David Sproule, a National Diploma student at Loughry Campus, has been investigating

“I’m a Food Technology student and as part of my practically based course I’m lucky enough to see how most foods are made in Loughry’s state of the art food processing facilities. My favourite session to date has been to experience chocolate manufacture – hands on!

An essential part of any practical session is examining the science behind the process and through my research I’ve discovered that chocolate actually has some beneficial properties.

Did you know that cocoa beans are packed with antioxidants – chemicals known for their cell protecting properties? These antioxidants mop up free radicals – rogue molecules which can contribute to heart disease and are linked to cancers.

These antioxidants are only found in the cocoa bean and not in the milk or sugar so as a general rule – go for the chocolate with a higher cocoa solids content. Also - the darker the chocolate the better.

So what gives us the warm fuzzy feeling when chocolate melts in our mouth? Well, chocolate helps release endorphins in your brain (natural “feel-good” chemicals) which can relieve symptoms of pain and give that “inner glow”.

Of course, overindulging in chocolate won’t help your waistline. My friends, studying Food Nutrition & Health, tell me that chocolate is high in saturated fat -increasing the risk of heart disease. Therefore moderation is advised!

As you can probably imagine the best job in our practical sessions is being the Quality Controller. This is an area that I’d quite like to progress to when I enter the Food Industry. A Quality Manager checks that the food product is safe, wholesome and will “delight the customer every time”.

As you can see from the photo it’s a hard job….but someone’s got to do it!”

David Sproule checks that the quality of his confectionary is satisfactory.

Loughry National Diploma students manufacture their favourite product!