Scientists have developed ‘naturally pink’ chocolate and everyone’s totally on board

Scientists in Switzerland claim to have invented a new type of chocolate – and it’s naturally pink.

Ruby chocolate gets its name from the Ruby cocoa bean, from which it is made, and it is packed with an intense taste that’s nothing like regular chocolate.

And of course, the internet is already on board…

According to its makers Barry Callebaut, the flavour comes from “a tension between berry-fruitiness and luscious smoothness”.

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It is said to have a lighter flavour and offer “a totally new taste experience, which is not bitter, milky or sweet”.

Its rosy hue does not come from any extra colours or flavours but, rather, a powder extracted during the processing.

The Ruby beans are grown in the Ivory Coast, Ecuador and Brazil and the company says it took their researchers several years to formulate their chocolate.

“The bean has a specific set of attributes, which Barry Callebaut managed to unlock through an innovative process that took many years to develop,” the company added.

However, it wasn’t until two years ago that the company decided there was a market for Ruby chocolate and predicted it would be a hit among millennials.

Peter Boone, chief innovation and quality officer for Barry Callebaut, describes their new chocolate as a “hedonistic indulgence”, adding: “Consumer research in very different markets confirms that Ruby chocolate not only satisfies a new consumer need found among millennials but also high purchase intent at different price points.”

While the internet may be on board with it, not everyone’s convinced Ruby should be classed as a new type of chocolate.

British chocolate expert Dom Ramsey told The Independent that he is “sceptical” of the claim, adding: “I’ve heard from my own contacts who were at the launch event in Shanghai that this does appear to be something quite different and potentially interesting, but even at there, nobody has seen the ingredients and Barry Callebaut aren’t giving anything away about the processes involved in making it.

“I’m told it will be at least a year before most people will get to try it, so it remains to be seen if it really is something exciting, or if it’s just a marketing gimmick.”

But food Instagrammer Sarah Phillips believes the Ruby chocolate could catch on, especially on social media, telling the Guardian: “There’s a real appetite for colourful foods now, everybody’s into rainbow smoothies and cakes on Instagram and all the brightly coloured smoothies and Buddha bowls that look like paintings. It’s a huge trend that’s only been getting bigger over this year.

“If they can definitely prove this is all-natural colouring – and if it definitely tastes nice – then I think it will be really popular.”