Course:FNH200/2013w Team14 Nutella

From UBC Wiki

Nutella

Have you ever wondered whether it is true that Nutella can be part of a balanced breakfast? Or how anyone ever came up with the idea of making a chocolate flavored hazelnut spread? We use this research project to explore the origin, the production, the nutritional information, and the storage and packaging of Nutella. We even included some alternatives to Nutella, for those curious about the variety of hazelnut spreads, and recipes for the Nutella lovers and adventurous foodies. After reading this page you will be more knowledgeable about Nutella and determine for yourself whether you believe Nutella has the nutritional value to be part of a balanced breakfast.

Nutella on Toast
Nutella To Go



History

Gianduia [1]is a chocolate and hazelnut paste that sprouted in the 1800s in different areas and forms across Italy. Many companies began creating this spread in the Piedmont region of Italy, such as Caffarel [2]. The spreads originally produced by Caffarel and other companies went by the name "Gianduia" or "Gianduja". Gianduia was first a stock character in a 16th century Italian comedy; then a marionette in the late 18th century; and is now the face of the Piedmont region [3]. He appears at a carnival held in Turin, Italy on the 24th of June each year to celebrate the city's patron saint San Giovanni, among other springtime carnivals [3].

GIanduja, the face of Piedmont

Versions of the chocolate hazelnut spread began due the simple fact that it was cheaper to swap in hazelnuts for the more expensive cocoa [4].

In 1852 in Turin, Caffarel began to sell "Gianduiotto": a chocolate bar shaped like an upturned boat [1] [2]. This was in fact the second solid chocolate product ever made, predating milk chocolate; the hazelnuts give it a less bitter taste than solid dark chocolate, and it was therefore more appealing to customers [1].

Caffarel's Gianduiotto

At the start of World War 2, cocoa prices rose again, to be six times the price of hazelnuts [5]. This sparked renewed interest in the creation of chocolate and hazelnut products. This time around it led to Pietro Ferrero to create a precursor to Nutella in the back of a pastry shop in Alba, Italy, in 1944 [6]. Ferrero is a family company that began from the product dubbed "Pasta Gianduia"[7]: it was a small 'loaf' of chocolate hazelnut paste (Pasta=paste), named after the face of the Piedmont region, Gianduia. It was meant to be sliced and served on bread as a part of breakfast [7].

The next launched product is also by Ferrero, in 1951. It is called "Supercrema Gianduia"[5]; a creamier, more spreadable version of Pasta Gianduia. Finally, in 1964, Michael Ferrero (Pietro's son) tested and revised his father's creation, and rechristened it "Nutella"[8]. This name simply comes from the word 'nut', and the ending 'ella' is added on to soften the phrase[9].

In 1983 the product began to be imported from Italy to the USA [10]. Initially it was distributed over the northeastern part of the country. Eventually it grew more and more popular, and it spread all across North America and the rest of the world.

Production and Processing

Nutella is a hazelnut-chocolate spread and is therefore produced and processed similar to a generic chocolate spread.[11] Nutella is made from sugar, modified palm oil, hazelnuts, cocoa, skim milk powder, whey powder, lecithin, and vanillin.[12] High standards are used for the raw material selection, production process, and quality control.[13] Nutella is produced in nine facilities, four of which are in Western Europe (France, Italy, Poland, and Germany), two in South America (Brazil and Argentina), one in Russia (Vladimir), one in Canada (Brantford), and one in Australia (Lithgow).[14] The ingredients for the production of Nutella come from various locations around the world. Some are brought in locally to the production facility when convenient, such as milk. Palm oil is from Malaysia. Majority of the sugar used is from Brazil, but is also obtained from Europe. The vanilla is from China.[14]

The production of Nutella involves 2 processing steps involving cocoa beans and hazelnuts.[15] The first processing step in Nutella is the harvesting of cocoa beans from cocoa trees in Nigeria, the main international supplier.[14][16] Once the cocoa beans are harvested, they are spread out to dry for about ten days in the sun and then bagged up and sent to the factory to be processed.[15][16] Once the beans arrive at the factory, they go into the roasting oven to release cocoa butter.[16] Cocoa butter solidifies at room temperature so it needs to be removed from the cocoa beans before the beans undergo further processing.[15] The butter is removed using large presses and will be used for other chocolate products.[15][16] The removal of cocoa butter produces pure cocoa in a large block weighing around 7 kilos, which is further crushed before addition of other ingredients.[15]

