The Effect of Clove Leaves Essential Oil Addition on Physicochemical and Sensory Characteristics of Milk Chocolate Bar

As one of the most prominent cocoa and clove producers globally, Indonesia needs to develop a chocolate signature with unique characteristics due to the international cravings and high consumption of chocolate compared to other confectionery products. There are three main types of chocolate-based on their compositions: dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and white chocolate. However, milk chocolate has been discovered to be a much-preferred type due to its taste and flavor, but its innovative development is limited despite consumers' interest. Moreover, clove leaves have been less utilized despite their ability to be further processed to the essential oil, which possesses a potency of health benefits such as antioxidant activity due to its main bioactive compounds and its usefulness a flavor in food. This study was, therefore, aimed to determine the effects of adding several concentrations of clove leaves essential oil at 0.1% (F1), 0.2% (F2), and 0.3% (F3) on the physicochemical and sensory characteristics of milk chocolate bars as well as to define the best formula to achieve the optimum product. The results showed different trends at each concentration, while the best formula was recorded at the addition of 0.2% (F2) clove leaves essential oil to the milk chocolate bar, and the panelists further confirmed this