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Could Seaweed Help Cut Fat in Your Chocolate?

by Dr. Enozia Vakil on Jan 6 2014 11:54 AM
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Are you a chocolate lover at heart but struggling to avoid this sinful treat? A new study is all set to the rescue-this new discovery could help you relish the yummy temptation without piling on the kilos.

A team of researchers from Warwick University have now developed a new technique to cut down the fat content in chocolate; using seaweed.

This new low-fat chocolate known as choco-lite supposedly contains very tiny microscopic bubbles of a special type of jelly prepared from seaweed extracts. It is this jelly that bulks out the chocolate and lessens its fat content, which is what makes it unhealthy.

What’s more, the agar bubbles are a good source of fiber, amounting to around 80 percent. The fiber suppresses the appetite and prevents you from overindulging.

This new low-fat chocolate seems much more promising than other previous attempts to create a chocolate that has reduced fat content, without compromising on its taste and flavor, and texture.

Earlier, air bubbles were used to make chocolate healthy, but it left the chocolate feeling too light, and when water bubbles were used for the same, they reduced the crispiness of the chocolate, and posed a greater risk of a white bloom forming on the bar.

Thankfully, seaweed jelly doesn’t have any such effects, and is already used in many areas in the cosmetic industry.

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One of the best features that makes this low-fat chocolate a sure winner is the fact that this agar, when heated in the correct way, has the ability to solidify at the same temperature as the fat in chocolate, and due to the small bubbles, the tongue cannot distinguish it from fat, which means it will probably taste the same as any other chocolate.

“Fat replacer is something the food industry is very keen to have,” Jianshe Chen from Leeds University, explained.

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The researchers also claim that this low-fat chocolate tastes ‘pretty darned good,’ and now they are working on developing other flavors to this chocolate too.

Looks like we finally have a delicious new discovery on our hands that is not ‘sinfully’ delicious!

Source-Medindia


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