The second processing step involves inspection and selection of hazelnuts shipped from Turkey.[14][15] A sample of the hazelnut shipment is analyzed for quality using a special guillotine.[15] The guillotine is used to chop the samples in half in order to see if worms are present or if worms were present. The worms ruin the quality of the final product. Once the shipment has passed inspection, the hazelnuts are then washed and sent to be roasted in ovens. Once roasted, a computer-controlled blast of air is used to remove the bad nuts from the batch. The cleaned and roasted hazelnuts are then added to a large tank along with the pure cocoa powder, skimmed milk powder, sugar, and vanillin where they are mixed into a smooth paste.[15] Modified palm oil, whey powder, and lecithin are then added to the mixture before it is sent for packaging.[12]

Nutritional Information

Ingredients

As listed on the Ferrero Canada website, Nutella sold in Canada contains the following:

  • INGREDIENTS: SUGAR, MODIFIED PALM OIL, HAZELNUTS, COCOA, SKIM MILK, WHEY POWDER, LECITHIN VANILLIN.[12]

Nutella features no artificial preservatives and no artificial colours, and is safe to consume for those with peanut allergies.

Ingredient Breakdown

The primary ingredient in Nutella, sugar, functions as a sweetener, flavouring agent, and as well adds textural properties to the product. It contributes to much of the volume of the product, 11 grams out of every 19-gram serving is sugar. That’s a lot of sugar! The second ingredient in Nutella is modified palm oil. Modified palm oil mainly functions to make the product more viscous, adding to the smooth texture of Nutella. Additionally, palm oil serves as a cheaper substitute of butter. The third ingredient is hazelnuts, added for the main flavour of Nutella (along with chocolate). Next is skim milk, added primarily for creamy flavour, texture, and viscosity of Nutella. The next ingredient, whey powder is added as an emulsifier, and serves as a replacement for milk as well. Lecithin is the only ingredient in Nutella considered to be a additive under Canadian regulation. It functions to emulsify Nutella, improve texture, and improve shelf life. By Canada’s standards only 1% of food product can be lecithin.[17] The last ingredient, vanillin, is used for adding vanilla flavouring to Nutella.

Nutrition Facts

Nutrition Facts Table


The photo to the right displays the nutrition facts table for a 1-tablespoon serving size of Nutella. It is interesting to note in every tablespoon, containing 19 grams, 11 of those grams are sugar, and another 6 grams are fat. In this case the fat mostly comes from the hazelnuts and the palm oil, but however, the sugar content is ridiculously high. While the Nutella website claims that each 13 oz. jar has over 50 hazelnuts in it and that Nutella can be part of a healthy breakfast, it is possible to see otherwise after taking a look at the Nutrition Facts Table.[18] Even further, the Nutella website also states that Nutella contains 90% less sodium than leading peanut butter and cream cheese diets, are they implying it is part of a healthy diet?[19] In reality, Nutella actually contains about 10 times more sugar than the average leading peanut butter brand.[20] Although very tasty, it appears very important that this food product should be consumed in moderation for good health!

To emphasize how much sugar is actually in Nutella, the attached video below by Yoni Freedhoff, founder of Ottawa’s Bariatric Medical Institute and Assistant Prof. at the University of Ottawa, helps to describe this issue. It is surprising to note that 5 Oreos contain the same amount of sugar as 2 tablespoons of Nutella!

Nutella vs. Peanut Butter: Which is Healthier?

In an online article posted by the Livestrong Foundation, journalist Jessica Bruso, compares the nutritional information between Nutella and Peanut Butter.[21] She finds that peanut butter actually contains less calories, less sugar, more protein, and is also a better source of vitamins and minerals. It is found that the average peanut butter actually contains approximately 4 times more protein, 1/4 less carbohydrates,and nearly 1/7 of the sugar found in Nutella.[21] Peanut butter is also found to be a good source of niacin and vitamin E, and as well a decent source of phosphorus and magnesium. Nutella, on the other hand, does not contain a significant amount of any vitamins or minerals.

