Chocolate is a great indulgent treat that many of us enjoy often. Many of us have a sweet tooth but with the growing health concerns such as diabetes and obesity means there is a need to control the amount of sugar in our diets. Confectionery companies have recognised this and developed collections of chocolates that incorporate sugar alternatives into their recipes. A popular alternative being used is stevia, its natural origin and intense sweetness means it has been used to replace sugar or reduce sugar in original recipes.

The challenge for the confectioners when replacing sugar in their recipes is whether the same desired sweetness as normal sugar can be achieved and whether the overall flavour of the product has been maintained by changing this ingredient.

When creating these new ranges of chocolates, changes to the recipe or matrix can lead to changes in the desired taste and flavours. Sensory panels are then required to determine how the flavours of the chocolate has changed from the original flavour standard. Sensory panels are expensive, and time-consuming therefore a rapid analytical approach to determine flavour changes would be beneficial. Our FlavourSpec system provides the solution.