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）
The Australian government will legislate for a ban on social media for children under 16, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Thursday last week, in what it calls a world-leading package of measures that could become law late next year. Australia is trialing an age-verification system to assist in blocking children from accessing social media platforms, as part of a range of measures that include some of the toughest controls imposed by any country to date. Albanese cited the risks to physical and mental health of children from excessive social media use, in particular the risks to girls from harmful depictions of
A: I’m going to Blackpink member Lisa’s fan meeting at the K-Arena on Sunday. B: Wow, this will be her first visit to Taiwan after going solo. A: Yeah, Lisa’s so popular that she’s now the most-followed K-pop singer on Instagram. B: Meanwhile, other members Jennie’s and Rose’s new songs are also well-liked. A: I hope they can reunite with Jisoo as a group again soon. A: 我週日要去女團Blackpink成員Lisa的高雄巨蛋見面會。 B: 哇，這可是她單飛後首次來台。 A: 對啊，她的人氣持續高漲，是IG上粉絲最多的南韓歌手。 B: Jennie和Rose最近推出的新歌也都大受歡迎。 A: 希望她們和Jisoo趕快合體開唱吧！ （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩）
Can you recall the stuffed animal that played with you in happy times and comforted your sorrows during your childhood? These soft companions often became our first friends. Yet, as we grew up, many were left behind. This inspired Charlotte Liebling to found Loved Before and give these cherished toys a new opportunity to spread joy. The story begins while Liebling was volunteering at a charity secondhand store in London. There, she discovered numerous boxes filled with donated stuffed animals. As a lover of stuffed toys, she could see their emotional value, but she was also distressed by a
A: Apart from Blackpink member Lisa, who else is set to visit Taiwan? B: Supergroup Take That will perform in Kaohsiung on Nov. 16, followed by singer Dua Lipa in Taoyuan on Nov. 20. A: Oh my gosh, Take That was my favorite group when I was young. B: Plus, South Korean singer BoA is also coming to Taipei on Nov. 23. A: As a first-generation K-pop diva, BoA’s show will definitely be awesome. A: 除了Blackpink 成員Lisa，還有哪些藝人會來台？ B: 天團接招合唱團11月16日在高雄開唱，歌手杜娃黎波20日在桃園開唱。 A: 天啊，接招是我年輕時最愛的樂團！ B: 南韓歌手寶兒，23日也將在台北開唱。 A: 她可是第一代韓流天后，一定超精彩。 （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩）
RSS