Showing posts with label Chocolate bar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chocolate bar. Show all posts
How Do Large Companies Make Chocolate
How do large companies make chocolate? For one, they need capital to be able to buy the equipment they need and also the ingredients.
Given that there are not that many places in the US to harvest cocoa beans, these companies go to South America, the Ivory Coast and as far away as Ghana because deep in their jungles likes the cacao tree.
These trees grow a melon like fruit that is harvested by hand and inside, there are 20 to 40 seeds which are the cocoa beans.
Once the cocoa beans are removed, they are placed in large heaps or piles in a process known as fermentation. This usually takes a week giving the shells time to harden, the beans darken and the cocoa flavor develop. Afterwards, these are then transported to the chocolate factory.
Since companies that import cocoa beans order these in vast quantities, it is more practical to transport these back to the US by ship than by air. Once they reach the dock, it is then transferred to rail road cars on the way to the factory so they can be cleaned and stored.
Chocolates as we know taste different and this is depends on the country of origin of the beans. The first step in converting these into chocolate is to roast these in large revolving roasters at high temperatures.
Next, a special hulling machine dries it so the shell of the bean is removed and its content known as the “nib” is the one that is actually used in making chocolate.
The next step is to turn the “nibs” into its liquid form. This process is known as milling and to give you that added taste, other ingredients are added and these include chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, sugar and milk.
Chocolate liquor is a combination of milk and sugar. The end product of this coarse brown powder called a chocolate crumb. As for milk, this is taken from the farm where it is tested, pasteurized and mixed with sugar until it turns into a thick, taffy like material.
You then throw in cocoa butter to bring out the rich taste and creamy texture of the chocolate. Another machine known as steel rollers grind and refine the mixture to make it smoother.
After all that, the mixture becomes a thick liquid often referred to as chocolate paste. Since there still may be some gritty particles, it is placed inside another machine called the conche for 24 to 72 hours.
When the paste has been smoothened, this is the time that the liquid chocolate is poured into the mold. The process is very fast inside a factory as some produce about a thousand of these a minute that is something that can never be done manually. If the chocolate comes in many varies, this is also the time that almonds and peanuts are added.
In the machine, air bubbles are removed so the chocolate is able to settle evenly. They then make their way through a cooling tunnel so the liquid chocolate is turned into a solid candy bar.
The last step is obviously to wrap this up, put these in boxes and then deliver it to stores. Customers then buy these off the shelf and then enjoy its yummy taste without ever thinking for one moment how do large companies make chocolate.
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Chocolate-- The Newest Health Food?
You may have already heard that chocolate contains beneficial flavonoids and antioxidents. Flavonoids are naturally-occurring compounds found in plant foods that are full of recognized health benefits. There are more than 4,000 flavonoid compounds, which are a subgroup of a large class called polyphenols. Phenols are believed to help reduce the risk of heart disease by helping prevent atherosclerosis. The flavanols in chocolate appear to help the body use nitric oxide, which is crucial for healthy blood flow and blood pressure, which means that chocolate might help reduce hypertension as well.
Red wine is know for its high phenol content, but an average bar of dark chocolate contains more phenols than 8 ounces of red wine. Scientists at Cornell University and Seoul National University examined the cancer-fighting antioxidant content of hot cocoa, red wine, and tea, and found that cocoa had nearly double the antioxidants of red wine and four to five times more than tea.
Holland's National Institute of Public Health and Environment found that dark chocolate contains 53.5 mg of catechins per 100 grams. (Catechins are the powerful antioxidants that fight against cancer and help prevent heart disease). By contrast, a cup of black tea contains only about 14 mg of catechins and green tea has about 30 mg of catechins.
A study at University of California Davis found that participants who ate chocolate showed a reduction in platelet activity. This means that chocolate has an anti-clotting, blood-thinning effect that can be compared to aspirin.
A Harvard University study of 8,000, with an average age of 65, revealed that those who consumed chocolate lived almost a year longer than those who did not. Those who ate one to three candy bars per month had a 36 percent lower risk of death (compared to the people who ate no candy), while those who ate three or more candy bars per week had a 16 percent lower risk.
