FSSAI Revised The Standards For Chocolate Including Addition Of Standards Of Two Types Of Chocolate

India is one of the fastest growing chocolate markets in the world. According to market research, chocolate is widely used as a gift because it is convenient and beneficial for consumers. The consumption of chocolate is gaining popularity in India due to a change in food and lifestyle habits which is increasing country’s cocoa imports. For maintaining quality and standards, the Food Safety and Standards came out with new standards for chocolate products¹.

Before you buy chocolate from the market it’s important to determine whether your product meets the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) standards of identity of chocolate.

FSSAI proposed the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Fourth Amendment Regulations, 2017 to revise the standards of chocolate including the addition of standards of two types of chocolate.

Use and labelling of vegetable fats in chocolate products²

According to International standards and CODEX, chocolate manufacturers can use vegetable fat up to 5 percent of the finished product other than cocoa butter. Earlier only cocoa butter was permitted in the existing standards of food regulations for chocolate.

FSSAI has specified that the chocolates which will contain vegetable fats other than cocoa butter, then proper labelling of the quantity of vegetable fats need to be mentioned in bold.

The regulations will provide all data pertaining to the source of vegetable fats and requirements used in a chocolate product.

Standards of vegetable fats²

The vegetable fats in chocolate can be used singly or in blends and must comply with the following standards:

• The vegetable fats must be non-lauric vegetable fats, that are rich in symmetrical monounsaturated triglycerides of the type POP (palmitic acid -oleic acid- palmitic acid), POSt (palmitic acid -oleic acid stearic acid) and StOSt (stearic acid -oleic acid- stearic acid)
• The vegetable fats must be miscible with the cocoa butter in any proportion and must be compatible with its physical properties like crystallization temperature, melting point, melting rate, need for tempering phase, etc.
• The vegetable fats should be produced by the process of refining or fractionation that excludes the enzymatic modification of the triglyceride structure and in conformity with the above standards.

Vegetable fats that are obtained from plants are permitted as cocoa butter equivalents are:

• Mango kernel (Mangiferaindica)
• Palm oil (Elaeisguineensis and Elaeisolifera)
• Dhupa Fat (Vateriaindica)
• Sal (Shorea robusta)
• Kokum gurgi (Garcinia indica)
• Phulwara fat (Madhucabutyracea)
• Mahua Oil (Bassialatifolia or B. long folio)
• Dharma be fat (Garcinia cambogia)

Types of chocolates²

• Milk chocolate
• Milk covering chocolate
• Plain chocolate
• Plain covering chocolate
• Blended chocolate
• White chocolate
• Filled chocolate
• Composite chocolate

In addition, new chocolate products permitted by FSSAI:

• Praline means a product in a single mouthful size, where the amount of the chocolate component shall not be less than 25 per cent of the total weight of the product; the product shall consist of either filled chocolate or a single or combination of the chocolate.
• Couverture chocolate shall contain, on a dry matter basis, not less than 35 per cent total cocoa solids of which not less than 31 per cent shall be cocoa butter and not less than 2.5 per cent fat-free cocoa solids

All the varieties should contain chocolate at least 25 per cent of the total weight of the product.

Regulations proposed by FSSAI allow the use of permitted artificial sweetener and food additives in chocolate products. Food Business Operators (FBO) can use the following substances:

• Edible Salts
• Spices and condiments
• Vitamins and minerals
• Permitted stabilizing and emulsifying agents
• Permitted sequestering and buffering agents

For more information about FSSAI regulations for marketing and selling of chocolate products, contact www.foodsafetymantra.com

References

1. http://www.indianmirror.com/indian-industries/chocolate.html.Accessed on 09.01.2019
2. Final Gazette Notification (F. No. Stds/SCSS&H/Notification (02)/FSSAI-2016 dated 15th May 2017) regarding revised standards for chocolates. (Uploaded on: 01.06.2017). Available at: https://www.fssai.gov.in/home/fss-legislation/notifications/gazette-notification.html.Accessed as on 10.01.19