Chocolates that melt into a gooey mess at the bottom of a bag on a sweltering day are one inconvenience that people living in the warmer parts of the world know all too well.
But this may soon be a thing of the past, thanks to a firm in chocolate-loving Switzerland, where chocolate is also serious business.
With many outlets in Asia, the Barry Callebaut firm, a key player in the chocolate business, is developing a variety that withstands temperatures up to 55ºC before melting.
Even better, it is low in calories.
“In India, consumers don’t eat a lot of chocolate today, and there are logistics issues in the distribution of chocolates,” said Hans Vriens, the firm’s chief innovation officer.
“As the chocolate melts, the package doesn’t look very good anymore,” he said.
Switzerland exported some 111,494 tonnes of chocolate worth 924 million Swiss francs (NT$28.8 billion) in 2008 and another 73,475 tonnes worth SF894 million (NT$27.7 billion) was sold at home, according to Chocosuisse, the Association of Swiss Chocolate Manufacturers.
The biggest export destinations are Britain, Canada, France and Germany.
Though already the world’s biggest cocoa supplier and chocolate maker, counting giants Nestle and Hershey among it clients, Barry Callebaut, like other chocolatiers, is constantly working on innovations to entice new clients.
The heat-resistant chocolate, which the firm has dubbed “Volcano”, is aimed at “markets that don’t have good cooling chains or warmer temperature markets like China, India, southern Europe, southern United States and Latin America,” said Vriens.
Heat-resistant chocolate in itself is not new. It has been a standard issue of both the Swiss and US armies, but it has never been produced on a commercial scale.
Vriens said that “Volcano,” which would melt on contact with saliva and has a “crunchy” texture, differed from the army version as it’s made with the usual cocoa butter, unlike the military issue which substitutes vegetable fats for this key ingredient.(AFP)
大家都知道在悶熱的天氣下，袋子底部的巧克力常會融化成黏糊糊的一團，對居住在較炎熱地區的民眾尤其不便。
但這種情況也許很快就會是過去式了，這都要歸功於瑞士一間公司；在熱愛巧克力的瑞士，巧克力也是重要的產業。
「百樂嘉樂寶」公司是全球最大的巧克力製造商之一，在亞洲有許多據點，該公司正在研發一種要到攝氏五十五度才會融化的巧克力。
更棒的是，這種巧克力的熱量不高！
該公司創新總監漢斯．維瑞斯表示：「現今印度消費者巧克力吃得不多，配送巧克力的物流工作也是問題。」
他說：「巧克力一旦融化，包裝看起來就大為失色。」
據瑞士巧克力製造商協會「Chocosuisse」統計，瑞士二ＯＯ八年共出口了十一萬一千四百九十四公噸的巧克力，價值九億兩千四百萬瑞士法郎（新台幣兩百八十八億元）；在國內也銷出了七萬三千四百七十五公噸的巧克力，價值八億九千四百萬瑞士法郎（新台幣兩百七十七億元）。
其中最主要是輸往英國、加拿大、法國和德國。
儘管百樂嘉樂寶早就是全世界最大的可可粉供應商暨巧克力製造商，連雀巢和賀喜等大公司也都是他們的客戶，但他們和其他巧克力製造商一樣，仍持續創新開發吸引新的顧客。
該公司為這種能耐熱的巧克力取名為「火山巧克力」，維瑞斯說，火山巧克力主打「沒有完備低溫運送系統或是氣候較炎熱的市場，例如中國、印度、南歐、美國南部和拉丁美洲等。」
耐高溫巧克力其實早已問世。這種巧克力一直是瑞士和美國軍隊的標準配給，只是從未大規模量產。
維瑞斯說，放入口中接觸唾液後會融化的「火山巧克力」，口感酥脆，它不同於使用一般可可油製作的軍方版本，而是改採植物油脂作為關鍵原料。（法新社╱翻譯：袁星塵）
A: The 2024 BWF World Tour Finals just kicked off in Hangzhou, China yesterday. B: Only the world’s top 8 players and Olympic gold medalists are qualified for the annual games. A: Taiwan’s badminton duo, Lee Yang and Wang Chi-lin, won the Olympic gold. Did they qualify? B: Of course. This will be the “Lin-Yang duo’s” last dance. A: Taiwan’s badminton king Chou Tien-cheng, men’s doubles, Yang Po-hsuan and Lee Jhe-huei, and mixed doubles, Yang and Hu Ling-fang, will also compete this time. It’s sure to be awesome. A: 2024世界羽聯「BWF年終總決賽」，昨天已在杭州開打了。 B: 只有世界前8名選手，或奧運金牌才有資格參賽。 A: 台灣的李洋、王齊麟榮獲奧運男雙金牌，也可以參男雙賽囉？ B: 當然啦，而這次將是「麟洋配」的最後一舞！ A: 而台灣球王周天成，男雙楊博軒、李哲輝，混雙楊博軒、胡綾芳也將參賽，讚啦。 （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩）
The phenomenon of being “tea drunk” is a unique experience often associated with this popular beverage, especially when consuming brews that are particularly high-quality or strong. Unlike being drunk on alcohol, the effects of tea drunkenness stem from various compounds found in tea leaves. __1__ These substances can have a synergistic effect on the brain, resulting in a state of euphoria, relaxation, or heightened sensory awareness. __2__ One of the most obvious is the caffeine present in tea. It acts as a stimulant that increases alertness and cognitive function. Unlike coffee, however, tea also contains L-theanine, an amino acid
A: Taiwan has won three golds at the BWF World Tour Finals in the past. B: Cool, who were the gold medalists? A: Badminton queen Tai Tzu-ying won gold in 2020 and 2023, and men’s double, Lee Yang and Wang Chi-lin, won the title in 2020 as well. B: It’s too bad that both Tai and Lee announced their retirement from badminton. A: Hopefully, Wang and his new partner — the 21-year-old, 189cm-tall Chiu Hsiang-chieh — can also perform well in the future. A: 台灣在「BWF年終總決賽」，曾3度奪金耶。 B: 真酷耶，是誰啊？ A: 戴資穎在2020、2023年度的女單，李洋、王齊麟在2020年的男雙都曾奪金！ B: 不過小戴、李洋已宣布，要從羽壇退休。 A: 希望王齊麟和新搭檔—21歲189公分的邱相榤—未來也能打出好成績。 （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩）
Continued from yesterday（延續自昨日） https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang __3__ These generally include a sense of calm, mental clarity and a mild feeling of euphoria. Some people may also experience a light-headedness, giddiness, or a heightened appreciation for the flavors and aromas of the tea they are drinking. __4__ All these are signs that one should reduce their tea intake. It is essential to understand the balance between the beneficial and adverse effects of tea. Becoming tea drunk shows the potency of the natural compounds in tea and their impact on human physiology. Moreover, it highlights the complicated relationship between what we consume and how it
RSS