What is the difference between semisweet and milk chocolate?
In this brief guide, we are going to answer the question,”What is the difference between semisweet and milk chocolate?”, and discuss what semisweet and milk chocolate is, the nutritional profile, health benefits and health risks of consuming chocolates.
What is the difference between semisweet and milk chocolate?
The difference between semisweet and milk chocolate is that milk chocolate is lighter and sweeter than semisweet chocolate.
The amount of cocoa solids in semi sweet chocolate is 10-15%, whereas milk chocolate contains 35% or more of cocoa solids. Semisweet chocolate contains fewer calories than milk chocolate.
What is semisweet chocolate?
Semisweet chocolate is a type of chocolate that has a dark brown colour and a bitter taste. It contains sugar and papaya in half and half proportions.
The amount of sugars present in chocolate to be considered as sweet in taste should have higher than 50% of sugars, hence the term semisweet, as it contains only fifty percent. Semisweet chocolate is not eaten as a chocolate alone, but is used for voong and baking of confectionary items. ‘
A chocolate should have 35% pure chocolate to be called a semi sweet chocolate.
What is milk chocolate?
Milk chocolate is a type of chocolate that has at least 10% pure chocolate and the rest of it consists of cocoa butter, sugar and milk products. The milk used in chocolates can be in the form of a powder, condensed or liquid. The presence of milk fats in milk makes the milk chocolate smooth and creamy.
What are the uses of semisweet chocolate and milk chocolate?
Smeiseet chocolate is used to make sweet desserts such as chocolate chips and cookies. It also pairs up well with flavours of coffee, and with fruits such as mango and raspberry due its rich dark flavour.
The flavour and taste of milk butter pairs well with peanut butter, caramel and toffee. Milk chocolate is better paired with mild flavours as bold flavours tend to overwhelm the sweetness of milk chocolate.
What is the nutritional profile of chocolates?
Light chocolates which include milk chocolate contain 531 Cals, 8.5 grams proteins, 58 g carbohydrates, 30.5 g fats and 54 g sugars in 100 grams. Chocolates have negligible amounts of iron but significant amounts of phosphorus, potassium, sodium and calcium.
Darker chocolates have about 556 calories, 5.5 g proteins, 60 g carbohydrates, 32.4 g fats, and 47 g sugars. They have low amounts of iron, calcium, sodium and phosphorus but contain significant amounts of potassium.
What are the health benefits of eating chocolate?
Chocolate is beneficial for the prevention of diabetes, coronary heart disease and hypertension and it is believed to contain high levels of antioxidants because of the presence of polyphenols. Chocolate has also shown to lower cholesterol levels, and the prevention of memory decline.
Chocolate is also shown to keep the brain healthy by improving the blood flow to all parts of the brain and prevent damage to pathways of nerves in Alzheimer’s patients. Those who eat chocolate have less chances of stroke and cardiometabolic disorders.
About one ounce of chocolate in pregnancy may be helpful in the growth and development of the foetus.
Chocolate boosts oxygen availability to cells in athletes during fitness training which improves the performance of athletes.
What happens if you eat too much chocolate?
Consuming chocolate in increased amounts can lead to weight gain because chocolate, whether light or dark, is high in calories, fats and sugars. The high levels of sugars and frequent consumption can lead to tooth decay or dental caries.
Chocolates can also cause migraines due to the presence of tyramine, histamine and phenylalanine in cocoa beans from which the chocolate is made. Some scientific evidence also shows that increased chocolate consumption can lead to osteoporosis, by decreasing bone mineral density and bone strength.
The cocoa powders used for making chocolate can contain heavy metals such as cadmium and lead, which can become toxic to the kidneys, bones and other tissues of the body in the long term, when the chocolate is consumed frequently.
Other FAQs about Chocolates that you may be interested in.
How do you spell chocolate in Spanish?
How long can molded chocolate be stored?
How much caffeine is in chocolate covered coffee beans?
Conclusion
In this brief guide, we answered the question,”What is the difference between semisweet and milk chocolate?”, and discussed what semisweet and milk chocolate is, the nutritional profile, health benefits and health risks of consuming chocolates.