A study of older men in The Netherlands, known for its chocolate, showed that those who ate the most chocolate, an equivalent of one-third of a chocolate bar every day, had lower blood pressure and a 50 percent lower risk of death. The researchers also noted the men eating the most cocoa products were not heavier or bigger eaters than the men who ate less cocoa.
And it's not just dark chocolate that is the only healthy type of chocolate. Most studies talk about the benefits of dark chocolate, but some of the most recent news about chocolate includes good news for milk chocolate lovers, who have been left out in the past.
The Wheeling Jesuit University in West Virginia did a study that shows that milk chocolate seems to boost brainpower. The groups in the test consumed, on different occasions, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, carob and nothing. Then they were tested for cognitive performance including memory, attention span, reaction time, and problem solving.
According to Dr. Bryan Raudenbush, "Composite scores for verbal and visual memory were significantly higher for milk chocolate than the other conditions." The study also found that consumption of milk and dark chocolate was associated with improved impulse control and reaction time. It seems that by consuming chocolate you get stimulating effects from substances found in chocolate, such as theobromine and phenylethylamine, which then lead to increased mental performance.
Chocolate really does make you feel good, too. It is known to stimulate the secretion of endorphins, producing a pleasurable sensation similar to the "runner's high" a jogger feels after running several miles. Chocolate also contains a neurotransmitter, serotonin that acts as an anti-depressant. Studies in England show that even the aroma of chocolate gives a bout of euphoria and will help lift the spirits.
And now people are looking at chocolate for skin care. According to Marlies Spinale, director of Tru Spa, "Like many other antioxidants, cocoa polyphenols are thought to offer the skin protection from free-radical damage caused by sun, pollution, stress, alcohol consumption and other factors. I believe that we will hear more about the benefits of chocolate in skin care."
Some people have been avoiding chocolate because one of the main ingredients of chocolate is cocoa butter. It was thought that it was an unhealthy fat, but actually cocoa butter is not unhealthy. It is made up of the beneficial fatty acids-- oleic acid (a heart-healthy monounsaturated fat also found in olive oil), stearic and palmitic acids. Stearic and palmitic acids are healthy forms of saturated fat. Plus chocolate contains vitamins A, B1, C, D, and E, as well as potassium, sodium, and iron.
So go ahead and indulge in a little chocolate, in moderation of course. I would recommend that you try to find organic chocolate, and stick with darker chocolate because it has more chocolate flavonoids and less sugar. (Sugar weakens the immune system; so don't consume sugar if you are ill.) And a little bit of milk chocolate is alright when you need an occasional milk chocolate brainpower boost, such as before a test. All you students take note!
Chocolate as a health food-- can life get any better?
By Dianne Ronnow, © 2006 Mohave Publishing.
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How to make your wedding chocolate cake special
Ken Bonine is the co-owner of Chocolate Dreams & Wishes, LLC - located in Pittsburgh, Pa. We think you will be pleasantly surprised at the amazing taste of our chocolate as well as the price. Give us a call and let us help you make your wedding gifts a little more exciting. For all your wedding cakes and chocolate cravings , do contact visit our site.
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Interesting Chocolate Statistics
Just about everyone loves the sweet temptation of chocolates and candy. Here are some intriguing statistics and facts about candy and chocolate:
1. The average American eats 10-12 pounds (4.5 kg) of chocolate a year. The average Swiss eats 21 pounds a year.
2. Chocolate is the food most commonly craved by women, but can contribute significantly to bulimia, obesity, and binge eating.
3. Several medical studies show that eating chocolate in moderation can actually prolong your life by reducing risk of blood clots and fighting bad cholestorol.
4. Chocolate is not physically addictive and does not cause acne, as shown in several medical studies.
5. Chocolate is not high in caffeine. A 1oz bar of milk chocolate contains only 5-6mg of caffeine. This is significantly less than in coffee, tea, and soft drinks.