Packaging and Labelling

Packaging

Most of the Nutella we see today is in a 26.5 oz. jar. Many countries around the world use this sized jar. The jar that the company uses is made of plastic, more specifically PET or Polyethylene Terephthalate.[22] This plastic can be disposed of and recycled. The jar needs a material to seal it with; therefore a plastic lid is used to seal the jar and to contain the contents. The jar lids are made of polypropylene material[22], which is similar in material as the jar body itself. The lid can also be recycled with the jar.

26.5 oz. Jar of Nutella

Now there are more packaging sizes for Nutella. They can also come in a 6.6 lbs. bucket/container or a 0.52 oz. packet (1tbsp)[23]. Both of the new containers are made of a plastic similar to the kind used for the original container. There are more varieties of packaging of Nutella around the world, but the three described above are the most commonly found packaging in Canada.

6.6lb. Container of Nutella
1 tablespoon packet of Nutella


According to the 2012 Budget from the Government of Canada, they indicated that they would repeal the container size regulations for food. Following this, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and its stakeholders decided that container size restrictions are not a factor of food safety[24]. Therefore, in Canada there are no restrictions to the size of containers in which Nutella can be in.

Labelling

French Information about Nutella

Nutella can be classified as a prepackaged food because according to the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act and Regulations in Canada and the CFIA, the term “prepackaged product” is any product that is in a container that can be sold to consumers without being re-packaged.[25][26] Any prepackaged product needs to be correctly labelled and adhere to the Canadian labeling standards. The label of the product should include the following:[27]

  • Common Name
  • Net Quantity
  • Ingredients and Allergens
  • Name and Address of company responsible for the product
  • Durable Life Date
  • Nutrition Facts Table
  • Bilingual Labeling


Health Canada or the Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) also require all companies to label where the product has been manufactured so people that have allergic reactions to specific ingredients in the product will know. For Nutella, since it is mostly made of hazelnuts, it especially needs to labelled "contains hazelnuts" because hazelnuts or tree nuts is in the FDA’s “One of the ten priority food allergens”.[28]

English and French Nutrition Label of Nutella

Since Nutella is produced all around the world, Nutella found in other countries, like the United States, only have English on their labels. It is stated by the CFIA that the United States' Nutrition Labelling Information (Nutrition Facts) is not currently permitted on products imported into Canada.[29] Because in Canada, it is required for all foods to be labelled in both English and French,[30] therefore both languages can be found on the label of Nutella.

Nutella Alternatives:

Justin's Chocolate Hazelnut Butter

INGREDIENTS[31] Dry Roasted Hazelnuts, Dry Roasted Almonds, Organic Cane Sugar, Organic Cocoa, Organic Cocoa Butter, Palm Fruit Oil*, Natural Vanilla, Sea Salt.

  • sustainably sourced palm fruit oil.


NUTRITIONAL FACTS[31] Serving Size 2 Tbsp (32g) Servings Per Container 14 Calories 180 Calories From Fat 120 % Daily Value* Total Fat 14g 22% Saturated Fat 2.5g 13% Cholesterol 0mg 0% Sodium 65mg 3% Total Carbs 12g 4% Dietary Fiber 3g 12% Sugars 8g - Protein 4g - Vitamin A - 0% Vitamin C - 0% Calcium - 4% Iron - 6%

  • Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Jif Chocolate Flavored Hazelnut Spread

INGREDIENTS:[32] Sugar, Vegetable Oils (Rapeseed and Palm), Hazelnutes, Cocoa Processed With Alkali and Cocoa, Skim Milk, Whey Powder (milk), Contains 2% or Less of: Sunflower Lecithin, Vannilan (Artificial Flavor).


