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WHAT IS CHOCOLATE?

Mmmmmm Chocolate.Well, we all have our relationships to

chocolate, as being more or less"addictive", preferring white or darkchocolate etc.However what is the history behind sucha wonderful product? how is itproduced? and what can I expect in thefuture? are some of the questions thatwill be discussed in this paper.

HISTORY

Europeans first encountered cocoaduring the expeditions to the New Worldmounted by Columbus, and later duringCortez' conquest of the Aztecs inMexico. At that time cocoa was a luxurybeverage with a very sour taste,completely different from cocoa as weknow it today. Since then cocoa hasundergone constant development. Itwas in the Netherlands that theextraction of cocoa butter and cocoapowder was pioneered, by pressing thecocoa liquor, while the chocolate bar

was born in Britain when additionalcocoa butter and sugar was added tothe cocoa liquor. Switzerland played itspart by refining the taste through theaddition of milk and the use of theconching process.

CHOCOLATE STANDARD

Roughly the recipe of chocolate isabout 1/2 sugar, 1/3 fat, 1/6 cocoasolids, and other ingredients.However chocolate is covered byvertical food standards in manycountries. In general these definechocolate as "products obtained fromcocoa products and sugar" with acertain minimum amount of cocoa.

Similarly milk chocolate standards ofteninvolve a minimum quantity of cocoaand milk solids.As long as these minimum cocoa andmilk requirements are fulfilled, otherfood ingredientsmay be added. The use of vegetablefat, CBE (Cocoa butter equivallent) is

normally limited to 5 percent by weightof chocolate, and in some cases (e.g.the European Union) the legislationcontains a more narrow specification ofvegetable fats for chocolate.Codex Alimentarius provides for the useof up to 5 percent vegetable fat withoutrestricting the use of raw materials ormanufacturing methods.Products not marketed under thechocolate designation are notstandardised and hence themanufacturer is free to use any type andquantity of food ingredient including fat,and any content of cocoa and milksolids. Such products are often referredto as chocolate flavoured coatings orcompound coatings.

THE IMPORTANCE OF FAT

Fat (coming from cocoa butter, milk fatand vegetable fat) accounts for aboutone-third of the content of chocolate.Thus fat is of considerable importancefor the quality of the chocolate, as it

influences processing conditions suchas tempering and cooling. The type offat used also makes a great deal ofdifference for the consumer. It has amajor impact on the eating qualities ofthe end product, including meltingbehaviour, flavour release andconsistency. Finally, the choice of fats inconfectionery products is crucial for theirshelf life. Factors such as fat bloom andfat migration in composite products aregreatly influenced by the fat orcombination of fats used in the product.

VEGETABLE FATS

The basic fat is cocoa butter of course,but a range of vegetable fats are also

well suited for this application.Vegetable fats offer important savingson raw material costs for the chocolatemanufacturer. This can be achievedwithout affecting the properties of theend product. Vegetable fats may also beused to modify the sensory properties ofchocolate, however.

As mentioned earlier, legislation in mostcountries allows the use of up to 5percent vegetable fats in chocolate.From a technological standpoint,however, vegetable fat may be used atmuch higher levels. Such products maynot be sold under the chocolatedesignation, but can be used forexample as coatings on waferproducts.

TRADITIONAL PROCESSING

The manufacturing process ofchocolate mass can be divided in threesteps mixing, refining and conching.

MixingIn the first step all dry ingredients, aremixed together with part of the fat in akneader or blender.Refining

The refining normally takes place in afive-roll refiner. In this step the mixeddough is passed through a set of rollsthat are pressed together. When thedough's course particles pass through

the very narrow space between the rollsthey are ground to a smaller particlesize. The small particle size is neededfor a smooth consistency and goodmelt-off in the chocolate or compound.Conching

During conching the refined ingredientswill be constantly agitated undercontrolled heating. This will give the finalproduct a softer and more pleasanttaste as well as better flow properties.

CRYSTALLISATION

In order to get the liquid chocolatemass to solidify into a pleasantconsumer product different ways ofcrystallisation is needed.