6. Chocolates can absorb other flavors and scents, and should be kept away from other household chemicals.
7. Chocolate can be frozen for up to six months. It is best to seal chocolate in a zip lock bag before freezing.
8. In genearl, the shelf life for chocolate is a year. Chocolate that is refrigerated may not melt as readily. Thus it is best to store chocolate in cool dry areas 55-60 degrees F.
9. U.S. chocolate manufacturers use 3.5 million pounds of whole milk every day to make chocolate.
10. The largest chocolate bar ever made weighed over 5,000 pounds and was made in Italy in 2000. The largest slab of fudge was over 2,000 pounds and was made in Canada.
11. Children are more likely to prefer chocolate when they reach 10-11 years old than when they are younger.
12. Chocolate is America's favorite flavor, according to recent surveys with a little over 50% of adults preferring chocolate to other flavors.
About the Author - Criss White is a professional web writer on baby and new mother topics for baby and pregnancy websites. For more personalized gift ideas, go to http://www.mybabyshowerfavors.com/chocolate.htm (Chocolate Baby Shower Favors) and for more candle gift ideas, see Candy Baby Shower Favors (http://www.mybabyshowerfavors.com/candy.htm).
Note: If you find this article useful, you may reprint it on your website, e-zine, or in your newsletter as long as the credits above remain in tact and the hyperlinks stay active.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Criss_White
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Making Chocolate Candy that Lasts
The success of your chocolate candy lies on the ability to temper the chocolate. Even in other chocolate delicacies, the importance of tempering the chocolate mixture will never be understated. Chocolate, to begin with, must have a premium quality to it. You can have fun experimenting on different core chocolate materials that you can use for your chocolate candy.
Sometimes, you will find in the market some melted chocolates that are ready for making chocolate candy. You can make use of this or do chocolate the hard way and start from the cocoa beans. The good thing about melted chocolates is that you can focus on the making of chocolate candy itself. The making of chocolate from cocoa beans can be very difficult and tedious, and you may be robbed of your energy the moment you decide to do both. By the time that you reach the chocolate candy making aspect, you may have no more gusto or enthusiasm to complete it.
But when buying melted chocolate, make sure that it is not made of a processed candy bar. The courveture quality of chocolate is something you must look for since it makes for an ideal chocolate core for chocolate candy.
Other Ingredients and Steps
An electric frying pan is needed with ample space for your mixture. Have a temperature of about 60 degrees for mixing the chocolate and creating your candy. But don't melt the chocolates in your frying pan. It is still better to place them in the oven for melting. Introduce the chocolate by increments and not by instantly putting a large heap.
This way, the stirring part will be easier and you will not run the risk of losing control as you create your chocolate candy. Avoid moisture in the chocolate at all costs because it will affect the taste of your chocolate candy. After you have fixed your chocolate core, you can then dip it into the other components that create the chocolate candy.
The Steps
Coat both sides of your material with chocolate. Make sure that your flip the center for balance of chocolate distribution. You can also use your fingers to have a swirly mark on your chocolate candy, but this must be mastered with constant practice before you can smoothly pull it off. Keep mixing the chocolate in such a way that it does not get too stiff. Chocolate candy usually results in a less shiny quality. If you find the chocolate candy too shiny, you may have overdone or underdone something from the previous steps.
What Next?
You can now store your chocolate in the fridge. With the use of wax paper or other similar material, you can make your chocolate candies appear more professionally made than when you leave them bare in the tray. The good thing about chocolate is that it lasts for a very long time.
The leftovers from your chocolate making may also be turned into other delicacies. Just use your imagination and you will be able to find delight in making other forms of chocolate delicacies. You can also save the leftovers for your next chocolate candy making sessions but gaining the right texture and temperature may prove to be a bit more challenging.
Either way, there are no wasteful moments when it comes making chocolate candy and other chocolate delicacies for that matter.
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Making Chocolate
The first thing that needs to be done is to harvest the cacao beans. Large companies buy these from farmers or buy the farm and harvest these themselves. They then put these in an oven at a temperature between 120 to 163 degrees Celsius that is about 250 to 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 5 to 35 minutes.
Naturally, you will gradually lower the temperature and stop roasting them when the beans start to crack.
There are two reasons why cacao beans stay in an oven at varying times.
