BMS SEM V

UNIT – IV
CHOCOLATE
Chocolate Making

Manufacturing & Processing of Chocolate

What is Chocolate?

• Did you know chocolate grows on trees? The cocoa “beans” that form the basis of chocolate
are actually seeds from the fruit of the cacao tree, which primarily grows in tropical areas near
the Equator. The seeds grow inside a pod-like fruit and are covered with a juicy white pulp. How
is it made? To make chocolate, cocoa farmers crack open the pods, scoop out the seeds, ferment
them and dry them. The beans are shipped to factories all over the world, where manufacturers
inspect and clean them, then roast and grind them into a dense liquid called chocolate liquor.
More pressing, rolling, mixing with sugar and other ingredients, and heating and cooling finally
yields this delicious treat.
• Chocolate is produced from the seed of the cacao tree.
• Unfortunately for many home gardeners eager to have their own stash of chocolate, trees grow
only in tropical regions: Central America, the Caribbean, Indonesia, and Africa.
History of chocolate

• Back in 250-900 A.D. the Mayans noticed a wild tree (cacao tree) occupying rain forests in South
America and figured out it could be cultivated. They would ferment, roast, and grind the beans,
similar to what we do today.
• But the Mayans didn’t have a “Willy Wonka Factory” with helpful machinery to produce a variety
of confections. Instead, they enjoyed chocolate as a beverage, with ground beans, water, chile, vanilla,
black pepper and cornmeal, sweetened with honey.
• To Mayans, cacao was valuable stuff. It wasn’t consumed on a regular basis, but often used as part
of tradition and rituals. Cacao beans were also used as a form of currency.
• The industrial revolution changed the chocolate “experience.” The cocoa press was invented in
1828 to separate chocolate into cocoa butter and solids (cocoa powder). Between 1875 and 1894 the
names “Nestle” and “Hershey” became more popular with the development of milk chocolate and
mass production of chocolate bars spanning the globe. Specialized chocolate companies have only
been popular since the 1980s.
History of chocolate
• The history of chocolate began in Mesoamerica. Fermented beverages made from chocolate date
back to 450 BC.The Aztecs believed that cacao seeds were the gift of Quetzalcoatl, the god of
wisdom, and the seeds once had so much value that they were used as a form of currency.
Originally prepared only as a drink, chocolate was served as a bitter liquid, mixed with spices or
corn puree. It was believed to be an aphrodisiac and to give the drinker strength. Today, such
drinks are also known as "Chilate" and are made by locals in the South of Mexico. After its arrival
to Europe in the sixteenth century, sugar was added to it and it became popular throughout
society, first among the ruling classes and then among the common people. In the 20th century,
chocolate was considered essential in the rations of United States soldiers during war.
• The word "chocolate" comes from the Classical Nahuatl word Xocolātl, and entered the English
language from the Spanish language.
History of chocolate
• Cultivation, consumption, and cultural use of cacao were extensive in Mesoamerica where the
cacao tree is native. When pollinated, the seed of the cacao tree eventually forms a kind of
sheath, or ear, 20" long, hanging from the tree trunk itself. Within the sheath are 30 to 40
brownish-red almond-shaped beans embedded in a sweet viscous pulp. While the beans
themselves are bitter due to the alkaloids within them, the sweet pulp may have been the first
element consumed by humans.
• Cacao pods grow in a wide range of colors, from pale yellow to bright green, all the way to dark
purple or crimson. The skin can also vary greatly - some are sculpted with craters or warts,
while others are completely smooth. This wide range in type of pods is unique to cacaos in that
their color and texture does not necessarily determine the ripeness or taste of the beans inside.
History of chocolate
• Evidence suggests that it may have been fermented and served as an alcoholic beverage as
early as 1400 BC.
• Cultivation of the cacao was not an easy process. Part of this was because cacao trees in their
natural environment grow to 60 feet tall or more. When the trees were grown in a plantation;
however, they grew to around 20 feet tall.
Cacao production

• Cacao production is labor-intensive. Trees require hand harvesting and machetes, as the pods
can reach a size comparable to butternut squash and hold between 30 and 50 beans.
• Cacao trees grown in the wild with shade can maintain production for nearly 100 years.
Cacao processing

• The beans, about the size of almonds, are allowed to ferment for 3 to 7 days and then dried. This
fermentation is essential — the raw seeds are very bitter.
• After fermentation beans must be sorted, cleaned, and weighed before roasting.

• After roasting, the beans enter a machine that cracks the seed coats and blows them away, leaving
behind cacao nibs, which are 47% cocoa solids and 53% cocoa butter.
• Cocoa butter (from cacao) is the main source of fat in chocolate. The cocoa solids are ground into
cocoa powder, the same stuff that flavors your chocolate protein powder.
• Cacao nibs left after bean cracking can be milled into a “nut butter”-like paste, called chocolate
liquor (alcohol free), which can then be pressed.
• The chocolate liquor on its own is dry and gritty. It can be combined with other ingredients like sugar,
vanilla, and lecithin to make a more palatable product, and/or be broken down on machinery and
kneaded for days to improve the texture. Careful heating and cooling will create a stable structure.
QUESTIONS
• SHORT NOTE ON CHOCOLATE ?
• BREIF NOTE ON CHCOCOLATE HISTORY?
• SHORT NOTE ON COCOA PRODUCTION?