Patent ID: 8298600

Claim:
A process for producing a low-calorie chocolate composition, comprising: admixing a natural sweetener; wherein the natural sweetener comprises sweet glycosides, wherein the sweet glycosides are produced from Sievia rebaudiana leaves by a method; and wherein the method comprises the following steps: a) drying Slevia rebaudiana leaves; b) treating the dried Stevia rebaudiana leaves with water to extract sweet glycosides, wherein a leaves-water mixture is formed; c) filtering the leaves-water mixture to obtain an aqueous filtrate; d) directly treating the aqueous filtrate with calcium hydroxide or calcium oxide to raise the pH of the aqueous filtrate to about 10; e) directly neutralizing the treated aqueous filtrate with trivalent iron chloride; and f) filtrating the neutralized aqueous filtrate to obtain a filtrated aqueous filtrate, and evaporating the filtrated aqueous filtrate to dryness to obtain purified sweet glycosides; cacao liquor; cacao butter; milk powder; sorbitol, and salt; and adding lecithin into the mixture for further admixing; whereby the natural sweetener, cacao liquor, cacao butter, milk powder, sorbitol, salt and lecithin are admixed to form the low-calorie chocolate composition.