First is to prevent them from burning. Naturally, you will gradually lower the temperature and stop roasting them when the beans start to crack. Naturally, you will gradually lower the temperature and stop roasting them when the beans start to crack.
Second, the cooking time of cacao beans varies depending on the type of bean that is being used.
Since companies produce chocolates in vast quantities, the cacao beans are stored in drums and then rotated over a gas grill. After they are roasted, the beans must be cracked into small bits better known as nibs while those that can’t are removed.
The next step is to grind the nibs into a cacao liqueur. For that, you will need a machine to liquefy this and at the same time separate the remaining husks that were not removed after roasting.
You then conch and refine the chocolate so you are able to give the chocolate its distinct taste. This is what makes Hershey’s chocolates different than for example M&M which can be achieved by using a powerful wet grinder.
You first have to melt the chocolate and the cocoa butter in the over at about 120 degrees Fahrenheit. You should then mix non fat dry milk powder, sugar, lecithin and a vanilla pod for about an hour. This mixture is then poured into a grinder together with some heat to keep the chocolate in liquid form. This should be refined for at least 10 hours but not more than 36 hours.
When it is ready, you then temper the chocolate so it looks shiny and soft enough to easily melt in your hand.
The second to the last part in making chocolate is to mold this into whatever shape or form that you would like. To produce these in vast quantities, chocolate companies but custom made molds. The chocolate is then poured there and after this is cooled, this is then packaged and ready for delivery to stores.
Some companies even sell these in the form of blocks so people can buy them, melt it and mold this to whatever shape they desire.
Making chocolate is easy as long as you have the equipment and all the ingredients needed. It doesn’t matter if this is produced in large volumes or in small quantities because the principle behind it is the same. If you want to learn more about making chocolate, sign up for some classes.
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Only The Sweet Stuff: Guide for Making Chocolate
Essentially, making chocolate begins with the conversion of cacao beans into the bars of chocolate we see in the supermarket shelves. Some other people enjoy eating the cacao beans in its raw form, since it has the basic component that we crave for in the processed chocolates.
A chocolate maker must have persistent attention to detail and dedication to constant practicing. This guide will not ensure to make a chocolate factory out of your kitchen, but it will surely give you the basic idea-- just enough for you to enjoy a bar or two of chocolate at any time you wish without hurting your budget. Moreover, since you are directly involved in making your chocolate, you get to know the materials and amount of calories you are placing in every bar.
It begins with Cocoa Beans
If you are familiar with brewing coffee, it is similar to the beginning of the chocolate-making process. You need to roast the beans. But then, do not roast it too much. Initially, place it in a high temperature, then slowly diminishing the temperature afterwards. Turn the heat off right before the moment the beans hit their cracking or breaking point. You can do this either on your oven.
Or if you are planning to feed many people with your chocolate, have a larger container to accommodate the huge number of beans. From time to time, test the taste of your chocolate. The moment you start tasting chocolate from the cocoa, it is also an indicator to turn off the heat.
After roasting, the beans must be cracked open, removing the hard husks. You can do this by hand or with use of a small hammer. Depending on the size of your beans, you can use other tools for cracking, since the husks are not that useful for eating. Once the husks are removed, you can now grind the remaining portions until it liquefies. You must thoroughly liquefy the said concoction in order to help you become a home chocolatier.
Coco gets refined over time.
The process of conching involves the refinement of chocolate. It may require you to have certain equipment such as the Sancha refiner, which is a common favorite among home chocolatiers. This is where you start adding sugar and milk as part of the delicious chocolate mixture.
You will need to refine and conch for a long time, approximately 10 to 30 hours in length, until you achieve the balance of the ingredients. Excessive refining will turn your chocolate into gum, so be very careful. At this point, even when you let the mixture rest, it must not solidify yet.
Packaging Chocolates: Tempered after refinement.
When you are finished refining your chocolate, you need to make sure that it is under the right temperature before you place it in the mold. Not doing this meticulous tempering process will make your chocolate lumpy and unbalanced.
The rich, creamy quality of most chocolate bars in the market come from effective tempering of the chocolate after refinement.
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