Reformulation of a Chocolate Spread: Impact of Replacing Cocoa With Carob.

Cocoa prices are expected to continue rising due to strong demand and unstable crop yields, increasing the need for plant-based alternatives in chocolate spread formulations. This study aimed to investigate the effects of replacing cocoa powder with carob powder (0-100%) on the physicochemical, nutritional, textural, structural, and sensory properties of chocolate spreads. Cocoa and carob powders were first comparatively characterized, and six spread formulations containing 0, 20, 35, 50, 75, and 100% carob substitution were produced under standardized conditions. Color, nutritional composition, texture, oil syneresis, and sensory properties were evaluated, and Partial Least Squares (PLS) regression was used to identify the main predictors of sensory perception. Increasing carob substitution increased lightness and soluble sugars while reducing protein, lipid, and polyphenol contents. Hardness increased progressively, whereas spreadability decreased markedly, particularly between 35 and 50% substitution. Oil syneresis was highest in the intermediate formulations (5.8-7.5%) and lowest in the extreme formulations (3.0-3.8%). Sensory profiling revealed that cocoa aromatic identity was maintained up to 50% substitution, while texture descriptors did not significantly discriminate among formulations despite instrumental differences. PLS regression identified hue angle, soluble sugars, and lightness as major predictors of visual chocolate identity. Overall, the results indicate that 35-50% cocoa replacement with carob represents a promising reformulation range, offering nutritional benefits while maintaining structural stability and sensory quality.