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perspective
Chocolate & health
MARIA WENNERMARK Similarly milk chocolate standards often well suited for this application.
involve a minimum quantity of cocoa Vegetable fats offer important savings
AarhusKarlshamn Sweden and milk solids. on raw material costs for the chocolate
Business area Chocolate As long as these minimum cocoa and manufacturer. This can be achieved
Confectionery Fats milk requirements are fulfilled, other without affecting the properties of the
food ingredients end product. Vegetable fats may also be
WHAT IS CHOCOLATE? may be added. The use of vegetable used to modify the sensory properties of
fat, CBE (Cocoa butter equivallent) is chocolate, however.
Mmmmmm… Chocolate…. normally limited to 5 percent by weight As mentioned earlier, legislation in most
Well, we all have our relationships to of chocolate, and in some cases (e.g. countries allows the use of up to 5
chocolate, as being more or less the European Union) the legislation percent vegetable fats in chocolate.
"addictive", preferring white or dark contains a more narrow specification of From a technological standpoint,
chocolate etc. vegetable fats for chocolate. however, vegetable fat may be used at
However what is the history behind such Codex Alimentarius provides for the use much higher levels. Such products may
a wonderful product? how is it of up to 5 percent vegetable fat without not be sold under the chocolate
produced? and what can I expect in the restricting the use of raw materials or designation, but can be used for
future? are some of the questions that manufacturing methods. example as coatings on waferproducts.
will be discussed in this paper. Products not marketed under the
XX chocolate designation are not
standardised and hence the TRADITIONAL PROCESSING
AgroFOOD industry hi-tech
beverage with a very sour taste, mixed together with part of the fat in a
January/February 2006
was born in Britain when additional influences processing conditions such the very narrow space between the rolls
cocoa butter and sugar was added to as tempering and cooling. The type of they are ground to a smaller particle
the cocoa liquor. Switzerland played its fat used also makes a great deal of size. The small particle size is needed
part by refining the taste through the difference for the consumer. It has a for a smooth consistency and good
addition of milk and the use of the major impact on the eating qualities of melt-off in the chocolate or compound.
conching process. the end product, including melting Conching
behaviour, flavour release and During conching the refined ingredients
consistency. Finally, the choice of fats in will be constantly agitated under
CHOCOLATE STANDARD confectionery products is crucial for their controlled heating. This will give the final
shelf life. Factors such as fat bloom and product a softer and more pleasant
Roughly the recipe of chocolate is fat migration in composite products are taste as well as better flow properties.
about 1/2 sugar, 1/3 fat, 1/6 cocoa greatly influenced by the fat or
solids, and other ingredients. combination of fats used in the product.
However chocolate is covered by CRYSTALLISATION
vertical food standards in many
countries. In general these define VEGETABLE FATS In order to get the liquid chocolate
chocolate as "products obtained from mass to solidify into a pleasant
cocoa products and sugar" with a The basic fat is cocoa butter of course, consumer product different ways of
certain minimum amount of cocoa. but a range of vegetable fats are also crystallisation is needed.
Tempering called crystallisation heat. The faster As a consequence, full-fat snacks and
Fat is a polymorph system, which the crystallisation of the fat, the more "healthy" snacks have been growing
means that the fat crystals can exist in intense the heat release and also the at approximately the same pace. An
different forms. Over time, unstable more cooling is needed to remove the important characteristic of the
crystals will transform into more stable heat and proceed with the crystallisation. modern snack, however, is that it can
forms. These transformations change Thereafter a change of structure will be eaten on the run, preferably one-
the properties of the solid fat. The take place, with the chocolate or handed.
melting point will increase, larger compound mass going from a liquid
crystals may result and fat bloom may state to a solid. In this transition the fat Pleasure
occur on the surface. molecules will be packed closer When you would like to give yourself a
To prevent such problems the fat needs together and the volume will decrease. special treat, you look for luxury
to be crystallised directly into the The volume decrease and tight packing products. In the chocolate and
desired crystal form, this is done in the are referred to as the contraction of the confectionery market this includes
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should be as thin as possible. We want something quick, we want an
January/February 2006
In addition the coating should have a indulgence - we want a snack!! Packaging and promotional
nice and shiny appearance without Also the packaging and promotional
being too sensitive to touch or scraping. Snacking activities follow the mega trends of
Cooling You either have a snack because you convenience and imagination. This is of
Cooling completes the production cycle would like to have something for course very important, as these are the
of confectionery products. pleasure, you want to give yourself a tools that will make the customer see
When the fat starts to crystallise heat treat. The other reason is that you need the product at the very purchasing
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Anno 17 - No. 1