US 20080248183A1 (19) United States (12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2008/0248183 A1 BrOWn (43) Pub. Date: Oct. 9, 2008 (54) SUGAR FREE AND REDUCED SUGAR A2.3L. I./22 (2006.01) CHOCOLATE AND METHODS OF A2.3L I/36 (2006.01) MANUFACTURE (76) Inventor: Robert Brown, San Jose (CR) (52) U.S. Cl. ......... 426/588: 426/601; 426/615; 426/632: 426/638; 426/639: 426/629 Correspondence Address: MEREDITH & KEYHANI, PLLC 330 MADISONAVE., 6TH FLOOR NEW YORK, NY 10017 (US) (57) ABSTRACT A method of producing a Sugar free chocolate composition (21) Appl. No.: 11/696,946 comprising the steps of thoroughly mixing at least the fol lowing ingredients: 1 to 60% by weight agave syrup, and 25 (22) Filed: Apr. 5, 2007 to 99% by weight cacao liquor; so as to produce an aqueous O O Solution; conching the aqueous solution; evaporating water Publication Classification from the aqueous solution utilizing an additional water (51) Int. Cl. removal means during the conching step to provide a conched A23C 9/00 (2006.01) chocolate; tempering the conched chocolate to provide a A23D 7700 (2006.01) chocolate product; and forming the chocolate product. Refining (102) Mixing (100) Supplemental Conching (104) evaporation (106) Tempering (108) Forming (110) Patent Application Publication Oct. 9, 2008 Sheet 1 of 4 US 2008/0248183 A1 Refining (102) Mixing (100) Supplemental Conching (104) evaporation (106) Tempering (108) Forming (110) FIGURE 1 Patent Application Publication Oct. 9, 2008 Sheet 2 of 4 US 2008/0248183 A1 Refining (102) COCOa Butter Supplemental evaporation (202) Supplemental evaporation (208) FIGURE 2 Patent Application Publication Oct. 9, 2008 Sheet 3 of 4 US 2008/0248183 A1 COCOa Liquor Refining (304) Supplemental evaporation (300) Mixing (302) Conching (306) Supplemental evaporation (308) Tempering (310) Forming (312) FIGURE 3 Patent Application Publication Oct. 9, 2008 Sheet 4 of 4 US 2008/0248183 A1 COCOa Liquor Refining (304) Supplemental evaporation (300) Mixing (302) Conching (306) Supplemental evaporation (308) Tempering (310) Forming (312) FIGURE 4 US 2008/02481 83 A1 Oct. 9, 2008 SUGAR FREE AND REDUCED SUGAR 0008. According to one embodiment, a method of produc CHOCOLATE AND METHODS OF ing a sugar free chocolate composition is disclosed compris MANUFACTURE ing the steps of thoroughly mixing at least the following ingredients: 1 to 60% agave syrup, and 25 to 99% cacao liquor; so as to produce an aqueous solution; conching the 0001. The present invention relates generally to sugarfree aqueous solution; evaporating water from the aqueous solu chocolate and methods of manufacturing Sugar free choco tion utilizing an additional water removal means during the lates utilizing natural and/or organic ingredients. conching step to provide a conched chocolate; tempering the 0002. The health benefits of Cacao are well known. Cacao conched chocolate to provide a chocolate product; and form is rich in antioxidants, has been associated with decreased ing a chocolate product. The chocolate may also include 1 to diabetes and blood pressure, is rich in B1, B2 and D Vitamins, 40% by weight of at least one edible fat included in the first magnesium and iron, is associated with improved vasodila mixing step. The resulting chocolate may be organic and/or tation, helping increase stamina during exercise, is choles natural depending on the ingredients used. terol free and may even block oxidation of LDL cholesterol. 0009. According to another embodiment, a method of pro Chocolate is associated with euphoria and reduced depres ducing a sugar free chocolate composition comprising the sion due to phenylthylamine. Serotonin, a well-studied neu steps of thoroughly mixing at least the following ingredients rotransmitter, is thought to instill calm and relaxed feelings. to provide a mixture: 1 to 60% agave syrup, and 25 to 99% Chocolate is associated with increased serotonin levels, a cacao liquor; evaporating water from the mixture utilizing an factor that is believed to explain chocolate cravings. additional water removal means to provide a lower water 0003. While Cacao has many health benefits, sugar is gen content mixture; conching the lower water content mixture: erally added to make the taste palatable and has many health evaporating water from the lower water content mixture uti drawbacks. Sugar may cause hypertension, added calories, lizing an additional water removal means during the conching diabetes, tooth decay and weight gain. There are over one step to provide a conched chocolate; tempering the conched (100) well known and documented detrimental health effects chocolate to provide a chocolate product; and forming the associated with sugar. High-sugar foods also displace whole chocolate product. The chocolate may also include 1 to 40% foods and contribute to nutritional deficiencies adding empty by weight of at least one edible fat. The edible fat may be calories that few Americans need. High Sugar foods contrib selected from (a)cocoa butter and (b) cocoa butter and at least ute to obesity now considered by some in the medical profes one other edible fat and is included in the first mixing step. sion as a disease. 