Consumer demand for healthier foods with improved taste and convenience has urged the food industry to develop functional foods added with bioactive ingredients that can supplement basic nutrition (food supplement) or exert a pharmacological effect (nutraceuticals). Chocolate could be used as an ideal carrier to deliver bioactive ingredients, mainly due to its high acceptability by consumers. However, a drawback of using chocolate as functional food is its high sugar content, which impedes its commercialization with the diabetic population. Therefore, there is need to develop sugar-free chocolate formulations added with bioactive ingredients. Nevertheless, sugar replacement and bioactive ingredients addition is a major technological challenge that affects texture, rheology, and sensory properties of chocolate. This review is designed as a practical guide for researchers and food industries to develop the next generation of functional chocolates. Different functional chocolate formulations, including sugar-free, are reviewed as potential carriers for the delivery of bioactive compounds. The physicochemical properties and sensory acceptability of the functional chocolates presented are also highlighted. Finally, future perspectives, such as the use of nanotechnology to improve the bioaccessibility and bioavailability of active ingredients, as well as the need for clinical trials to validate the pharmacological effect of functional chocolates, are also discussed.

In this study, a milk chocolate formulation was developed to serve as vehicle of Omega-3 (ω3) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and probiotics (L. plantarum 299v and L. rhamnosus GG). Fish oil (FO) was incorporated in chocolate as a source of ω3 PUFAs. Probiotics (Prob) and FO were added during tempering, obtaining chocolates with 76.0 ± 5.2 mg (FO1) or 195.8 ± 6.5 mg (FO2) of ω3 PUFAs, and >1 × 10⁶ CFU of Prob per chocolate portion (12 g). The physicochemical properties (rheological analysis, texture, surface instrumental color, $a_w$, and fatty acid profile), and sensory acceptability of the formulations were determined. Prob and FO generated a decrease in L* and white index (WI) values. Except for Prob + FO2, all treatments showed a decrease in $a_w$. Rheological parameters of FO1 and Prob + FO1 presented the most similar behavior as compared with the control. Prob or FO1 addition did not affect the overall consumer’s acceptability of chocolate; and when both nutraceuticals were combined (Prob + FO1) the product showed adequate overall acceptability. FO2 formulations were not considered adequate to maintain physicochemical properties and sensory acceptability of chocolate. Results indicated that milk chocolate is a suitable vehicle for delivering ω3 PUFAs and Prob, which are essential to enhance cognitive development in children.

This research is aimed to search for suitable probiotic plus prebiotic combinations for food applications. Sixteen bacteria were tested for resistance to low pH, bile salts and antibiotics, and their adhesion to Caco-2 cells, in order to select potential probiotics. Then, two bacteria were selected to study short chain fatty acids production in a starch-based soluble corn fiber or inulin media. Lactiplantibacillus plantarum V3 and L. acidophilus La3 manifested the best probiotic features with a remarkable adhesion ability (23.9% and 17.3%, respectively). Structural differences between fibers have an impact on how each one is metabolized, both in their capacity of being easily fermented and in the short chain fatty acids profile obtained: L. acidophilus La3 in inulin fermentation yielded the highest total short chain fatty acids (85.7 mMol/L), and, in starch-based soluble corn fiber fermentation, yielded the highest butyric acid content (0.31 mMol/L). This study provides valuable information for future design of synbiotics for food applications.

Chocolate is an adequate matrix to deliver bioactive ingredients. However, it contains high sugar levels, one of the leading causes of chronic degenerative diseases. This work aimed to evaluate the effects of milk chocolate reformulation with alternative sugar sweeteners (Sw; isomalt + stevia), probiotics (Prob), and ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) on its physicochemical properties and consumers’ acceptability. Lactobacillus plantarum 299v (L. p299v) and Lactobacillus acidophilus La3 (DSMZ 17742) were added as Prob strains, and fish oil (FO) was added as the source of ω-3 PUFAs. Prob addition resulted in chocolates with >2 × 10⁷ colony forming unit (CFU) per serving size (12 g). Except for Prob, a_w values of all treatments were <0.46. Sw and Sw + Prob presented the nearest values to the control in hardness, whereas Sw without FO increased fracturability. FO, Sw + FO, and Sw + Prob + FO contained 107.4 ± 12.84, 142.9 ± 17.9, and 133.78 ± 8.76 mg of ω-3 PUFAs per chocolate, respectively. Prob + FO increased the resistance of chocolate to shear stress, while Sw + FO showed a similar flow behavior to the control. The consumers’ acceptability of Sw + Prob chocolate was adequate, while Sw + Prob + FO had higher acceptability than Prob + FO. Health benefits of reformulated milk chocolates requires further assessment by in vitro, in vivo and clinical studies.

Background/Objectives: Lactobacillus johnsonii CRL1231 (Lj CRL1231) is a strain with feruloyl esterase (FE) activity that enhances ferulic acid (FA) release from wheat bran (WB) and has potential as a probiotic for metabolic syndrome (MS). Given the potential health benefits of FA and its microbial metabolites, this study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic effect of Lj CRL1231 co-administered with WB in a mouse model of metabolic syndrome (MS) induced by a high-fat diet (HFD). Methods: Mice were divided into three groups and fed for 14 weeks as follows: the Control group (standard diet), the MS group (HFD+WB), and the MS+Lj group (HFD+WB and Lj CRL1231-dose 10⁸ cells/day). Specifically, we analyzed the changes in the intestinal microbiota (IM), colonic FE activity, generation of FA-derived and fermentation metabolites, and metabolic and inflammatory parameters. Results: Improvements in the MS+Lj group compared to the MS group included the following: a—a 38% increase in colonic FE activity, leading to elevated levels of FA-derived metabolites (e.g., dihydroferulic, dihydroxyphenylpropionic, and hydroxyphenylpropionic acids); b—a significant shift in the IM composition, with a 3.4-fold decrease in Firmicutes and a 2.9-fold increase in Bacteroidetes; c—a decrease in harmful bacteria (Desulfovibrio) by 93%, and beneficial bacteria like Bifidobacterium increased significantly (6.58 log cells/g); d—a 33% increase in total SCFAs; e—a 26% reduction in the adiposity index; f—a 12% increase in HDL cholesterol and a 19% reduction in triglycerides; g—normalized glucose and insulin resulting in a 2-fold lower HOMA-IR index; h—an improved inflammatory profile by decreasing TNF-α, IFN-γ, and IL-6 (3-, 5-, and 2-fold, respectively) and increasing IL-10 by 2-fold; i—alleviation of liver damage by normalizing of transaminases AST (19.70 ± 2.97 U/L) and ALT (13.12 ± 0.88 U/L); j—evidence of reduced oxidative damage. Conclusions: The co-administration of L. johnsonii CRL1231 and WB exerts a synergistic effect in mitigating the features of MS in HFD-fed mice. This effect is mediated by modulation of the gut microbiota, increased release of bioactive FA-derived compounds, and restoration of metabolic and inflammatory homeostasis. This strategy represents a promising dietary approach for MS management through targeted microbiota–metabolite interactions.