Formulation and Evaluation of Iron-Rich Chocolate Spread from Sugarcane Syrup and Sunflower Seeds

Abstract

Anemia is widely recognized as a serious public health problem and the most common type of micronutrient deficiency globally. Developing a product enriched with iron to overcome this issue has received excessive attention. For this purpose, sugarcane syrup and sunflower seeds were utilized as sugar and hazelnut substitutes in chocolate spread production. Four formulations were created and assessed for their chemical, texture, and sensory attributes, as well as their iron content by microwave plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (MP-AES) and compared with a commercial product. Fat and sugar levels were reduced by 2-1.3 and 1-1.5 times, respectively, in the samples. Increasing the percentage of sugarcane syrup raised the iron content 3- to 6-fold. Peroxide and free fatty acid values indicate that iron negatively affects the oil quality of the developed samples. The samples could be recommended as novel products that are preferred as a healthy and low-cost chocolate spread.