IT is the the treat we all crave when we are a bit down.
Whether it’s coming up for your time of the month or you’re simply feeling below par, chocolate can provide a much-needed boost.
Now Scottish student scientists have found a way to add age-old herbal remedies for premenstrual syndrome and fatigue in to the usual fatty sugary mix.
Fourth-years at Dundee’s Abertay University have come up with a whole new range of chocolate bars, each designed to tackle a specific health issue.
The Cocoa Being range comes in four distinct flavours – Beetroot and Raspberry, Spirulina and Orange, Sweet Potato and Blackberry and Yerba Mate and Coconut.
The products were developed by fourth year students Thomas Macneil, Sarah Miles, Katie Beattie and Arlena Birrell who set out with the aim of developing healthy chocolate bars.
Sarah Miles was the student behind the Beetroot and Raspberry bar.
The product contains raspberry leaf, a herbal remedy which has been used for centuries as a women’s health aid.
Ms Miles said: “We initially set out to create a range of healthy chocolate bars, but after conducting consumer research we realised that interest in a sweet product that has had elements stripped away to create a ‘healthier’ option was limited.
“Instead of taking away ingredients we decided to add them instead to create indulgent chocolate that had an added health claim.
“The Beetroot and Raspberry bar, for example, is rich in potassium thanks to the beetroot, and calcium and magnesium from the raspberry leaf. This helps with things like cramps and bloating.”
Raspberry leaf is most often consumed as a tea . There is little research on its effects but some women take it to ease the symptoms of PMS.
Ms Miles added: “You see that negative stereotype of women being grumpy on their period and ‘give them chocolate’.
“So why not reclaim that and make it a positive and make a chocolate with beetroot with calcium and magnesium to relieve cramping and bloating and the raspberry leaf?”
Chocolate cravings have been linked to the menstrual cycle but international studies have suggested this is culture-specific.
It was Thomas Macneil who came up with the idea of putting Mate, the iconic south American tea linked with increased alertness in to chocolate.
Mate is ubiquitous in Argentina and Uruguay and drunk elsewhere in South America. In recent years it has become increasingly popular as an alternative pick-me-up to coffee in the United States and Europe. Drinkers include Barack Obama and Madonna.
Chocolate drinks with mate are already sold in the UK but Mr Macneil admits it is still a relative newcomer.
He said: “Mate isn’t an ingredient that everyone will be familiar with, but it’s a tea that originates in South America.
“Benefits include mental clarity and alertness. Think of it as being like coffee, but without the negative side effects. It doesn’t give you insomnia and you won’t get jittery from it.
“It’s quite a bitter substance, and it was quite challenging to make it palatable.
“Ultimately Cocoa Being bars are still a treat. We’ve tried to look at what commercial chocolate bars aren’t doing and we’ve based our range around that.”
Jon Wilkin, from Abertay’s Division of Food and Drink, said: “The students haven’t just created a unique range of products – they were involved with every stage of the process.
“They undertook consumer studies, pitched the product to a panel of academics, worked out whether it would be financially viable and even created the chocolate itself from cocoa nibs, which isn’t something a chocolatier would ordinarily do.
“This is an example of the broad range of skills developed and utilised by our food students.”
The students have also developed packaging for their new product range. Abertay has a philosophy of preparing its students for the world of work and prides itself than 95 per cent of its graduates find a job within six months of leaving.
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