he continues, is to eat it. High-quality chocolate has a dry crunch when broken. A piece of this delicacy easily melts in the mouth, because the melting point of cocoa butter is 32 degrees, just below the normal temperature of the human body. “A sweet confectionery bar will be too hard, you will literally have to chew it. At the same time, an oily aftertaste will remain in your mouth, and low-quality chocolate will melt in your hands,” he explained.
What is the shelf life of chocolate?
Normally you can find 6 or 12 months on the package. “The shelf life of chocolate depends on many factors: temperature, humidity, composition of the chocolate, the inclusion of dried apricots, raisins and nuts. It should be noted that if opened at room temperature, the shelf life can be reduced to several weeks” , explains expert Butyrina.
Jomenets, for his part, recalled that the higher the percentage of cocoa in chocolate, the longer its shelf life. For example, dark chocolate can be stored for up to 1 year and milk chocolate for up to 6 months.
Is it possible to eat expired chocolate?
“As many preservatives are now used in the production of chocolate, its shelf life can be much longer. But manufacturers still write expiration dates on their products with a small margin,” expert Butyrina told RG. She believes that there is nothing wrong with eating a slightly expired chocolate bar if it is black or milk, as long as it visually retains its normal appearance and does not contain atypical chocolate elements (plates, bugs).
However, Butyrina highlighted that there is one type of chocolate that should definitely not be consumed if its expiration date has expired. We are talking about white chocolate. If such a delicacy has expired, it should not be eaten due to the low percentage of cocoa in it and the high content of powdered milk mixtures.
For her part, expert Gabdulkhakova believes that it is better not to buy expired chocolate. “The expiration date is not determined for a reason,” she noted. Consuming expired chocolate can cause health problems, warns a nutritionist.
