Production of Chocolates

Chocolate is the world’s most famous and desirable sweet used in many edibles such as cakes, candies, chocolate bars, puddings, chocolate brownies, shakes and in many baking products. Almost 1 billion people around the globe consume chocolate per day and statistics tells that each American eat twelve pounds of chocolate per year. Although chocolates are high-calorie product however there are a number of health benefits associated with cocoa which is the main constituent of chocolates. Dark chocolates are anti-oxidants and have active phenolic compounds which are useful to decrease cholesterol level, maintaining blood pressure, prevent stroke and oxidative stress.[1]

INTRODUCTION

Chocolate is prepared from the ground cacao seeds cultivated from Theobroma cacao and then further processed for the refinement purpose to develop taste. It comes in different types and forms such as cocoa powder, liquid, solid and flavors. Chocolate is derived from the Spanish word xocoatl. There are seven major countries of the world that are producing chocolates on large scale i.e. United states, Switzer land, Belgium, Germany, Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana out of which 30% of chocolate production is by the U.S. and 60% by West African countries. In the 15^th century, cocoa seeds were used as currency in Central America. Human beings are consuming chocolates from early 17^th century when Mayan Indians along with Aztecs and Toltecs brought cacao seeds in Mexico from North America. Mesoamerica people used roasted cacao seeds in their beverage along with vanilla, water and red pepper named the drink as cacahuatl. During the industrial revolution, a Dutch chemist Coenraad van Houten prepared ‘cocoa Dutch’ by adding alkaline salts to remove the bitterness of cocoa seeds. In 1847, Joseph Fry prepared chocolate molds by adding cocoa butter and sugar into cocoa powder and then launched his chocolate factory named as Fry’s of Bristol. In the 19^th and 20^th century, mass production companies of chocolates are Nestle, Rowntree’s, Cadbury and Hershey’s.[2][3]

GENOME

In 2010, genome sequencing of cacao tree allows better yield production of cacao beans. Global warming is affecting the yields of cacao and scientist at university of California are doing genomic research to increase the sustainability and tolerance ability of cocoa trees against hot weather.

PRODUCTION OF COCOA BEANS

Mass production of chocolates needs cacao to be harvested first in forest or vast fields. Theobroma cacao is grown in tropical lands of South America, South Asia, West Africa and Central America. When cacao trees are fully grown by manual method, their seed pods are collected and then best cocoa beans are selected. These selected beans are exported to the manufacturing factories for chocolate preparation. There is a series of the complex procedure to prepare and manufacture chocolate.

• Collection of cocoa pods

Cocoa pods are collected from trees when they ripe having orange-yellow color. Machines could damage the pods so that’s why harvesters pluck the cocoa pods by long hooked blades. After pods collection in piles, they are shipped to manufacturing sites, where cocoa pods are opened and almost 50 cocoa beans are present in each ripens pod.

• Fermentation

Cocoa beans are then fermented by putting them in huge heated trays/containers, covered with banana leaves. This process takes 5-8 days in which beans are fermented and turns brown.

• Drying

After fermenting the cocoa beans, these are dried by exposing them to direct sunlight. It requires 7 days to remove its moisture which results in half weight of cocoa beans. [4]

CHOCOLATE MANUFACTURING

Manufacturing of chocolate needs special machinery for roasting, hulling and grinding the cocoa beans in which chocolate liquor is made and then converted into different types by adding sweeteners, flavours, milk powder and sugar. Manufacturing of chocolates also contain a series of steps.

• Roasting the cocoa beans

Beans are firstly screened and then roasted by providing heat in revolving cylinders. The moisture of the beans is removed in these cylinders and over 300 different chemicals interacted with cocoa beans to develop a taste of chocolate. It takes 30 minutes or 2 hours to vanish the moisture of cocoa beans depending upon the type. Outer shells of beans are removed and cocoa nibs(bean meat) are separated into small pieces.  This separation step occurs in a winnowing machine, in which cocoa nibs are strained by a series of sieves. The ground cocoa nibs are ready for further step.

• Crushing and grinding the cocoa beans

Roasted cocoa nibs are crushed between revolving granite rollers which results in small pieces or granular powder of cocoa nibs. This granular form of cocoa nibs is then suspended in oil to convert it into chocolate liquor. This step is called as broyage. Chocolate liquor obtained after broyage is the un-sweetened form of chocolate used in most baking products.

• Refining and blending chocolate liquor

After making chocolate liquor, it is further refined to form stable consistency and blended with other ingredients such as butter, sugar and milk powder etc. depending upon the type of chocolate. The nutritional value may vary in different types of chocolate. There are several types of chocolates classified on the proportion of cocoa used in the making process.

• White Chocolate: It does not contain solid cocoa powder although it is made by cocoa butter(cocoa fat), carbohydrate sweeteners and milk solid.
• Milk Chocolate: It contains 20% dry weight of cacao powder, condensed milk or powder milk.
• Dark Chocolate: It contains 35% dry weight of cocoa powder with less sugar and fat, which increase its bitterness.
• Un-Sweetened Chocolate: It is also known as baking or raw chocolate because it contains 75% cacao powder i.e. pure chocolate liquor.

To make Milk Chocolate, cocoa liquor is blended with sugar, milk powder, lethicin, cocoa powder and vanilla. White Chocolate is made by using cocoa butter, sugar, milk, vanilla, cocoa liquor and lethicin while Dark Chocolate contains a high content of cocoa powder, cocoa liquor, sugar, lethicin and vanilla. Besides these basic contents of chocolate, it also has vitamins, minerals, carbohydrate and fatty acids. After refining and blending step, the chocolate liquor is allowed to cool and moulded into required shapes, packaged and shipped to the market. Products of chocolates are coco powder, chocolate candies, chocolate wafers, chocolate sauce which can be used in chocolate shakes and for toppings of different desserts. [5][6]

Quality

Quality of cacao seeds can be checked by doing a DNA test e.g. SNPs (Single-nucleotide polymorphisms)

By: Maryam Baig

References

1. Hannum, S. M., & Erdman Jr, J. W. (2000). Emerging health benefits from cocoa and chocolate.
2. Young, A. M. (1994). The chocolate tree: a natural history of cacao. Smithsonian Institution Press.
3. Dillinger, T. L., Barriga, P., Escárcega, S., Jimenez, M., Lowe, D. S., & Grivetti, L. E. (2000). Food of the gods: cure for humanity? A cultural history of the medicinal and ritual use of chocolate. The Journal of nutrition, 130(8), 2057S-2072S.
4. Erneholm, I. (1948). Cacao Production of South America. Cacao production of South America.
5. Gian-Franco, S., & Walter, R. (1965). U.S. Patent No. 3,218,174. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
6. Hess, E. H. (1968). U.S. Patent No. 3,392,027. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.