Faccinetto-Beltrán Paulinna, Gómez-Fernández Andrea R, Santacruz Arlette, Jacobo-Velázquez Daniel A
Tecnologico de Monterrey, Escuela de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Av. General Ramón Corona 2514, Zapopan Jal. C.P. 45201, Mexico.
Tecnologico de Monterrey, Escuela de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Av. Eugenio Garza Sada 2501, Monterrey N.L. C.P. 64849, Mexico.
Foods. 2021 Sep 1;10(9):2065. doi: 10.3390/foods10092065.
Consumer demand for healthier foods with improved taste and convenience has urged the food industry to develop functional foods added with bioactive ingredients that can supplement basic nutrition (food supplement) or exert a pharmacological effect (nutraceuticals). Chocolate could be used as an ideal carrier to deliver bioactive ingredients, mainly due to its high acceptability by consumers. However, a drawback of using chocolate as functional food is its high sugar content, which impedes its commercialization with the diabetic population. Therefore, there is need to develop sugar-free chocolate formulations added with bioactive ingredients. Nevertheless, sugar replacement and bioactive ingredients addition is a major technological challenge that affects texture, rheology, and sensory properties of chocolate. This review is designed as a practical guide for researchers and food industries to develop the next generation of functional chocolates. Different functional chocolate formulations, including sugar-free, are reviewed as potential carriers for the delivery of bioactive compounds. The physicochemical properties and sensory acceptability of the functional chocolates presented are also highlighted. Finally, future perspectives, such as the use of nanotechnology to improve the bioaccessibility and bioavailability of active ingredients, as well as the need for clinical trials to validate the pharmacological effect of functional chocolates, are also discussed.
消费者对口感更佳且更方便的健康食品的需求促使食品行业开发添加了生物活性成分的功能性食品，这些成分可以补充基本营养（食品补充剂）或发挥药理作用（营养保健品）。巧克力可作为递送生物活性成分的理想载体，主要是因为消费者对其接受度高。然而，将巧克力用作功能性食品的一个缺点是其含糖量高，这阻碍了其在糖尿病患者群体中的商业化。因此，需要开发添加生物活性成分的无糖巧克力配方。尽管如此，糖的替代和生物活性成分的添加是一项重大的技术挑战，会影响巧克力的质地、流变学和感官特性。本综述旨在为研究人员和食品行业开发下一代功能性巧克力提供实用指南。对包括无糖巧克力在内的不同功能性巧克力配方作为生物活性化合物递送的潜在载体进行了综述。还强调了所展示的功能性巧克力的物理化学性质和感官可接受性。最后，还讨论了未来的展望，例如使用纳米技术提高活性成分的生物可及性和生物利用度，以及进行临床试验以验证功能性巧克力的药理作用的必要性。
