FRANKFORT, Ky. (KT) – The Kentucky Soybean Promotion Board is celebrating Halloween’s spooky season with soy, an ingredient they say can be found in many packaged foods, and your favorite Halloween candy is probably on the list.
Whether you prefer a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup or a fun-size Snickers, most brands of chocolate contain soy lecithin, an emulsifier that binds the cocoa solids, milk and sugar so that they stick to the cocoa butter.
Soy lecithin lowers the viscosity of chocolate during the production process to create a more workable consistency, which makes it easier to pour into molds. Soy lecithin improves the shelf life of chocolate, which increases profitability and explains why it was on the shelves in mid-summer. It can also be found in many non-chocolate treats, including Twizzlers, toffee, caramels, Laffy Taffy, Milk Duds and even Jolly Ranchers…