Functional dark chocolate with microencapsulated phytosterols: Effect of phytosterols concentration and health claim information on consumers liking

The development of functional foods containing bioactive agents can be considered one of the most interesting topics in food research. Furthermore, probiotic chocolates and prebiotic chocolates are getting more attention. In order to improve the stability of bioactive agents as well as their bioavailability and efficacy, microencapsulation technique could be used. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of phytosterols concentration and health claim information on consumer liking of dark chocolate fortified with microencapsulated phytosterols (MPs). In light of this, dark chocolates (85% of cocoa) fortified with 0, 5, 10 and 15% MPs have been produced. The quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA) was performed in order to assess the sensory properties of experimental samples. For the determination of acceptability all samples were evaluated by 120 consumers in two scenarios: blind (no information), and informed (information on phytosterols health claim and their concentration). Willingness to buy (WTB) and willingness to pay (WTP) were also measured. MPs concentrations significantly affected sensory characteristics of dark chocolate with particular reference to appearance attributes (colour intensity, colour uniformity, presence of crystals) and texture attributes (meltingness, adhesiveness, grittiness). Acceptability of MPs blind samples was significantly lower than control blind and results showed that liking scores decreases with increasing concentration of the MPs. After information disclosure, significant differences in the liking categories were observed. The information had a positive effect on liking scores for all samples except for the control samples. In particular, after the information, the liking score of the sample 5 and 10% MPs did not result significantly different from that of control. After information disclosure, panelists testified to a higher WTB and WTP for MPs samples compared to control. The results showed that the success of a new functional product is closely linked to the information reported on the label.