Belgian chocolate is renowned worldwide for its quality. Belgium is home to some of the largest chocolate producers in the world. Quality starts with the quality of the raw materials: cocoa butter, cocoa mass, sugar and, if desired, milk powder. In addition, two process steps in particular, rolling and conching, determine the taste, aroma and texture.

Ghent University is home to the Food Structure & Function Research Group (Faculty of Bioengineering Sciences), which focuses on food design at the mesoscopic scale. The main product groups that interest them are dairy products, margarines and baking fats, and chocolate and confectionery. This group also gave rise to the spin-off Cacaolab, an infrastructure that is fully dedicated to innovation and training, from bean to praline.

Many of Cacaolab's customers are ingredient suppliers. ‘They know everything about their ingredients, but often have insufficient knowledge of chocolate,’ says general manager Claudia Delbaere. ‘We advise them on how new ingredients can be used in chocolate (products) and what adjustments are needed in the process to ensure good product quality.’ The lab also has a small-scale production facility for chocolate and fillings. ‘Analyses reveal how the ingredients affect the semi-finished products and the end product. A trained panel assesses the quality and taste.’

Trends in chocolate that suppliers are responding to include more fibre, more protein, more cocoa (fruit) and vegan. That is not easy. ‘The challenge is always to maintain the good taste and workability of the chocolate,’ emphasises Delbaere. Fibre can easily replace 30-40% of the sugar in chocolate without compromising the taste too much, while the chocolate usually remains easy to work with. Protein enrichment, previously used in chocolate spreads, protein bars and coatings, not only affects the taste of the products, but also the mouthfeel and workability. In addition, the cocoa pulp surrounding the cocoa beans is increasingly being processed into chocolate. ‘The white pulp is rich in natural sugars,’ explains Delbaere. ‘In vegan chocolate, milk powder can be replaced by rice milk powder, for example, but this also affects the taste and workability.’