Nutritional balance of typical chocolates - 2011

[PEREZGONZALEZ Jose D (2011). Nutritional balance of typical chocolates. Journal of Knowledge Advancement & Integration (ISSN 1177-4576), 2011, pages 35-38.] [Printer friendly]

Nutritional balance of typical chocolates

The nutritional balance of typical chocolates was studied by Pérezgonzález in 20111. A sample of chocolate bars, chocolate blocks and bonbons currently available in New Zealand shared a similar nutritional profile yet differed enough as to being able to be separated into particular categories. The most populated categories3 shared a nutritional profile characterized as being low in protein, high in fat, high in saturated fat, low in fiber4 and low in sodium. Typical chocolates, the most frequent category, differed from the others in also being high in sugar but low in total carbohydrate (see profile in illustration 2).

On average, the typical chocolate has a nutritional balance of BNI 126.94-fb, being particularly unbalanced towards deficiency in fiber4.

Illustration 1: Nutrition information (typical chocolates)
BNI 126.94-fb 0.00
Food, 100g 2011 Ideal
Protein 7.2 26.6
Carbohydrate 53.1 73.3
Sugars 47.4 < 13.3
Fat 32.4 14.8
Saturated fat 17.8 < 5.9
Fiber 0.1 8.0
Sodium 0.091 < 0.533
Kcal 532.8 532.8
kJul 2229.2 2229.2
Illustration 2: Nutritional profile (typical)
55% *
50% *
45% *
40% * *
35% * *
30% * *
25% * *
20% * *
15% * *
10% * *
5% * * *
mid p c f fb
max s sf na
5% * * *
10% * *
15% * *
20% * *
25% * *
30% * *
35% *
ideal % = grey cells; actual % = asterisk (*)

International standards

Typical chocolates show small changes in their indexing across different international Recommended Dietary Intakes (RDIs), with US/CAN index showing the largest discrepancies, namely because US/CAN standards allow for more sugars to be consumed (see illustration 3). Overall, however, all nutritional indexes are high and relatively similar to each other, indicating that the nutritional composition of typical chocolates would be deemed highly unbalanced by several countries.

Illustration 3: Nutritional balance across different RDIs (typical chocolates)
Typical chocolates average 126.94 126.94 87.61 117.61 114.94
Product100g Company BNI WHO US/CAN AUS/NZ UK
Milo Nestle 109.93 109.93 79.93 109.93 105.93
Twix Twix 112.30 112.30 82.30 112.30 108.30
Picnic Cadbury 115.94 115.94 75.94 105.94 103.94
Snickers Snickers 116.58 116.58 76.58 106.58 104.58
The Original Peanut Slab Whittaker's 116.68 116.68 76.68 106.68 104.68
Picnic fruit & nut Cadbury 119.52 119.52 81.32 111.32 107.52
Dark cooking chocolate Home Brand 121.93 121.93 81.93 111.93 109.93
Guylian Dark 72% Guylian 122.51 122.51 94.73 112.51 110.51
Maltesers Mars 123.59 123.59 93.59 123.59 119.59
Scarborough Fair decadence Scarborough Fair 123.60 123.60 88.96 113.60 111.60
Scarborough Fair enigma Scarborough Fair 123.60 123.60 88.96 113.60 111.60
Scarborough Fair sinless Scarborough Fair 123.60 123.60 88.96 113.60 111.60
Scarborough Fair sublime Scarborough Fair 123.60 123.60 88.96 113.60 111.60
Old Gold 70% cocoa Cadbury 123.68 123.68 92.83 113.68 111.68
M&M's peanut Mars 124.29 124.29 84.29 114.29 112.29
Time Out Cadbury 126.53 126.53 93.07 123.07 119.07
KitKat Nestle 128.16 128.16 98.16 128.16 124.16
Moro Gold Cadbury 129.76 129.76 99.76 129.76 125.76
Dairy Milk caramello Cadbury 130.04 130.04 100.04 130.04 126.04
Dairy Milk fruit & nut Cadbury 130.13 130.13 93.51 123.51 119.51
Dairy Milk roast almond Cadbury 130.54 130.54 90.54 120.54 118.54
Ferrero Rocher Ferrero Rocher 131.91 131.91 91.91 121.91 119.91
Guylian milk with hazelnuts Guylian 131.93 131.93 91.93 121.93 119.93
Excellence blueberry intense Lindt & Sprungli 132.43 132.43 92.43 122.43 120.43
Excellence chilli Lindt & Sprungli 132.62 132.62 99.90 129.90 125.90
Twirl Cadbury 133.43 133.43 103.43 133.43 129.43
Dairy Milk Cadbury 133.51 133.51 103.51 133.51 129.51
Flake luxury Cadbury 134.07 134.07 104.07 134.07 130.07
Flake Cadbury 134.42 134.42 104.42 134.42 130.42
Dairy Milk duo Cadbury 134.58 134.58 104.58 134.58 130.58
Aero Nestle 134.79 134.79 104.79 134.79 130.79
Excellence ginger Lindt & Sprungli 135.95 135.95 99.89 129.89 125.89
Excellence sea salt Lindt & Sprungli 135.95 135.95 99.89 129.89 125.89
Bounty Mars 136.30 136.30 106.30 136.30 132.30
Milkybar Nestle 137.11 137.11 107.06 137.06 133.06
Lindt pistache Lindt & Sprungli 137.95 137.95 97.95 127.95 125.95
Guylian white with hazelnuts Guylian 138.64 138.64 98.64 128.64 126.64
Skor Hershey's 140.06 140.06 107.15 137.15 133.15

Correlations between indexes are also very high and significantly so. This suggests that the nutritional balance reported by the BNI™ index matches that of other nutritional standards. (Said otherwise, that typical chocolates and bonbons tend to form a similar hierarchy when indexed using different international standards).

Illustration 4: Correlations between RDIs
BNI WHO US/CAN AUS/NZ
WHO 1.000
(sig.) .000
US/CAN .882 .882
(sig.) .000 .000
AUS/NZ .892 .892 .959
(sig.) .000 .000 .000
UK .920 .920 .962 .997
(sig.) .000 .000 .000 .000

Author

Jose D PEREZGONZALEZ (2011). Massey University, Turitea Campus, Private Bag 11-222, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand. (JDPerezgonzalezJDPerezgonzalez).


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