Uncovering Bar Coatings

A sweet confectionery layer on bars whether an icing-like drizzle or a fully enrobed coatmay nudge them toward the candy side of the aisle, but the appeal is undeniable.

Often, product designers opt for chocolate. However, in the United States, chocolate must meet a standard of identity (Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 163):

Dark chocolate: a minimum of 35% chocolate liquor, plus sugar, chocolate liquor and cocoa butter, with vanilla optional;

Milk chocolate: a minimum of 10% chocolate liquor and no less than 12% of milk solids, plus sugar, chocolate liquor and cocoa butter, with vanilla optional;

White chocolate: a minimum of 20% cocoa butter, 14% of total milk solids, and 3.5% milkfat, and a maximum of 55% nutritive carbohydrate sweeteners, plus other optional ingredients as listed.

The other option is compound coating, made with hard vegetable fats, such as tropical or lauric fat systems, giving them a wide range of melt points, a possible economical advantage, and the ability to add ingredients for flavoring and functionality outside of chocolates standard.

Confectionery coatings do not have a standard of identity; therefore, different fat systems can be used, depending upon your functional and technical requirements, explains Rose Defiel, director of technical sales, Clasen Quality Coatings (CQC), Middleton, WI. The melt point of the cocoa butter in real chocolate is approximately 86°F. The fat systems used in confectionery coatings can have melt points ranging from 76 to 110°F or greater. This improves the stability of the finished product during shipping and will help reduce the amount of bloom the product develops due to minor mishandling.

Confectionery coatings can also have ingredients that are not allowed in real chocolate. Colors and flavors can be added to coatings to provide a unique taste and visual appeal to a product, says Defiel. Additionally, many different types of functional ingredients can be added to coatings, such as maltitol, protein, fiber, calcium or other nutritional supplements.

The ability to fortify confectionery coatings with nutritional ingredients allows the product developer to put less into the core of the bar, which can help the overall bar taste better while still achieving the same nutritional value, says Megan Rose, key account manager, CQC, noting the company can add up to 20% protein into a coating, which allows for better nutritional claims and overall flavor.

These type of coatings arent limited to chocolate types; they can match a bars flavor personality, from yogurt to fruit to peanut butter. Peanut coatings use peanut flour and or peanut butter as ingredients, says Defiel. They provide a smooth creamy flavor and texture to a bar. The use of peanut instead of a non-peanut coating would depend on the type of bar that is being produced. Peanut coatings are a Class 1 allergen, so they have to be handled accordingly. The application and functionality of a peanut coating is the same as a non-peanut coating.