Researchers are getting closer to finding a way to give milk chocolate the same nutritional value as dark chocolate. Until now, it has been widely believed that dark chocolate is healthier than milk chocolate. However, many people prefer chocolate that is less bitter, softer, and sweeter. This often meant giving up the heart-health benefits associated with dark chocolate. New scientific research suggests that this choice no longer has to be a long-term limitation.
Scientists have discovered a way to increase the nutritional value of milk chocolate—without changing its taste. Even more interestingly, this has been achieved by using an unexpected ingredient.
Chocolate and Antioxidants
Of course, no one should consume large amounts of chocolate simply because it is considered “healthy.” Chocolate is primarily composed of fat and sugar. Nevertheless, dark chocolate is rich in certain important chemical compounds linked to heart health—antioxidants. Antioxidants are also found in many fruits, vegetables, and nuts, and they help prevent harmful chemical reactions in the body known as oxidation.
Excessive oxidation can damage cells and contribute to the development of many diseases, including cancer and cardiovascular conditions. Cocoa beans—the main raw material for chocolate—are naturally rich in antioxidants. During chocolate production, cocoa beans are separated into cocoa solids and cocoa butter. When these two components are recombined without sugar, the result is an unsweetened chocolate with a fairly bitter taste. Adding sugar reduces this bitterness.
Milk chocolate also contains cocoa solids and cocoa butter, but because it includes more sugar and milk (or cream), it is lighter in color and milder in taste. However, when compared gram for gram, milk chocolate contains less cocoa than dark chocolate and, as a result, fewer antioxidants.
Is It Possible to Make It Healthier Without Changing the Taste?
The problem is that antioxidants usually have a bitter taste, and adding them to milk chocolate can negatively affect flavor. Food scientist Lisa L. Dean explains it this way:
“Antioxidants can create an unpleasant mouthfeel.”
Dean and her team, working at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and North Carolina State University, found a solution to this problem. They discovered a way to add antioxidants to milk chocolate without creating bitterness.
The key to this method is peanut skin extract. An extract is a substance derived from a natural source, usually in concentrated form. The researchers mixed this extract with an edible powder called maltodextrin. Maltodextrin is made from starchy foods such as potatoes, rice, or wheat and has a mildly sweet taste. It is already commonly used in many processed foods.
When this mixture was added to milk chocolate, the antioxidant level reached values comparable to those of dark chocolate—without altering the taste.
Taste Tests and Results
To confirm their findings, the researchers conducted taste tests with 100 volunteers. Participants were given three different samples of milk chocolate, only one of which contained peanut skin extract and maltodextrin.
The results showed that:
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80% of the volunteers did not notice any difference between the regular milk chocolate and the enriched version;
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20% of participants detected a slight bitterness.
This 20% belongs to a group scientists call “supertasters”—people who are especially sensitive to bitter flavors. According to researchers, about one in five people falls into this category. This means that for most consumers, the taste of milk chocolate would remain unchanged.
From Food Waste to a Source of Health
Interestingly, the original goal of the study was not to make milk chocolate healthier. The scientists were simply looking for a way to use peanut skins. In the United States, most peanuts are used to produce peanut butter, and the skins are typically discarded as waste. Each year, approximately 100 million pounds of peanut skins end up as garbage.
This new approach could both reduce food waste and contribute to the development of more health-enhancing products. However, it is important that chocolate containing peanut extract carries clear warning labels for people with peanut allergies.
Conclusion
This research demonstrates that with a scientific approach, even traditional sweets can be made more beneficial. Milk chocolate enriched with antioxidants—without compromising taste—may be considered an interesting innovation from both a health and environmental perspective.