Barry Callebaut Eyes the Beauty of Cocoa Flavanols
The study, which was conducted by BIO-EC in France saw approximately 30 consumers take an ACTICOA supplement with 300mg of cocoa flavanols for 4 weeks. A significant improvement in skin hydration and water loss reduction was reported.
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW 02/10/08 Leading industrial chocolate supplier Barry Callebaut is assessing the skin and heart health benefits of its high antioxidant ACTICOA cocoa and chocolate products. FoodIngredientsFirst.com has learned that two significant studies to be revealed at Health Ingredients Europe (HiE) in November will add further weight to an array of health benefits already being addressed through the product. Meanwhile a food supplement containing 300mg of the ACTICOA flavanols per piece will be launched on the French market next Spring. Whether the product will be marketed on a cognitive health, skin health, heart health or mere antioxidant platform is still unclear.
Barry Callebaut promotes its ACTICOA process as preserving large amounts of the polyphenols naturally present in cocoa beans. These cocoa polyphenols are powerful antioxidants that help to protect against the negative effect of free radicals. Scientific studies have shown that these components can help you maintaining a healthy mind and body.
“Skin and heart health are two areas that we are looking into with great detail”, Herwig Bernaert of the Innovation department at Barry Callebaut (pictured) told FoodIngredientsFirst. “Beauty from within is a rapidly emerging sector. A typical moisturizing cream will give you a 10-15% increase in skin hydration, but this only happens locally where the cream has been applied. Our study with ACTICOA flavanols containing food supplements measured a 20% improvement in skin hydration all over the body”, he explained. The study, which was conducted by BIO-EC in France saw approximately 30 consumers take an ACTICOA supplement with 300mg of cocoa flavanols for 4 weeks. A significant improvement in skin hydration and water loss reduction was reported.
Meanwhile a study conducted at the University of Edinburgh (UK) assessed the effects of consuming 500mg of flavanols per day on blood pressure. Around 20 consumers were asked to eat chocolate tablets with 500mg of cocoa flavanols each day for two weeks. A reduction of almost 10% in blood pressure was recorded, which Bernaert explained also equates to a similar reduction in coronary heart disease. The synergy potential of ACTICOA with other beneficial compounds is also being assessed. Scientists at the University of East Anglia (UK) are looking into the benefits of using ACTICOA together with a soy component from fellow ingredient supplier Frutarom in lowering blood pressure amongst other heart health markers in diabetic people.
Two years after the launch of ACTICOA , product introductions are beginning to come, with the UK, Belgium, Germany, Spain and Poland all seeing launches. In Belgium, Daskalides and Guylian recently launched products with the ACTICOA logo, while Thornton’s in the UK has also come on board recently. Specific health claims for the ingredient are currently possible, with Bernaert admitting however that achieving disease reduction claims under Article 14 of the European Health Claims Directive could be difficult. Eight of the first nine claims proposed to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) were recently rejected.
Meanwhile the company is really looking towards using chocolate as a carrier for innovative health ingredients. Last year Barry Callebaut announced the introduction of a probiotic chocolate. Now the first commercial application of this concept has emerged. XLS Nutrition will be introduced to French pharmacies this month. The 13.5g tablets contain the probiotic application developed by Barry Callebaut and Lallemand division Lal’Food. The chocolate bars will be sold in five packs, with each bar containing a daily dose of probiotics roughly equivalent to a bottle of Actimel.
Superior Applications Manager, Alex Landuyt also foresaw lots of potential in the US market for probiotics. Despite probiotics still being in their infancy in the US, Danone’s success in introducing Activia and other brands has seen awareness for the healthy bacteria increase. American consumers could be very open to this new and convenient application, whereby the probiotics can be contained for up to a year as opposed to the typical 3 weeks which is possible in dairy applications, Landuyt explained.
Barry Callebaut will also introduce Croquoa at HiE, an alternative to cocoa nibs for textural benefits. The product can be used in confectionery, ice creams and biscuits. “We wanted to have something that you could shape more. Nibs are quite irregular and we wanted pre-defined shapes. Croquoa are crunchy inclusions that can be used in various applications”, Landuyt said. The new product contains just 5% fat in comparison to 55% for cocoa nibs, although the product which is formulated purely with cocoa powder and sugar does have a significantly higher sugar content. VG Sensory research into the product on 80 Belgian consumers resulted in positive feedback for Croquoa in applications such as vanilla ice cream and cereal bars.
By Robin Wyers
