Features

Parents these days are increasingly conscious, not only of the effects of certain foods on their own health and well-being but naturally that of their children as well. While children’s diets have changed dramatically over the past decades to include alarming amounts of soft drinks and other high-sugar products, there is most recently a positive trend towards more nutritious and more functional foods with proven benefits for human health. In particular, there is a growing awareness of one of the most prevalent aliments among children, namely dental carries.

For Barry Callebaut, the world’s leading manufacturer of high-quality cocoa and chocolate products and global leader in chocolate research and development, the challenge has always been to respond to the market trend for healthier foods with innovative products which enhance the natural qualities of chocolate without resorting to artificial additives. Chocolate, consumed in moderation, is enjoyed the world over as a healthy product. Preserving its purity and unadulterated character is therefore a high priority for the Swiss-based chocolate maker.

Barry Callebaut’s research efforts have culminated in several products that answer the call for healthier treats and snacks. Chief among the company’s most recent realisations is a chocolate which succeeds in preserving the much-loved taste and texture of chocolate while using
natural ingredients that are completely safe for teeth. Barry Callebaut’s tooth-friendly chocolate replaces sucrose and other cariogenic ingredients with isomaltulose. Unlike sucrose, isomaltulose does not corrode the enamel layer of children’s teeth and unlike other sugar substitutes such as polyols or sugar alcohols, it does not have a laxative effect. Best of all, isomaltulose is an all-natural ingredient
readily found in sugar cane and honey.

This article is available in full in the Spring 2008 issue of Nutraceuticals Now