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MARIA WENNERMARK

AarhusKarlshamn Sweden

Business area ChocolateConfectionery Fats

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TemperingFat is a polymorph system, whichmeans that the fat crystals can exist indifferent forms. Over time, unstablecrystals will transform into more stableforms. These transformations changethe properties of the solid fat. Themelting point will increase, largercrystals may result and fat bloom mayoccur on the surface.To prevent such problems the fat needsto be crystallised directly into thedesired crystal form, this is done in thetempering, where the chocolate mass isundergoing a certain temperature cycle.Moulding

There are different types of mouldingapplications: tablet moulding, hollowfigure moulding and shell moulding ofpralines to mention but a few. Somethings are common for all types ofmoulding, such as the moulding andcooling parameters.

Tablet mouldingThe mass is deposited in a mould andthen cooled for crystallisation andsolidification.Shell moulding and pralines

Pralines are made in a three-stepprocess. First the shell is moulded, thenit is filled with the filling and as a finalstep the praline is closed with a bottomchocolate layer.Coating/enrobing

Coating, or enrobing as it is also called,means covering an item with chocolateor a compound. The item in questionmay be a wafer or biscuit, a piece offondant or jelly confectionery.In this application the item to be coatedneeds an even and complete covering,but for good economy the coatingshould be as thin as possible.In addition the coating should have anice and shiny appearance withoutbeing too sensitive to touch or scraping.Cooling

Cooling completes the production cycleof confectionery products.When the fat starts to crystallise heat

will be released from the fat system - so

called crystallisation heat. The fasterthe crystallisation of the fat, the moreintense the heat release and also themore cooling is needed to remove theheat and proceed with the crystallisation.Thereafter a change of structure willtake place, with the chocolate orcompound mass going from a liquidstate to a solid. In this transition the fatmolecules will be packed closer

together and the volume will decrease.The volume decrease and tight packingare referred to as the contraction of thefat system, which is also thephenomenon that makes de-moulding ofchocolate or compound items possible.

Now the chocolate or pralines areready to enjoy.

WHAT CAN WE EXPECT OFTHE CHOCOLATE AND

PRALINES OF THE FUTURE?WHAT DOES THE TRENDSLOOK LIKE? HOW CAN THEFAT SUPPLIER SUPPORT INTHE TRENDS?

In order to be a strong partner as aningredient supplier it is important tokeep up with developments in theconsumer market, with a view tounderstanding the needs of the endcustomers.

Main trends

The main trends in the confectionerymarket are very much following theglobal mega trends. Life getsincreasingly hectic and consumers seekexperiences that appeal to all senses.We want something quick, we want anindulgence - we want a snack!!

SnackingYou either have a snack because youwould like to have something forpleasure, you want to give yourself atreat. The other reason is that you need

energy/nutrition.

As a consequence, full-fat snacks and"healthy" snacks have been growingat approximately the same pace. Animportant characteristic of themodern snack, however, is that it canbe eaten on the run, preferably one-handed.

PleasureWhen you would like to give yourself a

special treat, you look for luxuryproducts. In the chocolate andconfectionery market this includespremium chocolates, pralines etc; allwith rich flavours of nuts, cocoa, coffeeor fruit. The product should also giveyou a particular eating sensation, sovery often one part of the product iscrispy, the other one chewy.The more different sensations you getfrom the product, the better.Akocent/Shokao with cool meltingproperties and Akomic/Confao BR for

increased shelf-life in soft fillings areproducts of choice in these applications.

HealthAs the main reason for eating chocolateor other confectionery products ispleasure, health is not a big issue. Younevertheless want it to be as "good foryou" as possible, however, to alleviateyour guilty conscience. This means thatall ingredients should be in line with themost recent discoveries within nutrition.For example, the fats in the productshould contain the lowest possible

proportion of saturated andhydrogenated fatty acids, withoutcompromising quality.The Akotres range is designed to meetthese requirements.

Packaging and promotionalAlso the packaging and promotionalactivities follow the mega trends ofconvenience and imagination. This is ofcourse very important, as these are thetools that will make the customer seethe product at the very purchasing

moment.