Monk fruit juice sweetens 'healthy' chocolate

Australian health food company Healthy Warrior has created a range of ‘healthy’ chocolate, sweetened with the juice of the monk fruit.

Marketed under The Chocolate Counter brand, the low-sugar, high-fibre chocolate line is gluten-free, with no added dairy or soy and featuring all-natural ingredients.

GKC Foods Sales and Marketing Consultant Graeme Hamilton says the product has a comparable taste and consistency to normal chocolate, reflecting the current increased demand for snacks that cater to consumers with food intolerances, while still retaining similar properties to normal confectionery.

“We also know that food intolerances often go together in individuals so that someone who reacts to lactose may also have issues with gluten,” he said.

Hamilton says many existing low-sugar products on the market are made with sugar alcohols, which can exacerbate gastric problems for individuals who react to gluten or lactose consumption.

After six months in development, GKC Foods selected monk fruit juice concentrate as a key component of the sweetener system. In addition to having reduced sugar and carbohydrate, the product is also able to be manufactured on the same line as traditional chocolate — offering a comparable texture and viscosity during the production process.

“The monk fruit juice was particularly important as an ingredient, as it meant the consistency of the finished product could be produced on the same lines as other chocolate products,” said Hamilton.

Monk Fruit Corporation General Manager David Thorrold says global interest in the monk fruit juice is increasing as other manufacturers see the ingredient successfully integrated into new product releases.

“We have seen growing international interest in the ingredient. Monk fruit juice is uniquely positioned because it is a natural food ingredient, unlike other sugar alternatives which are classified as food-additive sweeteners,” said Thorrold.

In addition to the range produced for Healthy Warrior, the company has supplied New Zealand-based Smartfoods, which has developed a reduced-sugar cereal for a major Australian supermarket chain. Monk fruit juice concentrate has also been used in the production of the low-sugar Pumpy Jackson chocolate brand in Australia.

New Zealand-based global food multinational Hansells is one of the first to use it in developing a 98% sugar-free fruit drink.