BRUSSELS—A technique developed by the JRC Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements (IRMM) to detect and quantify so-called cocoa-butter equivalents (CBEs) in milk chocolate has become the first such method to be adopted as a standard by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The method was developed to enable the enforcement of the “Chocolate Directive”, which stipulates that European chocolate must not contain more than 5 percent vegetable fats, other than cocoa butter.
European legislation allows the addition of up to 5 percent of vegetable fats other than cocoa butter in chocolate products and stipulates that consumers be informed by appropriate labeling of the product. The threshold of 5 percent is also an essential requirement for these products to move freely within the internal market.
To help analytical chemists implement the testing methods for chocolate products correctly, JRC-IRMM also developed a set of toolboxes that feature method descriptions, electronic evaluation sheets, and links to the appropriate cocoa butter reference materials that can be downloaded by clicking here.
