Researchers from Ghent University in Belgium and the University of Ghana have developed a new technique for making chocolate, offering healthier and more flavourful product.
Using this new method, cacao beans will be roasted at a lower temperature and bean pods left unopened for five days rather than being removed from their pods shortly after being harvested, Gizmag reported.
According to the study published in African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development, this new method would be useful in countries where cacao beans have less natural flavour and antioxidant activity.
In the conventional mode, cacao beans will go through number of steps to bring out the flavour. But at the same time, it kills most of the polyphenols or antioxidants, researchers argued.
The study stated that the polyphenols have a significant health benefit, including reduced risk of heart disease, cancer, and neurological diseases.
It argues that the beans roasted at117° C over 45 minutes retained more polyphenol compared to those roasted with the conventional method.
