Dive Brief:
- Bakers need to consider many factors beyond price when deciding whether to use chocolate or compound ingredients, according to Baking Business.
- Real chocolate tends to be more expensive than compounds because of its cocoa butter content, but both have advantages in different applications. Consumers may expect real chocolate in premium products, and single origin chocolate can help bakers differentiate their ingredients by highlighting specific flavors and the stories behind production. Dark chocolate also benefits from a health halo related to its antioxidant content and purported heart health benefits.
- Meanwhile, compounds can be formulated with added protein or fiber, or with no added sugar, which is not possible with chocolate because of its standards of identity. A compound might be also a better option from a textural perspective in some products, such as in a gooey chocolaty cookie filling, for which real chocolate could be too firm.
Dive Insight:
A growing number of studies has highlighted the potential health benefits of dark chocolate, and consumers are eager to believe that a chocolate daily dose could be good for them, resulting in rising sales. Euromonitor International has suggested that consumers don’t necessarily think dark chocolate is healthy, but that eating chocolate with good quality ingredients, in moderation, may be a healthier alternative to other kinds of chocolate.
When it comes to industrial baking ingredients, it makes sense to use good quality chocolate if a manufacturer wants to play up its health credentials, or its naturally clean label ingredient profile. However, compound chocolate ingredients may help to improve the health profile of a product in different ways, given that there are more possibilities to manipulate the ingredient itself — by cutting out sugar, for example, or by using vegetable fats other than cocoa butter. Using coconut oil, for example, could tap into another ingredient’s health halo, while also modifying the compound’s melting point.
According to federal regulations, aside from milk fat in dairy ingredients, the only fat allowed in real chocolate is cocoa butter, and the kinds of flavors that can be added are limited. Compounds also contain some cocoa butter, but can include flavors that enhance the taste of chocolate or dairy. The addition of vegetable fats makes them easier to work with, and in baked goods, these fats can give specific melting characteristics and prevent loss of moisture, flavor or color in the finished product.
However, as consumers increasingly aim to clean up their diets, compounds often have a distinct disadvantage. Due to strict rules about the ingredients in real chocolate, they tend to have a naturally simple ingredient list, while compounds may include preservatives, oils, antioxidants and emulsifiers that many consumers prefer to avoid.