Dark Chocolate Lovers Tolerate Less-Sweet Ice Cream

PHILADELPHIAConsumers who prefer dark chocolate in solid form can tolerate twice the amount of bitter ingredients in chocolate ice cream compared to those who prefer milk chocolate, according to new findings reported in the Journal of Dairy Science. Elimination of some added sugar and fats in chocolate ice cream may be acceptable, even preferable, to these consumers.

To make the inherent bitterness of cocoa in chocolate ice cream more palatable, manufacturers add high levels of fat and sugar. However, bitterness is an integral part of the complex flavor of chocolate. The results of this study suggest chocolate ice cream could be made with less added sugar and marketed for dark chocolate lovers, said senior author John Hayes, assistant professor of food science and director of the sensory evaluation center, College of Agricultural Sciences, Pennsylvania State University.

"Our primary goal was to determine whether rejection thresholds for added bitterness in chocolate ice cream could be predicted by individual preferences for solid milk or dark chocolate," Hayes said. "Estimating rejection thresholds could be an effective, rapid tool to determine acceptable formulations or quality limits when considering attributes that become objectionable at high intensities."

The research team produced a control sample of plain chocolate ice cream and samples with varying levels of sucrose octaacetate, a food-safe bitter ingredient used to alter the chocolate ice cream's bitterness without disturbing other the sensory qualities of the samples, such as texture.

These samples were offered in pairs to 96 members of the Penn State community who were non-smokers between the ages of 18 and 45 years. They each tasted one spoonful of ten different samples, rinsing with water between pairs, and all participants were asked to indicate which of the two blind samples they preferred.

A total of 46 participants preferred milk chocolate. As expected, the group that preferred solid dark chocolate showed a significantly higher rejection threshold (about twice as high) for sucrose octaacetate in the chocolate ice cream compared to the group that preferred milk chocolate.

Recent research shows dark chocolate is gaining ground on milk chocolate in the confectionery popularity race, with 51% of all adult consumers choosing milk chocolate as their favorite type of plain chocolate, followed by 35% who favor dark chocolate and 8% who prefer white chocolate.