Barry Callebaut introduces ACTICOA
July 26, 2010
In response to demand for functional food by health-conscious
Americans, cocoa and chocolate manufacturer Barry Callebaut rolled out
its ACTICOA chocolate
products for the North American market at the Institute of Food
Technologists Annual Meeting & Food Expo in Chicago this week.
Manufactured using a special process to preserve the maximum level of cocoa flavanols that occur naturally in the cocoa bean, ACTICOA chocolate
products provide guaranteed levels of flavanols, which have been linked
to several important health benefits for the body.
“Today’s
consumers are increasingly seeking out healthier options, so Barry
Callebaut has spent years working to reinvent chocolate through
innovative research and development initiatives designed to harness the
healthy components of cocoa and preserve them in new chocolate
products,” says Hans Vriens, chief innovation officer at Barry
Callebaut. “With ACTICOA,
North American consumers will be able to enjoy great-tasting chocolate
that has been scientifically proven to have a wide range of health
benefits -- from helping to maintain cardiovascular health to
nourishing healthy skin.”
While found in abundance in raw cocoa
beans, most cocoa flavanols are destroyed during the conventional
chocolate-making process. Barry Callebaut has developed a distinctive
process that preserves up to 80% of the flavanol content of raw cocoa.
The ACTICOA
manufacturing process starts at the cocoa plantation. Together with
cocoa farmers, Barry Callebaut has investigated ways of growing,
harvesting and treating the beans in such a way that a maximum amount
of cocoa flavanols in the beans is preserved, together with the taste
and aroma.
Every step in manufacturing process has been
optimized to maintain the flavanols at the natural high level. The end
result is a chocolate product that combines excellent taste with the
natural cocoa flavanols that offer various health benefits when
consumed in a small portion as part of a varied and balanced diet and a
healthy lifestyle.
ACTICOA
chocolate products have been scientifically proven to have numerous
health benefits due to their concentration of cocoa flavanols. Regular
consumption of the cocoa flavanols found in ACTICOA, Barry Callebaut reports, helps keep you young and fit, helps maintain cardiovascular health and helps maintain skin health.
The flavor of ACTICOA chocolate
is authentic and identical to the indulgent, rich and varied flavors
that consumers love in traditional chocolate, the company asserts; this
is because ACTICOA chocolate is made without additional additives and only preserves what is naturally present in cocoa. Barry Callebaut offers ACTICOA chocolate in dark and milk chocolate varieties.
For more information, visit www.acticoa.com/en/.
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