In the middle of the Christmas season, it is time for chocolates, polvorones and nougat, the sweetest protagonist of Christmas in Spain. Increasingly, brands are bringing out new flavors and highly appetizing blends, and in addition to the hard and white classics, the Chocolate nougat is undoubtedly the star.
The OCU has carried out a study of the variety of nougats available in the market, analyzing its price, its appearance, its taste and its ingredients. Specifically, they have chosen 17 nougats, and the result is surprising because none has a good grade.
The OCU examination warns that most chocolate nougats, unlike what usually happens with tablets, contain different fats (and of inferior quality) to cocoa butter: sunflower oil, palm fat or shea butter, that is, it lacks chocolate. Regarding the crunchiness, it is usually achieved thanks to a mixture of rice flour, corn and salt. With these two premises, it is not surprising that the result has been “disappointing, and in 8 of the 17 nougats, directly bad”, according to the OCU.
In addition, according to the information released by the OCU, “only two of the chocolate nougats analyzed are limited to using cocoa butter, which is what it should be, avoiding those other strange fats, and they are faithful to what should be a traditional chocolate. In fact, all brands have added aromas and that “distorts the natural flavor of cocoa and butter.”
Many nougats use inadvisable products, such as E476 (polyglycerol polyricinoleate) which is used as a texturizer in cocoa products, but which “can alter the mucosa and intestinal flora, which can cause problems in the long run”.
Regarding the organoleptic qualities (appearance, flavor and texture), the result has not been good either. The OCU pastry experts have detected in the analyzed nougats that the sweetness is excessive, the chocolate lacks shine, the mixtures are not homogeneous, the chocolate does not melt in the mouth, they have little aroma… For all these details important, 8 of the 17 products analyzed have not even reached the “acceptable” level.
These two nougats are the best
Of the 17 nougats analysed, only 9 have been tested and none have been classified as “good quality”, so the study recommends an alternative: opt directly for chocolate. But there are two that do stand out among all: it is the crunchy chocolate nougat from El Corte Inglés. It is the only crisp, with a bright color, adequate thickness and a good melt in the mouth.
Supreme Quality crunchy chocolate nougat tablet 250 g
Another of the acceptable chocolate nougats is Peak, The one with the best composition because it uses only cocoa butter, instead of substituting it with lower quality fats, “is the best valued”, they explain from the OCU.
Photos | vitonic
