15: Chocolate and confectionery

Question 1

How can cocoa bean be processed? What is the end product?

Answer 1

1. Winnowing & Roasting: Remove shell and roast
2. Grinding: Hammer mill & stone mill to reduce particle size.

End product: Chocolate liquor (Solid/semi-solid cocoa paste)

Question 2

How is chocolate produced?

Answer 2

1. Ingredients mixing: Chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, sugar, dairy ingredient are mixed together to produce cocoa paste.
2. Refining: Using a steel roller to reduce particle size 10-40um.
3. Conching: Mixing and kneading chocolate in a conch.
4. Tempering: Controlled cooling to promote formation of small fat crystals (B-polymorph).

Question 3

What causes blooming?

Answer 3

Sugar bloom:
- Exposure of chocolate to moisture
- Poor packaging
- Storage temperature fluctuation

Fat bloom:
- Improper tempering causes formation of unstable fat polymorph
- Contamination with non-cocoa fat or water.
- Improper storage

Question 4

Why is cocoa powder alkalized?

Answer 4

• Raising acidic pH of cocoa powder to alkali leads to milder, less astringent flavor and different colors.

Question 5

How is chocolate formed after tempering?

Answer 5

• Enrobing
• Depositing
• Moulding