Health-conscious chocoholics are rejoicing about news that scientists have developed a chocolate bar using fruit juice instead of fat.
University of Warwick chemists in the UK removed cocoa butter and milk fats from a traditional chocolate recipe and substituted them with tiny droplets of orange and cranberry juice.
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And they claim their manufacturing technique allows the chocolate to retain the perfect "mouthfeel".
"Everyone loves chocolate — but unfortunately we all know that many chocolate bars are high in fat," lead author Dr Stefan Bon said in a media release.
"However it's the fat that gives chocolate all the indulgent sensations that people crave — the silky smooth texture and the way it melts in the mouth but still has a 'snap' to it when you break it with your hand. We've found a way to maintain all of those things that make chocolate 'chocolatey' but with fruit juice instead of fat."
In this version, up to 50 per cent of the chocolate's fat content is replaced with fruit juice.
"Our study is just the starting point to healthier chocolate — we've established the chemistry behind this new technique but now we're hoping the food industry will take our method to make tasty, lower-fat chocolate bars," Dr Bon said.
They admit that the healthier alternative does have a fruity flavour however they said vitamin C and water could be used instead of juice to maintain a chocolately flavour.
The study was published in the Journal of Materials Chemistry.
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