10010. A method of producing a sugar free chocolate com 0004 One sugar substitute is Agave. Agave has health position comprising the steps of evaporating water from promoting components that have many positive effects agave syrup to provide agave powder, thoroughly mixing at including having a direct stimulatory effect on the immune least the following ingredients to provide a mixture: 1 to 40% system, increase the effectiveness of both injected and oral by weight of at least one edible fat, wherein the edible fat may vaccines, decrease blood lipids, lower cancer risks, and lower be selected from (a) cocoa butter and (b) cocoa butter and at blood glucose response, inhibits dental aries and platelet least one other fat; 1 to 60% agave powder; and 25 to 70% aggregation. However, the problem with the addition of cacao liquor; so as to produce a mixture; conching the mix Agave is that it is made up of approximately twenty five ture; evaporating water from the mixture utilizing an addi percent (25%) water. Chocolate production and processing tional water removal means during the conching step to pro methods avoid contact with water since small amounts of vide a conched chocolate; tempering the conched chocolate added water causes severe rheological changes in the product, to provide a chocolate product; and forming the chocolate usually accompanied by lumping and/or granulation leading product. to a coarse unacceptable eating texture (Minifie, B.W. Choco 0011. These and other features, aspects and advantages of late, Cocoa and Confectionary-Science and Technology, 3 the present invention will become better understood with edition, Chapman & Hall (1989)). Larger amounts of water reference to the following description and claims. results in a fudge like product that has a short shelf life and lacks the 'snap, luster and taste' of chocolate products. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 0005. Because of the difficulty of adding sugar substitutes that contain water, Chocolatiers have generally utilized (0012 FIG. 1 depicts the present invention; chemically based sugar substitutes, such as xylitol, Sorbitol. (0013 FIG. 2 depicts the present invention; mannitol, lactitol, malitol, isomalt, polydextrose and other (0014 FIG.3 depicts the present invention; and chemically created sugar substitutes. However, such substi (0015 FIG. 4 depicts the present invention. tutes could never be natural, organic and/or sugar free and such products are increasingly popular. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 0006. Accordingly, the present invention has solved the 0016. The following detailed description is of the best long felt need of the chocolate industry by utilizing Agave as currently contemplated modes of carrying out the invention. a sweetener to provide a natural and/or organic, sugar free The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is chocolate that tastes goods, remains stable at room tempera made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general prin ture and has the desired snap, luster and taste that consumers ciples of the invention, since the scope of the invention is best demand. defined by the appended claims. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION (0017. As depicted in FIGS. 1-3, the present invention pro vides sugar free natural chocolate and methods of manufac 0007. The present invention relates generally to sugar free turing sugar free natural and/or organic chocolate. Agave chocolates utilizing natural and/or organic ingredients and syrup (also called agave nectar) is a Sweetener mostly pro their method of manufacture. duced in Mexico, from several species of agave, including US 2008/02481.83 A1 Oct. 9, 2008 Agave tequilana (also called Blue Agave or Tequila Agave), edible fat selected from (a) cocoa butter and (b) cocoa butter and the Salmiana, Green, Grey, Thorny, and Rainbow variet and at least one other fat; 1 to 60% by weight agave syrup, and ies. Agave syrup is Sweeter than honey, though less viscous. 25 to 99% by weight (more preferably between 25 and 75%) The main carbohydrate is a complex form of fructose. Agave % cacao liquor; evaporating (202) water from the mixture syrup consists primarily of fructose and glucose. One source utilizing an additional water removal means to provide a gives 92% fructose and 8% glucose. One of the benefits of the lower water content mixture; refining (204) the lower water Agave syrup is that it has a very low Glycemic Index of 19 to content mixture; conching (206) the lower water content mix 27. The complex composition of the molecules of Agave ture; evaporating (208) water from the lower water content cause the fructose and glucose to pass through the body mixture utilizing an additional water removal means during without the sucrose or fructose digested into the blood stream the conching step to provide a conched chocolate; tempering as with Sugars.