2. Introduction & History of Chocolate
Chocolate is made from cocoa beans or the seeds of the cocoa tree.
The origin of chocolate can be traced to Mexico , where the cocoa
tree was revered and worshipped by the natives.
Theobroma cacao, as the Aztecs called it, meant food for the
gods.
3. The Mayans and the Aztecs made drink from cocoa beans and flavo
They called this beverage “Xocolatl”, which meant a bitter drink in
5. Step1. Harvesting:
Harvesting of beans is undertaken twice a year ___ October to March
and from May to August.
The tree produces pink and white flowers throughout the year but only
few of them bear the cocoa pod.
The pods on the tree look like a green, oval – shaped melon which
changes it colour from green to maroon, into orange to yellow, which
indicates that the beans are ready for harvesting.
The pods are harvested very carefully so that the branches do not get
damaged.
6. Step 2. Ripening and Fermentation:
After the pods are harvested , they are left to further ripen for few days. This process
of ripening also helps to loosen out the exterior skin from the pulp in which the beans
are embedded.
The pods are split open with a sharp blow in a swift manner so that the seeds are not
damaged .
The shell opens up exposing the concealed seeds that are creamy yellow in colour .
These beans are sticky and pulpous at this stage and are collected in large containers
or pits and left to ferment for a period of at lest 5 – 6 days covered with banana
leaves.
These undergo biochemical changes during which the bitterness subsides and flavour
develops. The yellow creamy beans transform into light coloured beans , now called
cocoa seeds.
7. Step. 3: Drying in Sun:
After the seeds are obtained , they are further dried in the sun for a
period of 6 days.
At this point, they are frequently turned around so that they retain only a
fraction of the moisture.
It is essential to dry the seeds to arrest fermentation or else the beans will
get over fermented and lose their flavour.
Drying also ensures that the seeds can be stored for longer duration. The
cocoa seeds after drying are known as raw cocoa.
8. Step 4 : Selection and Blending:
At the chocolate factory , the cocoa seeds are inspected as per the quality standards
laid down by each factory.
Only the best seeds are selected for producing chocolates.
After careful selection of the right seeds, they are cleaned for stones , wooden barks
and any other impurities.
Thereafter they are subjected to blending to produce chocolates. The process of
blending cocoa seeds is very similar to the blending of tea or coffee.
Blending is done very carefully to help create the exact desirable flavour for a
9. Step 5 : Roasting and crushing the beans:
Once blended , the seeds are roasted under red hot grills or in large
rotating vats, anywhere between 30 minutes to 2 hours. This is
done very carefully and for a brief time.
The roasting of the seeds helps in may ways: it helps reduce
moisture content to enable easier crushing of seeds ; it aids the
removal of the shell around the seed kernels; it also helps the seeds
to acquire a dark brown colour that is desired to produce a dark
coloured chocolate with the necessary aroma.
The roasted seeds are then cooled and passed on to crushing
machine, where the machine splits up the seeds and separates the
exterior shell from the remaining cocoa bits called cocoa nibs that
are ready to be processed further.
10. Step 6: Grinding:
The nibs are then transferred to grinding mills, where they pass through a series of grinders
starting from the ones that grind them coarse to the ones that grind them into super fine
texture.
The grinding process not only grinds the cocoa nibs into a smooth paste , but it also generates
pressure and heat due to the friction which slowly melts the cocoa butter present in the mass
resulting in a thick liquid mass , known as cocoa liquor .
This smooth shiny mass contains cocoa mass and cocoa butter that can be used for making
chocolate and its by products.
The mass obtained after grinding is primarily made up of two components cocoa powder and
cocoa butter.
To separates these two cocoa liquor is passed through hydraulic machines, where certain
amount of pressure is applied to extract the cocoa powder in the form of dry cakes and cocoa
butter in the melted form.
11. Step 7: Conching:
The art of making good quality chocolate entails the mixing of variety of ingredient into the
chocolate mass or liquor to obtain the chocolate of desired flavour and texture. Milk is added
to made milk chocolates, sugar is added to regulate the sweetness and extra amount of cocoa
powder is added to regulate the desired bitterness, while soya lecithin is added to stabilize the
chocolate, so that it helps the chocolate to flow easily when melted.
All this is added to the chocolate mass during the stage known as Conching. This is used for
development of flavours in a chocolate. During the conching, chocolate obtains a smooth and
velvety texture. At the end of the conching process cocoa butter is added to help regulate the
viscosity of melted chocolate and soy lecithin in emulsification of chocolate. Some
confectionery products require thick chocolate , whereas some other preparations require
liquid chocolate. Many companies custom make chocolates for such usages by regulating the
amount of cocoa butter in chocolate.
