Nocoa – chocolate without cocoa

• Nocoa, the 100% cocoa-free chocolate, is developed by Planet A Foods to reduce pressure on cocoa supply chains.

Along with palm oil and coconut oil, cocoa is among the most popular ingredients used in confectionery. But all these ingredients, grown in biodiverse regions along the Equator, are associated with massive deforestation. Their production is responsible for the emission of about 500 megatons of CO2 per year, and the demand is constantly increasing. It has been estimated that, globally, almost 5 million tons of cocoa are produced annually, three quarters of which are produced in Africa. Analyst data from Fortune Business Insights forecasts that the global cocoa and chocolate market will grow from the current value of $48,29 billion to $67,99 billion by 2029, at a compound growth rate (CAGR) of 4,98 %.

German start-up Planet A Foods wants to replace tropical ingredients with locally grown and produced alternatives, starting with cocoa. Brothers Dr. Maximilian Marquart and Dr. Sara Marquart, founders of Planet A Foods, declare for FoodNavigator that their approach is indeed an ambitious one and is in no way based on an attitude "anti-chocolate".

Dr. Maximilian Marquart explains: "Currently, the cocoa supply chain is overstretched. We need 5 million tonnes per year to meet global demand, and if you consider climate change, what ar need to happen to supply those 5 million tonnes? Am can ARRIVEit's to more short-term deforestation and, ultimately, a potential cocoa shortage."
Planet A Foods aims to build a viable alternative to support the cocoa supply chain and eliminate "a bit of the pressure he's under" by getting one 100% cocoa-free chocolates.

Cocoa powder, cocoa butter and mass of cocoa – no cocoa?

How can you get chocolate without cocoa? The Munich start-up has developed a fermentation process that transforms ingredients grown in Germany and generally in the northern part of the globe into ingredients "more valuable", alternatives to palm oil and cocoa.

"We start with cocoa and chocolate", says Dr. Marquart. "If climate change hits hard, the supply of cocoa will decrease. In addition to the sustainability aspect, there is also the risk aspect of supply chain disruption that we want to address. That's why we focus on cocoa and chocolate at first, and then move on to palm oil and coconut oil."

Two ingredients without cocoa

Planet A Foods is working on two cocoa-free ingredients: a cocoa powder substitute and another cocoa butter substitute. The predominant ingredient in cocoa powder substitute is oats. "We ferment and roast the oats in a special way. This is proprietary technology that my sister, Sara, developed", explained Dr. Marquart. "She developed a method that turns oats into something that tastes like cocoa."

The other ingredient, designed to replace cocoa butter, uses precision fermentation technology. Precision fermentation allows microorganisms such as yeast to produce complex organic molecules. Planet A Foods uses by-products from the food industry, such as molasses from sugar beets, to feed an oleaginous yeast strain capable of producing a cocoa butter equivalent. By mixing these two ingredients, the alternatives cocoa powder and cocoa butter, a cocoa-free chocolate can be produced. The company already has alternatives for dark chocolate and white chocolate in the pipeline.

Nocoa – the first product line already on the market

Cocoa alternatives produced by Planet A Foods are novel foods and as such will require the approval of competent authorities prior to commercialization. First market for Nope Butter will be USA, and for Nope Powder, European union.

The start-up already has the first line of products on the market, under the Nocoa brand. It is a product developed from Planet A Foods cocoa powder substitute that behaves in a similar way to conventional chocolate mass and is "the first" cocoa-free chocolate in the world, according to company representatives.

The company has also developed a cocoa concentrate alternative based on oat fermentation technology called Walnut Concentrate, in powder/powder form, for use in various preparations, including beverages and ice cream. "The concentrate is in the technological process phase, and by the end of 2022 Planet A Foods will be able to produce several hundred kilograms per hour of this product." says Dr. Marquart.

Walnut Concentrate it is already marketed through B2B partnerships, the preferred network of the German company, with food service operators predominantly in the ice cream industry. “Our aim is to provide superior quality ingredients to confectionery companies such as Mars, Nestlé and Mondelēz. Din terms of the segment we're targeting, you could ultimately compare us to Barry Callebaut or Cargill."

Planet A Foods is also working on a recipe with a third-party supplier to combine its Nocoa concentrate with plant-based fats until Nocoa butter gets regulatory approval for marketing.

Startup Planet A Foods claims to offer a product that works "perfect" in preparations such as cakes, but it can also be used in the production of M&M candies or chocolate bars.

Nocoa versus chocolateă: taste, nutritional values, sustainability

But does it really taste like chocolate? “Yes, it tastes like milk chocolate. It's very tasty", the company's co-founder replied. They base their claims on a taste study conducted with experts from the Fraunhofer Institute. “They tested Nocoa against conventional milk chocolate in a Snickers-like bar. They couldn't tell the difference between the two."

Planet A Foods is now working with specialist firms to help assess and quantify the sensory experience. "The difference between conventional milk chocolate and Nocoa is getting smaller and smaller. Could a consumer to FIND the difference in taste between a product where Nocoa is just one of the many ingredients used? It is extremely unlikely.” And in terms of taste sensation, Nocoa is close to the vegan chocolates on the market, and the way it melts is similar to regular chocolate.

The nutritional profile of Nocoa is also similar to that of chocolate and the calorie content is also similar, while the sugar content of Nocoa is reduced. One of the added benefits of using oats, Dr. Marquart explained, is its natural sweetness.. "That's why 30% less sugar is used in our products."

In terms of environmental impact, the carbon footprint of regular chocolate is between 4 kg and 45 kg CO2 per kg of product. Planet A Foods aims to deliver a product with a footprint of less than 2kg CO2 per kg of product and has partnered with CarbonCloud to help calculate its environmental footprint.

Article written by Gabriela Dan, Editor of Arta Albă

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