Milk being the core ingredient of chocolate, a Finnish dairy, and food company Valio harnessed artificial intelligence to showcase the taste of the future. A new milk chocolate piece titled “The Bar” is designed by humans, and its recipe is based on AI analysis of milk chocolate lovers’ thoughts, cravings, and tastes around the world. Valio created the futuristic concept together with local chocolate artists of Kultasuklaa company, meaning that Valio itself has not switched to chocolate manufacturing. The Bar is a proof of concept of what the dairy company’s milk powder solution can do and what the future of milk chocolate could look like.
“The needs and preferences of global milk chocolate fans are changing. Growing awareness of health challenges affects the confectionery industry with governments around the world already starting to regulate sugar use and consumption. With our Valio Bettersweet™ solution the taste remains the same even though the amount of sugar is reduced,” says Valio’s senior vice president Timo Pajari.
Pioneering in the dairy industry requires constant learning on how technology can be utilized in the product development of dairy ingredients. Last spring the company analyzed with artificial intelligence over 1.5M public milk chocolate-related social media discussions around the world and surveyed hundreds of people about their preferences regarding chocolate. The AI analysis was produced by the Finnish company Aiwo Digital in cooperation with Valio’s consumer insight team.
“We wanted to unravel the most delicious and hidden desires of milk chocolate fans. By connecting the capabilities of AI, human craftsmanship, and design with our milk powder know-how we were able to create the chocolate of the future. Observing and curating conversations on social media enabled us to draw conclusions about authentic consumer preferences,” says Pajari.
Five different layers for different use cases
The results showed silent signals and emerging milk chocolate trends with two main conclusions. First, there is no single favorite chocolate taste, filling, or size as consumers want to enjoy different kinds of milk chocolate in different situations. Second, people want to indulge in milk chocolate with good conscience. The taste and sweetness are very important but at the same time, consumers want milk chocolate to be healthier and natural with less sugar.
The recipe for healthier dream chocolate was based on AI’s findings: five different chocolates with less sugar. Each chocolate has a different taste and texture designed to fit a different use case: impulse, craving, delight, hunger, and relaxation. From bite to bite new sensations get discovered and gradually build upon each other. The topographic design of the bar designed by professional designers allows the layers to be easily separated for enjoyment at a suitable time.
“The Bar’s chocolate flavors form a new kind of alternative to the traditional chocolate box, where different chocolate flavors are combined together instead of separated. Each layer of milk chocolate is made for different situations in life. In addition to plain milk chocolate flavor, the other layers are enhanced with nuts and cookie crumbs,” Pajari says.
Future milk chocolate has 30% less sugar with no change in taste
To answer the growing need for healthier and natural milk chocolate, The Bar’s milk chocolate has 30% less sugar than regular. It is also lactose-free. This is achieved without changing the sweet taste or texture of the milk chocolate by using Valio Bettersweet™ solution in the recipe.
Valio Bettersweet™ is a milk powder solution that enables natural sugar reduction in any milk chocolate product by using the proteins in milk reducing the need for added sugar. Utilizing the solution chocolate manufacturers can fully dispense with artificial sweeteners. The 30% sugar reduction is just the beginning, as Valio already has solutions under development that can eliminate the amount of added sugar completely.
“We see that future milk chocolate will have less sugar and only natural ingredients, without compromising the familiar taste. The Bar concept showcases how our Bettersweet™ milk powder solution does exactly that, but also how we can utilize AI to create even better products to cater to the changing needs and desires of customers. Wherever the chocolate landscapes of the future will develop, with Valio Bettersweet™ it’s always made better,” Pajari says.
Read more about The Bar, its natural recipe, great taste, and functional futuristic design on Valio’s website.