Cadbury UK has filed a patent for what it calls “Temperature Tolerant Chocolate (TTC).” The normal melting temperature for chocolate is 93 degrees Fahrenheit but TTC can easily withstand temperatures of up to 104 degrees Fahrenheit.
It was accomplished not with chemical additives but by refining the “conching process,” which evenly distributes the fat that makes chocolate taste so good but also makes it prone to melting. They added an extra step, in which the fat covered sugar particles are sheared to expose the sugar underneath and create a “more sugar continuous system (sugar matrix).” Think of it as an M&M shell on the inside.
The discovery is bitter sweet though. Tony Bilsborough, the head of Corporate Affairs for Kraft Foods, says the bars won’t taste the same.
“The melting point is what makes the bar so attractive, as that is what releases the flavor,” explains Bilsborough. “If it melts at a higher temperature, it will take longer for it to melt in the mouth.”
The product is only intended for warmer climates where refrigeration is an issue. The British-based company won’t be offering it locally, which leaves at least one Brit with a bad taste in his mouth. Robert Halfon, Conservative MP for Harlow, still resents the purchase of Cadbury by Kraft Foods, an American company.
“Kraft promised British chocolate for British people when they took over Cadbury,” he argues. “But it seems that we do all the innovating, then they give the best of British to people overseas.
“This is incredibly disappointing. We invented this brand and now British workers are not being allowed to enjoy the chocolate of their labours. I would urge them to reconsider this and allow British people to have same rights as chocolate-eaters in other countries.”