KANSAS CITY — Finding ingredients to replicate the color, flavor and other attributes of cocoa has become a more important task during a time of high cocoa prices.

“Chocolate and cocoa are both complex flavors that cannot be fully replaced, but they can be effectively mimicked using a combination of ingredients,” said Shamira Fernandes, director of flavor creations at Lucta, Mahwah, NJ. “These ingredients impart the rich, ‘chocolaty,’ roasted, fatty and enhanced mouthfeel notes characteristic of cocoa and chocolate. Formulators often blend proprietary materials with other top notes to create well-rounded profiles that can successfully replace part of the cocoa or chocolate used in various applications.”

Cocoa prices, although dropping in recent weeks, are still above prices of two years ago. May cocoa futures came in at $8,042 per tonne on March 28, which compared to $9,766 a year ago and $2,933 two years ago. Prices were $4 to $4.20 per lb for 10% to 12% natural cocoa powder (East Coast points) on March 28, up from $2.05 per lb a year ago and $1.50 per lb two years ago.

“Chocolate and cocoa are universally beloved tastes,” said Sean Ging, global senior marketing executive for taste at the Kerry Group, Dublin. “However, their future is threatened by climate change, poor harvests, crop diseases, inflation and more. Despite these challenges, the demand for cocoa and chocolate remains strong, making it crucial for manufacturers to adapt to meet consumer needs.”

Consumers have noticed the higher chocolate product prices caused by the higher cocoa prices. Numerator, a market researcher, in March released results of a survey of over 200 chocolate buyers on their perceptions of the market for chocolates. Sixty-three percent said the current price of chocolate products is somewhat to very expensive, and 33% said they are buying less chocolate due to recent price increases.

Achieving a complex taste

The taste profile of cocoa and chocolate is complex.

“At a basic level, cocoa taste forms the foundation for chocolate and tends to bring roasted, bitter and dark fruit notes to final applications,” Ging said. “Chocolate taste, however, builds on cocoa notes to deliver additional attributes like vanilla, nutty, caramel, or milky notes.”

Cocoa and chocolate tastes vary based on countries, regions and product types.

“Within these categories, there are numerous unique combinations that contribute to their distinctive and iconic taste,” Ging said. “We see many attribute combinations that can deliver authentic profiles such as hazelnut, vanilla, toasted or even candy.”

Fernandes said flavors to replace cocoa may be used in applications such as confectionery items, frozen desserts, syrups, dry mixes, beverages, frostings, fillings and baked foods. Lucta has reduced cocoa use by up to 25% in finished applications without compromising mouthfeel or overall chocolate flavor perceptions, she added.

“Achieving a balanced cocoa/chocolate profile involves layering cooked, roasted, fatty, bitter and sweet notes using carefully selected raw flavor materials,” Fernandes said. “This approach helps maintain the complexity and depth of chocolate flavor while reducing cocoa content.”

Added complementary flavors such as butterscotch, white chocolate, caramel, maple, nutty, smoky and roasted notes have been shown to enhance and round out the overall cocoa or chocolate character, creating a full-bodied taste experience with less reliance on cocoa, she said.

Source: ICE Futures US

IFF, New York, offers Grindsted carob, which is derived from carob tree fruit through a grinding process, to reduce cocoa use, said Rogerio De Almeida Prado Guimares, director, global dairy, bakery and confectionery categories.

“It not only replicates the indulgent taste of cocoa but also helps manufacturers manage pricing and supply fluctuations,” he said. “Grindsted carob is easy to formulate, has a low inclusion level and is process-tolerant, offering up to 25% potential cost savings.”

IFF also has cocoa replacements and extenders in its CURE (core and uncommon replacements and extenders) portfolio for use in baked foods, confectionery items and dairy products. Cocoa flavor extenders have been shown to yield cost savings of 25% to 30%, he said.

“By offering our cocoa replacements and extenders in these applications, we provide our customers with a tool to effectively manage cocoa pricing and supply fluctuations while still delivering the indulgent taste and functionality that consumers expect,” De Almeida Prado Guimares said.

Reformulation presents an opportunity to save on costs in baked foods, Ging said.

“An example would be reducing the amount of cocoa powder used in the base of a chocolate biscuit while continuing to deliver the chocolate taste consumers search for,” he said.

Butter Buds, Inc., Racine, Wis., offers a concentrated powder made from cocoa fat that provides formulators with an alternative to cocoa powder and mimics chocolate flavor, according to the company. The ingredient, created through enzyme modification, has a low cost-in-use ratio, typically 0.5%.

Combining powder with Buttermilk Buds and Butter Buds-Ghee in chocolate frosting allows a reduction of cocoa powder use by 30% to 40% while maintaining real chocolate flavor. In instant hot chocolate powder, using Cocoa Butter Buds reduced cocoa powder use from 10% to 8% and rounded out sweetness and restored perception of cocoa bitter notes, according to the company.

Barley, pomegranates and caramel are other sources for creating ingredients to replace cocoa.

Malt Products Corp, Saddle Brook, NJ, offers MaltRite cocoa, a whole grain malted barley that replaces up to 50% of cocoa powder in applications such as brownies, chocolate cake, chocolate cookies and chocolate fillings. The ingredient also increases moisture retention, which extends shelf life, and improves texture and mouthfeel, according to the company.

Pom Wonderful, Los Angeles, offers a pomegranate extract, POMxL, to reduce cocoa levels in applications. Pomegranate extract has a light brown color as well as an acid profile that helps to affect texture in a similar way that high cocoa concentration does, said Jason Horvath sales manager for Pom Wonderful Specialty Ingredients.

Sethness Roquette, Rosemont, Ill., has introduced a dark Class 1 powder caramel color that has been shown to provide a reddish-brown color for food and beverage manufacturers. The color may be used in cocoa extenders as well as spice blends and baked foods.

Technology advances

Artificial intelligence (AI) and upcycled ingredients are newer avenues for cocoa reduction.

Supply Change Capital last year led a $4.5 million seed financing round for Celleste Bio, a cocoa technology company, with additional participation from Snack Futures Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of Mondelez International, Inc. Celleste Bio, Tel Aviv, Israel, uses a combination of agricultural technology, biotechnology and AI computational models to grow cocoa from beans in controlled conditions year-round. Celleste Bio, which was founded in 2022, seeks to create an economically and environmentally sustainable cocoa supply.

Voyage Foods, Oakland, Calif., last October opened a 284,000-square-foot facility in Mason, Ohio, to manufacture cocoa-free chocolate, nut-free spreads and bean-free coffee. Once construction is completed, the facility will have the capacity to make 10,000 tonnes of cocoa-free chocolate annually. The chocolate is made from plant-based ingredients, including those that are upcycled from waste and side streams.