Slashdot Mirror


Nestle Discovers 'Breakthrough' Method To Cut Sugar In Chocolate By 40% Without Affecting Taste (theguardian.com)

Nestle and its scientists have discovered how to "structure sugar differently" to reduce the amount of sugar in some of its products by 40%. What's more is that it can be done reportedly without compromising the taste. The Guardian reports: The new process is said to make sugar dissolve faster so that even when less is used, the tongue perceives an identical level of sweetness. It plans to patent the process, discovered by its scientists, which it says will enable it to significantly decrease the total sugar in its confectionery products. A four-finger milk chocolate Kit Kat currently contains 23.8g of sugar, a plain (milk chocolate) Yorkie contains 26.9g and a medium peppermint Aero has 24.9g of sugar. If the amount of sugar in each of these products was cut by 40% the new amounts would be 14.3g, 16.1g and 14.9g respectively.

22 of 328 comments (clear)

  1. JUST GREAT! by Dutchmaan · · Score: 5, Funny

    Now I'll have to eat nearly twice as much to maintain my obesity.

    1. Re: JUST GREAT! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      How do you know what shit tastes like?

    2. Re:JUST GREAT! by Shoten · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Now I'll have to eat nearly twice as much to maintain my obesity.

      You laugh...but that's exactly what some people will do if this goes to market.

      --

      For your security, this post has been encrypted with ROT-13, twice.
    3. Re: JUST GREAT! by The+Grassy+Knoll · · Score: 4, Funny

      And homeopathy? :-)

      --
      They will never know the simple pleasure of a monkey knife fight
  2. What?!?! by freeze128 · · Score: 5, Funny

    a plain (milk chocolate) Yorkie contains 26.9g

    Oh my God! They're eating DOGS!

  3. Re:Thanks for doing the math by hey! · · Score: 5, Funny

    People on slashdot would have a hard time multiplying a number by 0.4

    Indeed they would not. However they do sometimes stumble about when to multiply a number by 0.4.

    --
    Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
  4. or how about less sugar anyways? by Lumpy · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Honestly I prefer european chocolate as it's not as overwhelmingly sweet. and anyone that actually likes chocolate likes a good dark chocolate that is already not as sweet.

    --
    Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
    1. Re:or how about less sugar anyways? by Anaerin · · Score: 4, Informative

      Indeed there is. The milk they use for Hershey chocolate is partially lipolyzed, producing butyric acid, which stabilizes the milk from further fermentation.

    2. Re:or how about less sugar anyways? by Namarrgon · · Score: 4, Informative

      It's also worth noting that butyric acid is the main source of the smell of human vomit.

      --
      Why would anyone engrave "Elbereth"?
    3. Re:or how about less sugar anyways? by Zontar+The+Mindless · · Score: 4, Interesting

      After living overseas for 15+ years, I've found I can no longer eat American chocolate--it's about 3x as sweet as chocolate made anywhere else. It's like trying to drink a cup of coffee with about 6 spoons of sugar in it. Gross.

      --
      Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
  5. Re:Thanks for doing the math by freeze128 · · Score: 5, Informative

    If the amount of sugar was *CUT* by 40%, slashdot readers would have to multiply by .6.

    See, math isn't always so simple, is it?

  6. Re:Why not just use Splenda? by alzoron · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Because the goal is to not make the chocolate taste like shit.

  7. Simple, ypu cut everything else by 40% too by rossdee · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Except price which you increase

    ?????
    profit

    1. Re:Simple, ypu cut everything else by 40% too by Waffle+Iron · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I think that Toblerone just patented that innovation.

  8. Like all their other "no change" changes by linear+a · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Like all their other "no flavor change" changes to their chocolate over the decades. This will just cheapen it a little bit more. They used to have good chocolate (maybe I'm showing my age with that remark) but it's bilge now. “There is hardly anything in the world that someone cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper." John Ruskin

  9. on the other hand ... by swell · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Many years ago I learned about 'left handed sugar'. This, apparently was a regular sugar molecule, except that it was a mirror image. The beauty of it was that it tasted exactly like sugar but the body didn't know what to do with it so it passed through without harm. Perfect for diabetics, fat people and those who want to preserve their brain cells!

    Yeah, I really didn't want to look it up and you probably don't either, so the answer to your question is: it's very expensive to synthesize. The actual question may take some time to calculate.

    --
    ...omphaloskepsis often...
  10. Re:Why not just use Splenda? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I would argue that the first step in realizing that goal is to avoid Nestle products at all costs.

  11. Nestle didn't discover anything. by Khyber · · Score: 4, Informative

    This is something well-known to anyone with actual culinary experience. See sea salt vs table salt. Same principle applies to sugar - make if finer, you find that you actually end up using LESS because of more even distribution for same effect.

    Nestle is literally trying to patent that which has been known for fucking centuries by any generally-knowledgeable housewife or cook or chef.

    --
    Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
  12. Re:Why not just use Splenda? by I'm+New+Around+Here · · Score: 4, Funny

    How the hell do you raise your tail?

    --
    If you think I voted for Trump because of this post, you're wrong. I voted for Dr. Jill Stein of the Green Party. Again.
  13. Re:Maybe NOW we can have Nestle chocolate back by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Well, and Dove... Dove is better than Hershey's, but not as good as I remember Nestle chocolate being.

    Dove does taste better than Hershey's but please note that it's intended to be a body soap.

  14. Nope. by serviscope_minor · · Score: 5, Informative

    Parent post is inaccurate and shouldn't be modded informative.

    Dark chocolate still has sugar in. It doesn't have milk in like milk chocolate.

    --
    SJW n. One who posts facts.
  15. Re:Nestle by jandersen · · Score: 5, Funny

    Yes I agree, I live in central Europe and if you ever have tasted LÃderach (Swiss) or Bachhalm or Zotter (Austrian) you would not touch any Nestle dreck with a 10 ft pole.

    If you really lived in Central Europe, you would know that Poles, although excellent people, rarely get that tall.