NUTRITIONAL INFO[32]:Serving Size 2 Tbsp (38g) Servings Per Container About 10 Amount per Serving Calories 230 Calories from Fat 120 % Daily Value* Total Fat 14g21% Saturated Fat 3g14% Trans Fat 0g Cholesterol <5mg1% Sodium 25mg1% Total Carbohydrate 23g8% Dietary Fiber <1g4% Sugars 22g Protein 2g Vitamin A0%Vitamin C0%Calcium4%Iron6%

  • Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Hey, Hey Hazelnut!™ Chocolate Hazelnut Spread

INGREDIENTS:[33] Hazelnuts (oil and butter), cocoa powder, organic cane sugar, roasted cocoa nibs


NUTRITIONAL INFO: Serving size: 1Tbsp (15g) Servings per container: 11.5 Amount per serving: Calories 100 Calories from Fat 70 Total Fat 8g (12% DV) Sat. Fat 2g (8% DV) Trans Fat 0g Cholesterol 0mg (0% DV) Sodium 0mg (0% DV) Total Carb 7g (2% DV) Sugars 4g, Protein 2g Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 0% Calcium 2% Iron 8%

Recipes

Better Than Nutella (Homemade Chocolate Hazelnut Spread[34]

INGREDIENTS: 2 cups (heaping) hazelnuts, preferably skinned (about 10 ounces) 1/4 cup sugar 1 pound semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces, room temperature 1 cup heavy cream 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

INSTRUCTIONS: Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread out nuts on a rimmed baking sheet or in an ovenproof skillet. Roast, shaking sheet once for even toasting, until deep brown, 13-15 minutes. Let cool completely. (If nuts have skins, rub them in a kitchen towel to remove.) Grind hazelnuts and sugar in a food processor until a fairly smooth, buttery paste forms, about 1 minute. Place chocolate in a medium metal bowl. Set bowl over a large saucepan of simmering water; stir often until chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove bowl from over saucepan; add butter and whisk until completely incorporated. Whisk in cream and salt, then hazelnut paste. Pour gianduja into jars, dividing equally. Let cool. (Gianduja will thicken and become soft and peanut butter-like as it cools.) Screw on lids. DO AHEAD Gianduja can be made up to 4 weeks ahead; keep chilled. Let stand at room temperature for 4 hours to soften. Can stand at room temperature up to 4 days.

Nutella Brownies[35]

INGREDIENTS: 1 cup (2 sticks) butter 2 1/4 cups sugar 1/2 cup Nutella 4 large eggs 1 1/4 cups cocoa powder 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon espresso powder, optional 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 10 ounce package Hershey's Milk Chocolate Baking Melts (or chocolate chips)

INSTRUCTIONS: Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9x13 baking dish. In small saucepan over low heat, melt butter completely. Stir in sugar and continue cooking for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Do not allow sugar mixture to boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the Nutella until well combined. Pour butter mixture into a large bowl or stand mixer, beat in cocoa powder, eggs, salt, baking powder, espresso powder, and vanilla extract. Mix until well combined. Stir in the flour and baking melts until just combined. Spread into prepared pan (batter will be very thick and sticky) and bake for about 30-35 minutes, until a tester comes out mostly clean. The edges should be set and the center should still look slightly moist, but not uncooked. Cool on a wire rack.

Nutella Hot Chocolate[36]

INGREDIENTS: 1 cup milk 1-3 tablespoons Nutella, depending on how sweet you like (I only used 1) 1 teaspoon of instant espresso powder

INSTRUCTIONS: In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine all 3 ingredients and whisk until smooth and frothy. Pour into your favorite mug and if desired top with cocoa powder, cinnamon, or mini marshmallows. Enjoy.

Peanut Butter Nutella Pretzal Tart[37]

INGREDIENTS:

For the Crust: 1/2 cup butter, melted 2 cup pretzels 2/3 cup packed brown sugar

For the Filling: 14oz can sweetened condensed milk 12oz milk chocolate morsels 1 Tbsp butter 2/3 cup chocolate hazelnut spread (Nutella)

For the Garnish: 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

INSTRUCTIONS: In food processor, pulse pretzels until fine. Add in brown sugar and melted butter, and combine completely. Press into bottom of large tart pan. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 10 minutes. Set aside. In large sauce pan, heat sweetened condensed milk and butter until warm over med-low heat. Add in milk chocolate and nutella and heat until smooth, whisking constantly. Pour into pretzel crust. Heat peanut butter in microwave dish. Drizzle over chocolate and refrigerate 2-3 hours, until set. Slice and serve!

Exam Question

From reading the above information on Nutella, a strong message to take away from this is/are (choose all that apply):

a. Nutella is a healthy, nutritious, smart choice to add to any meal.

b. Nutella tastes delicious.

c. Nutella is okay to consume in moderation; it is not the healthiest of spreads.

d. It is important to analyze nutritional information and processing methods when considering whether to consume a product or not; advertising can be misleading.

e. Nutella contains mainly hazelnuts and only some chocolate, making it a good source of healthy fats in nuts and a good choice to add to meals.


