Chocolate production

Anniina Teittinen - 2006

The production

• Harvesting the cocoa beans

• Fermenting

• Roasting

• Blending

• Conching

• Tempering

• Moulding

• Storing

Harvesting

• Harvesting the cacao pods

• Separating the beans

Fermenting

• Pouring into baskets

• Fermentation

- biochemical changes

- determines the smell, taste and quality

• Drying the beans

• Bagging for transport

Roasting

• cleaning, inspecting and sorting the beans at the factory

• Roasted in special equipment at a temperature of 130−150 °С

• the shells are removed and the cocoa beans are crushed into cocoa nibs

• cocoa-nibs are ground (75 microns)– cocoa liquor

Blending

• Cocoa liquor, sugar, cocoa butter= plain dark chocolate

+ milk or milk powder and vanilla

= milk chocolate

- cocoa liquor

= white chocolate

Conching

• intensive mixing at high temperature

• A conche (container filled with metal beads) acts as grinder, also heavy rollers can be used– more homogeneous consistency– the length of the process determines the final

smoothness and quality of the chocolate

Tempering

• long and complex process • chocolate mass must be cooled

– specific heat treatment • the problem: cocoa-butter is a polymorphic fat

– crystallizes and congeals– takes different consistencies

• the purpose:– to assure that only the best form is present

• the uniform sheen and crisp bite• best appearance and mouth feel • most stable crystals so the texture and appearance will not

degrade over time

Moulding

• pouring into heated moulds

• adding extras, if wanted (like nuts)

• the chocolate solidifies

• packed

Storing

• ideal temperature between 15 and 19

• relative humidity of less than 50 %

• stored away from other foods– can absorbs different aromas

Repetition