• Ruby Chocolate is a new type of chocolate. It is pink in color and has been on the market since late 2017.
• Barry Callebaut, the Belgian-Swiss chocolate manufacturers holds the credit for developing and manufacturing it.

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Ruby Chocolate-The origin

Everyone is aware that there are three main types of chocolates. These are dark, white, and milk chocolates.

But Barry Callebaut, the Belgian-Swiss chocolate maker has invented a new form of chocolate called Ruby chocolate. They hold a patent for it since 2009 and the characteristic thing is that the chocolate is pink in color.

It is therefore considered the fourth type of chocolate and its development started in 2005. The company then patented it in 2009 and is now selling it in the market world. They use special ruby cocoa beans that are grown in Brazil, Ecuador, and the Ivory Coast.

Ruby chocolate: manufacturing process

The pink-colored chocolate is a special confectionery with a different taste. Initially, the cocoa beans are the same as that for the other three types of chocolates.

But instead of just fermentation and drying of the powder, there is one extra stage in the making of the chocolate. The company adds acid to the mixture before the fermentation.

This 24-hour exposure provides a pink hue to the product. Besides this, there is no other artificial color or flavor added to the ruby chocolate, claim the manufacturers.

But they will not disclose the whole process of the making of the chocolate since it is a secret and patented method. The company states that they add a ‘particular mix of compounds’ that is responsible also for the pink color.

These highly pigmented polyphenols undergo a unique processing technique in their factory. All of this offers the product a pink color.

The patent description reads that it has petroleum ether to remove the fatty acids and preserve the color.

Pink Chocolate: Taste

Pink chocolate or Ruby chocolate has a different taste than the other varieties of chocolate.

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The firm describes it thus:

“The flavor is neither bitter, milky, or sweet. It’s rather a tension of fresh berry fruitiness and luscious smoothness.”

Some people have called this different taste as been sour, yogurt-like taste, tart, or tangy. Isabel Maples is the spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and she opines:

“Ruby chocolate is quite sweet and tastes like raspberry-flavored white chocolate with some milk chocolate added,”

The US FDA does not categorize Ruby chocolate as chocolate because though it has all the ingredients of chocolate, the proportions are different and hence it does not exactly fit the criteria of chocolate laid down by the FDA.

Isabel states:

“The FDA has a code of federal regulations that define food categories based on what ingredients can or need to be in there, the maximum or minimum amount of certain ingredients, and the percentage of ingredient compositions,”

She continued:

“Ruby technically has all of those ingredients that appear in regular chocolate: cocoa butter, sugar, milk powder, and unsweetened chocolate,”

 The chocolate’s nutrition level

Pink chocolate has flavanols in it that are actually a type of phytonutrients and hence they are beneficial for humans. And like the other chocolates, Ruby chocolate also has stearic acid. This is a saturated fat that does not raise blood cholesterol. It also has an anti-oxidant like the other chocolates and these are good for the body. Isabel said:

“I’m not aware of any testing to verify the phytonutrient content of ruby chocolate and to verify that the acid used to treat the cocoa beans doesn’t affect the flavanol activity,”

Also read Chocolates are not only for guilty indulgence! They also have health benefits!