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Chocolate making - example of persistence & ingenuity
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Thursday, 16 August, 2018, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Nidhi Shukla
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“Chocolates.“ It’s not just a name, it is a feeling! I mean who must never heard about chocolates ever? Any special occasion, happy occasion, the main attraction is always the dessert… But have any one of you wondered how this magical food is made? Let’s put some light on it…
Understanding Confectionery
Confectionery is the art of making confections, which are food items that are rich in sugar and carbohydrates. Exact definitions are difficult. In general, though, confectionery is divided into two broad and somewhat overlapping categories, bakers' confections and sugar confections.
Cocoa
The cocoa tree is an unusual tree, with its cultivation confined to limited areas and climatic conditions. The processing is required in both conditions: where it is cultivated and where it is processed. Chocolate making is a complex example of human persistence and ingenuity.
Several developments have been responsible for progress in the industry. Until 1800, the product available was a very fatty chocolate drink prepared from the whole cocoa bean, sugar and spices. In 1828, Van Houten of Holland invented the cocoa press, which removed a part of cocoa fat from the bean, resulting in a powder of about of 23% of fat. This made it easier in preparing the drink and also digesting it. At the same time, the natural fat, the cocoa butter was released making it possible to produce a fluid chocolate that could be moulded. This made it possible to use it in other confectionery products too.
Cocoa are actually present in big pods, which are found on the trunk and the lower branches of the Cacao tree. These pods are harvested after maturation and cut open. The beans with adhering pulp are removed and transferred to flat surfaces to dry. After drying they are kept in heaps or boxes to let them ferment. The fermentation process generally lasts up to five or six days. On the first day, the pulp that is adhering to the beans turns into liquid and drains away. During this process, the temperature is steadily rising. By the third day, the temperature reaches almost 45ºC and reaches up till 50ºC at the end of the process. It is important to mix the beans occasionally to keep them aerated and to ensure that the beans outside are exposed to the temperate inside the heap.
From Cocoa Liquor to Chocolate
There are various steps involved in the processing of chocolate.
Let’s go through in brief:
1. The cocoa beans are cleaned to remove all the unrequired material.
2. To bring out the chocolate flavour and colour, the beans are roasted. The temperature, time and degree of moisture involved in roasting depend on the type of beans used and the sort of chocolate product required from the process.
3. A winnowing machine is used to remove the shells from the beans to leave just the cocoa nibs.
4. The cocoa nibs undergo alkalisation (adding potassium carbonate), to develop the flavour and colour.
5. The nibs are then milled to form cocoa liquor. Cocoa liquor is basically cocoa particles suspended in cocoa butter. The temperature and degree of milling varies according to the type of nib used and the product required.
6. Manufacturers generally use more than one type of bean in their products and hence the different beans have to be blended together to the required formula.
7. The cocoa liquor is pressed to extract the cocoa butter, leaving a solid mass called cocoa press cake. The amount of butter extracted from the liquor is controlled by the manufacturer to produce press cake with different proportions of fat.
8. The processing now takes place in two different directions. The cocoa butter is used in the manufacture of chocolate. The cocoa press cake is broken into small pieces to form kibbled press cake, which then goes through a process of pulverisation to form cocoa powder.
9. Cocoa liquor is used to produce chocolate through the addition of cocoa butter. Other ingredients such as sugar, milk, emulsifying agents and cocoa butter parts are added and mixed. The proportions of the different ingredients depend on the type of chocolate being made.
10. The mixture then undergoes a refining process by travelling through a series of rollers until a smooth paste is formed. Refining improves the texture of the
chocolate.
11. The chocolate powder is put into large tanks called conches. It is kneaded for several hours until the aromas fully develop. Contact with heat, air and friction result in several different physical and chemical changes. Conching is a kneading or smoothing process, it develops flavour and texture. The speed, duration and temperature of the kneading affect the flavour of the chocolate. An alternative to conching is an emulsifying process using a machine that works like an egg beater.
12. The mixture is then tempered or passed through a heating, cooling and reheating process. This prevents discolouration and fat bloom in the product by preventing crystallisation of cocoa butter developing. The texture of the finished product is extremely smooth and has a homogenous taste. This powder is formed in small particles which are no longer distinguishable by a human tongue.
13. The mixture is then put into moulds or used for enrobing fillings and cooled in a cooling
chamber.
14. The chocolate is then packaged for distribution to retail outlets.
Depending on the kind of chocolate, different ingredients are used:
Dark Chocolate: Cocoa liquor + cocoa butter + sugar
Milk Chocolate: Cocoa liquor + cocoa butter + sugar + milk powder
White Chocolate: Cocoa butter + sugar + milk powder
Natural Cocoa Powder
Chocolate is naturally acidic, so natural cocoa powder typically has a pH between 5 and 6. This acidity gives the cocoa the sharp, citrus fruit-like finish. Remember, that just like a chocolate bar, cocoa powder flavour varies by brand. While all natural cocoa will have certain characteristics in common (bitterness and astringency), flavours will vary based on the cacao bean and how it's manufactured.
In most US markets, natural cocoa is the most commonly available variety of cocoa e.g., Hershey's, Ghirardelli, and Scharffen Berger.
Dutch Process Cocoa Powder
Dutch process cocoa powder (also sometimes called "alkalised," "European style," or "Dutch") is washed with a potassium carbonate solution that neutralises cocoa's acidity to a pH of 7. Although all cocoa powders can vary in colour from light reddish brown to a richer dark brown, the Dutch process gives the powder a noticeably darker hue.
Dutch process cocoa has a smoother, mellower flavour that's often associated with earthy complexity. There are also heavily Dutch "black" cocoa powders that bring the cocoa powder to an alkaline level of 8. This is the kind of bittersweet flavour that is found in Oreo cookies.
Packaging of this Yumminess
Chocolate is mainly packaged in aluminium foil or composite films, paper or plastic trays and then packaged in batches in mill and corrugated board cartons. ... If chocolate is to be transported in containers, refrigerated containers (integral units or porthole containers) are more suitable.
Summary
The packaged beans arrive from various parts of the world to the factory. The beans are examined and cleaned for any dirt or foreign particles. These beans are then mixed properly to achieve the typical taste and aroma of the chocolate. And they are then quickly dried under big heaters to acquire dry beans without any moisture. This process is done so that the shells of the beans could be easily peeled off. Now what remains are the cocoa nibs. These nibs are then roasted to develop a particular aroma. Further, these nibs are ground in special grinders to a very fine, liquid mass-the cocoa liquor. Cocoa liquor can be further processed into two different components: cocoa butter and cocoa powder. However, it can also be used directly as an ingredient in chocolate.
Reference
www.icco.org/about-cocoa/processing-cocoa.html
books.google.com
www.barry-callebaut.com
(The author is freelancer. She can be contacted at nidhishukla67@yahoo.in)
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