Correct Answer:

B, C, and D.

Video Link

http://prezi.com/mnc0maq5pam7/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/Menuism/who-put-hazelnuts-in-my-c_b_4338508.html
  2. 2.0 2.1 http://www.caffarel.it/en/home.php?s=0,2,65&dfa=do396&dfm=search&pg=1&g0=1826
  3. 3.0 3.1 http://books.google.nl/books?id=Cv-BsrbWclYC&pg=PA23&lpg=PA23&dq=gianduja+piedmont&source=bl&ots=0Ftq0JuPlD&sig=FWYVT2ihkQZReymyGmGgEWACJ0c&hl=en&sa=X&ei=t30lU4HhGYaBywO5vYD4Aw&ved=0CD8Q6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=gianduja%20piedmont&f=false
  4. http://www.nutellausa.com/history.htm
  5. 5.0 5.1 http://www.nutellausa.com/history3.htm
  6. http://www.ferrero.com/products/the-most-famous-products/nutella/an-original-idea/
  7. 7.0 7.1 http://www.nutellausa.com/history2.htm
  8. http://www.nutella.com.tr/en/about_nutella/history
  9. http://www.cracked.com/funny-5496-nutella/
  10. http://www.nutellausa.com/history3.htm
  11. http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/health-benefits-nutella-hazelnut-spread-8065.html
  12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 http://www.ferrero.ca/our-brands/nutella/for-a-balanced-breakfast/
  13. http://www.nutellafoodservice.com/About/FAQs/
  14. 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 http://www.policymic.com/articles/76423/all-the-countries-needed-to-create-a-jar-of-nutella
  15. 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 15.5 15.6 15.7 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dwbgruOt6g
  16. 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 http://wanttoknowit.com/how-is-nutella-made/
  17. http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/C.R.C.%2C_c._870/page-160.html#docCont
  18. http://www.nutella.ca/inside-every-jar.php
  19. http://www.nutella.ca/
  20. http://www.jif.com/products/simply-jif
  21. 21.0 21.1 http://www.livestrong.com/article/433062-nutrition-of-nutella-vs-peanut-butter/
  22. 22.0 22.1 http://www.nutella.com.au/company/
  23. http://www.nutellafoodservice.com/Products/
  24. http://www.inspection.gc.ca/food/processed-products/labelling-and-packaging/container-size-regulations/eng/1353621089533/1353621169021
  25. http://www.competitionbureau.gc.ca/eic/site/cb-bc.nsf/eng/01248.html#sec2.4
  26. http://www.inspection.gc.ca/food/labelling/food-labelling-for-industry/label/eng/1388160267737/1388160350769?chap=6#s10c6
  27. http://www.inspection.gc.ca/food/labelling/food-labelling-for-industry/labelling-requirements-checklist/eng/1393275252175/1393275314581
  28. http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/pubs/securit/2012-allergen_treenuts-noix/index-eng.php
  29. http://www.inspection.gc.ca/food/imports/commercial-importers/importing-food-products/eng/1376515896184/1376515983781?chap=5#s3c5
  30. http://www.inspection.gc.ca/food/labelling/food-labelling-for-industry/bilingual/eng/1328121549968/1328121616816?chap=1
  31. 31.0 31.1 http://justins.com/item/chocolate-hazelnut-butter/
  32. 32.0 32.1 http://www.jif.com/products/chocolate-hazelnut-spread
  33. http://artisancheesecompany.com/product/askinosie-hey-hey-hazelnut-chocolate-hazelnut-spread/
  34. http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/better-than-nutella-chocolate-hazelnut-spread
  35. http://www.bunsinmyoven.com/2013/01/03/nutella-brownies/
  36. http://honeydearest.blogspot.ca/2009/03/nutella-hot-chocolate.html
  37. http://www.shugarysweets.com/2012/08/peanut-butter-nutella-pretzel-tart


Some rights reserved
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document according to the terms in Creative Commons License, Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0. The full text of this license may be found here: CC by-nc-sa 3.0
By-nc-sa-small-transparent.png