Bakers who wish to significantly reduce sodium in their final products are being urged to use Olam Cocoa’s nib-alkalised black cocoa powder, which can do exactly that.
The new product, D11BK, was recently unveiled at Food Ingredients Europe (FIE) 2017 in Germany, and is under the company’s premium cocoa brand deZaan’s umbrella.
Olam Cocoa have said that it provides “both intense cocoa flavor and very dark colour.”
Speaking about the product, Krista Evers – the head of product development and innovation for Europe at Olam Cocoa – explains what makes D11BK different.
“Dark cocoa powder is typically alkalised with sodium during processing, but D11BK uses potassium instead,”she said.
Evers also noted that excessive sodium intake an actually cause health concerns among consumers, and as such, food manufacturers are trying to lower the amount of sale in their products. There is extra emphasis to do this in baked goods, such as muffins, cakes and biscuits.
In comparision to a traditional black cocoa powder, which generally contains a sodium content of 2,500mg per 100g, D11BK has a significantly less sodium content of just 30mg. Evers added: “Potassium is a mineral that is often deficient in the human diet, so this is an extra benefit.”
In regards to labelling, Evers has said that deZaan’s cocoa products “always live up to the expectations” of customers.
“If you are a biscuits producer, you may have other sources of sodium in the formula such as baking salt and salt… but switching to D11BK may result in as much as a third reduction of sodium content overall, depending on the producer’s final formulation,” she said.
