The amount of cocoa in the instant cocoa beverage does not apply. It is therefore entirely at the discretion of the manufacturer how much of this expensive raw material to give to the powder mix. However, it must be included on the packaging. Required information was given on all products except Cola Cao Energy, which did not declare the amount of cocoa.
"We tested 16 samples of well-known and string brands of instant cocoa. We found the least cocoa for Tesco Value Cocoa Drink (11.1%), similarly with Caffeteria Mokate Tigo (11.6%). Especially on the example of the Tesco Value brand, it turned out that where there is no cocoa, sugar can be found there, " says Hana Hoffmann, editor-in-chief of dTest.
In terms of quantity, the main raw material of all tested cocoa beverages was sugar with a content of at least 60% by weight of the mixture. Mostly, the amount of sugar ranged from 70 to 80%. Over 80% of the Sugar Limit reached the Lidl / Monte Santos brands Johny Cacao and Tesco Value Cocoa Drink.
One thing is, how much sugar is in powder and the second, how much powder do you put in a mug of milk. "By calculating the nutritional values and the prescribed dosage, we found out how much sugar the baby consumes in a 200ml cup of the resulting beverage. From this perspective, the most cherished beverage from the Caffeteria Mokate Tigo product will be created. In one mug, the consumer drinks 21.6 g of dissolved sugar, which is more than a healthy five-year-old should receive for a full day, " remarks Hana Hoffmann. A large portion of the recommended daily amount of sugar drinks in a cup of Tesco Value Cocoa Drink (17.6 g), Tesco Instant Cocoa Beverage (15.8 g), Kaufland / K-Classic Schoko Drink (15.6 g) and Penny / Choco'la Chocao (15.6 g). In these calculations, dTest took into account only the sugar introduced by the instant cocoa. In fact, the sugar baby would drink even more, because the milk itself would add another 9 grams of milk sugar to a 200ml glass.
The translucency of cocoa beverages once again came to the test at the tasting. Even there were some products with too sweet tastes.
"Thanks to the chemical analysis of Nestlé Nesquik twins, we were able to verify the suspicion of double quality. The product destined for the Czech market was a little more cocoa than it was for the British market. With sensory evaluation (color, smell, taste), the British product was better off despite the worse composition, " summarizes Hana Hoffmann.
To the surprise of many consumers, instant cocoa mixes contain relatively enough salt. Only a sufficient mark (quote) was taken by Coke Cao, Granko, Tesco Value and British Nesquik due to salt. The salt content exceeded the declared amount and saved the officially established tolerance from the insufficient mark.
The good news for instant cocoa consumers is that in the test for the presence of undesirable substances (mineral oils or ochratoxin A), the tested products did not have problems.
Intake of sugar
The inhabitants of the Czech Republic consume an average of 26 cubes of sugar, ie about 130 g. Adult individuals recommend that the World Health Organization (WHO) as a health adviser reduces the intake of free sugars below 5% of the total intake of energy, ie under 25 grams per day, sugar. Five-year-olds, according to WHO recommendations, should reduce the intake of added sugars to 21 grams per day, equivalent to four cubes of sugar.
Source: tz dTest.cz