12. Step 8. Tempering:
the conched chocolate is carefully brought to low temperature stirring
constantly all the time. It is only after tempering the chocolate can be
moulded into various shapes and blocks.
Melted and tempered chocolate is shaped into drops, often called callets,
small chips, or in sheets or blocks and then passed through cooling
tunnels before it is being packed for sale in the market or distribution to
hotels and other commercial users.
15. 1. Couverture :
is a French term for covering chocolate.
It is a high quality chocolate preferred by pastry chefs across the world
for making chocolate confections.
Couverture chocolate is a high class product, smooth and refined.
A chocolate should have minimum 32% of cocoa butter and at least
22% of cocoa solids or mass to be labelled as couverture.
It is always necessary to temper the couvertures before being used.
16.
17. 2. Compound Chocolate:
this is less expensive than couverture as it is a combination of various
other ingredients apart from cocoa liquor.
Other ingredients include hard tropical vegetable fats and oils such as
palm kernel oil.
Compound chocolate does not require tempering as it contains very
little or no cocoa butter at all. It is used for enrobing chocolates and
preparing garnishes as some people prefer it because of its easy to use
approach.
18. 3. White chocolate :
This is not a real chocolate as it does not contain any cocoa
liquor or mass. It contains ingredients such as cocoa butter,
sugar, milk solids, emulsifiers, vanilla and other flavourings.
Since it doesn’t contain any cocoa mass , hence the colour is
off – white.
20. 4. Milk Chocolate:
This is a shade of chocolate that can be obtained by
combining dark chocolate with white chocolate. Milk
chocolate is a sweet chocolate that contains around 10
– 12 % cocoa solids that include cocoa mass and
cocoa butter.
21. 5. Semi - sweet:
This is a classic dark chocolate that is often referred to
as cooking or baking chocolate. It frequently finds its
use in making cookies and brownies. It has a slightly
bitter taste as it contains 40 – 65% cocoa solids.
22. 6. Bittersweet Chocolate:
This is dark chocolate that has very little amount
of sugar added to the cocoa mass in the conching
process. Cocoa solids can range between 60 – 80
% depending upon the brand.
23. 7. Unsweetened chocolate:
it is pure bitter chocolate that has an intense flavour of
cocoa as there is no sugar added to the cocoa mass. It is
preferred by die hard chocolate lovers. Many people
usually find it unsuitable for eating raw as it contains no
sugar. Bitter chocolate contains around 100% cocoa
solids out of which 40 – 50% is cocoa butter.
24. 8.Single – origin chocolate: Cocoa beans are blended to create the
right blend for a particular brand. This is done because the beans
from different countries and regions have different characteristics.
Eg. The African cocoa has s strong body and aroma whereas cocoa
from the central parts of America and Asia have distinguished
flavours of flowers and herbs. Single origin chocolates are made
from cocoa beans of same variety, soil, climatic condition and region.
Like wines crop of cocoa differs from year to year; this would mean
that the aroma and flavour of the single – origin chocolate could vary
from one year to another. Single – origin chocolates are very
expensive.
25. 9. Organic Chocolate: An Organic cocoa bean
is extracted from a plant that has never been
sprayed with any pesticide or chemical. Such a
plant grows in its natural habitat. The
procedure for harvesting and production are
the same as other chocolates
26. 10. Kosher chocolates: Several chocolate
companies have started producing chocolates that
conform to Jewish food laws known as Kosher.
27.
28. 11. Sugar – free chocolate: This range of chocolates should
not be confused with bitter chocolate that is made without
any sugar. The range of sugar – free chocolates uses sugar
or other forms such as maltitol. This chocolate is a
favourite amongst people in various age groups and hence
companies have started producing sugar free chocolates
for people who have specific dietary requirement.
29. Storage of Chocolate:
Since chocolate is prepared in factories with precision and care , it is
important that it is stored properly in order to maintain its quality.
Store chocolate well Wrapped in a cool well - ventilated area and
not in the refrigerator.
Whip off any moisture that occurs as moisture is one of the biggest
enemies of the chocolate.
The ideal temperature for storage of chocolate is between 12ºC –
20ºC with humidity less than 70%.
At high temperature chocolate becomes soft and losses most of its
sheen.
Readymade chocolate products should be stored refrigerated in a
separate refrigerator as chocolate has the ability to absorb strong
flavours from other foods.
Specially designed refrigerators are used to display chocolate
products, which do not let chocolate product sweat, as accumulation
of moisture would result in a poor finish on top of the chocolate.
