From Cocoa Bean to Chocolate Bar - Literature review Example

FROM COCOA BEAN TO CHOCOLATE BAR From cocoa bean to chocolate bar Many people have the knowledge that chocolate bars are always made from cocoa beans. However, very few people have the knowledge of the process through which cocoa beans are used in the production of chocolate bar. Chocolate can be used as an ingredient in many other food products such as candy bars, milk shakes, cereals, cakes, biscuits, and cookies. This is what makes it important to know exactly how chocolate bars can be made from cocoa beans. Someone might assume that the process of producing chocolate bars from cocoa bean is a simple one. This is not in any way true because the process involves a number of complex procedures. This paper aims at discussing how chocolate bars are usually made from cocoa beans. Cocoa trees usually grow to about 12 to 15 meters high and usually take a period of between 3 to 4 years before the first flowers are seen. Each tree usually produces around 10, 000 blossoms of which only about twenty are pollinated to form cocoa pods. Each pod usually has forty seeds which eventually mature into cocoa beans (Liberman, 2011). Most species of the cocoa plant have the ability of producing two crops annually. It takes a period of 5 to 6 months after pollination takes place for a pod to be ready for harvesting. Harvesting is a very important part of the whole process. Overripe cocoa pods are usually vulnerable to diseases and pests. Some of the seeds might even start germinating inside the pods. After the harvesting of cocoa beans there is a two-step process that usually follows. The two steps involved in this case are fermenting and drying the beans. During the fermentation stage the seeds are heaped on plantain leaves then wrapped inside the leaves. After wrapping the beans, they are supposed to be exposed to heat for a period of between 5 to 8 days in order for them to ferment. Fermentation takes place when the pulps which usually surround the cocoa beans are converted into alcohol thanks to the yeast found in the air and the heat produced by the heap. During the process of fermentation the beans are supposed to be mixed slowly to introduce oxygen into the heap. The oxygen helps in turning alcohol into acetic and lactic acid (Belitz, Grosch & Schieberle, 2009). The liquid form of the pulp is usually drained from the heap, leaving the organic compounds of the beans to develop a new color and flavor that people usually associate with chocolate. After the fermentation process is over the temperature inside the heap is usually increased with the purpose of making sure that the germination power of the seeds is destroyed. From the fermentation process the beans usually come moisturized. For the sake of storage there is always need for them to be dried first. The cocoa beans are usually dried either through being exposed to sunlight or wood fire. When the moisture constituent of the cocoa beans gets to about 6% the beans are usually sorted and packaged ready to be transported to the manufacturing firms (Beckett, 2000). During the manufacturing of chocolate products the nature of the product is usually dependent on the nature of the recipe used. An important part of the recipe is usually determined by the quality and type of cocoa beans that is used in the process. When the cocoa beans get to the manufacturers the first process that they go through is testing. It is a mandatory requirement for the cocoa beans to go through extensive testing and sampling before they are taken through any other process. One thing that the beans are always tested for is the size (Blech, 2008). Apart from the size the beans are also always tested for any form of defect. The most common defects that cocoa beans are usually tested for include molds or insects. The cocoa beans are then changed to chocolate liquor in order to enable the manufacturers to evaluate aspects such as aroma and flavor. When the manufacturing companies have completely taken the cocoa through the testing process the cocoa always undergo thorough cleaning. The purpose of thorough cleaning is to make sure that all unwanted matter is excluded from the cocoa. After cleaning the cocoa beans are always roasted for a minimum of 10 minutes and a maximum of 35 minutes. The purpose of roasting the cocoa beans is to darken the color and to further enhance characteristics and flavor of the cocoa. The variance in roasting temperature and period is usually brought about by the variance in factors such as bean size, level of humidity, and the desired flavor (Bradley, 2013). After the cocoa beans have already been roasted the shells are usually removed, leaving the manufacturers with only the nibs. Some of the shells usually shed off during the roasting process while the remaining ones are usually done away with through a process known as winnowing. After the cocoa beans have gone through roasting and winnowing the remaining cocoa nibs are usually ground till they form a paste commonly referred to as cocoa mass or chocolate liquor. Despite being referred to as liquor the resulting liquor, usually has absolutely no alcoholic content. The grinding of the cocoa beans usually takes place in grinding or milling machines such as melangeur. After the cocoa beans have been ground they now start going through the refining process. At this stage most chocolate manufacturing companies usually prefer a ball mill or roll refiner. The roll refiner has two main functions, namely: reduction of the size of the cocoa mass and making sure that cocoa butter is evenly distributed in the mass (Hawkins, 2008). The reduction of particle size does not only involve the cocoa mass, but any other ingredient that might have been used in the process. After the distribution of cocoa butter all the particles are supposed to be covered. Dependent on the nature of desired end product varying percentage of cocoa butter is usually added or removed from the chocolate liquor. In the production of chocolate bar the effect of having the cocoa butter is the flavor of chocolate and production of the cooling effect on the tongue whenever someone is eating chocolate. The ingredients added to the chocolate are usually dependent on the desired flavor of the end product. These ingredients include: sugar, milk, lecithin, and milk or milk powder (Pech, 2010). The different formula that different chocolate manufacturers use in combining the various ingredients is what usually leads to the unique tastes that different chocolate bars have. After the chocolate has gone through the refining process it needs to go through a process known as conching. Conching refers to a process whereby the chocolate liquor develops flavor through reduction of some of the inherent bitterness. Conching is supposed to give chocolate some smoothness that makes it melt in your mouth leading to a good sensation. In most cases conching usually take a period of up to three days depending on the nature of chocolate bar that the manufacturer aims at producing (Fox& McSweeney, 2003). The main purpose of the step or stage of the process is to make sure that the chocolate liquor blends well with the other ingredients that are used in manufacturing chocolate bar. After the chocolate has successfully gone through the conching process it is the taken through a process that is known as tempering. Under this process the chocolate usually goes through warming then cooling. The chocolate is further warmed and cooled again until it attains the appropriate temperature. The appropriate temperature is known when tempering leads to the creation of even crystallization of all the ingredients all over the chocolate. When tempering is done in a proper manner it usually gives chocolate a smooth, uniform taste and the ability to snap into two when broken. The production of chocolate bar does not end with tempering. After tempering the manufacturers usually add additional ingredients such as sea salt, coffee beans, or almonds. The chocolate is then emptied into molds depending on the bar shape that the manufacturers desire. The chocolate is left to cool until it solidifies before they are removed having formed the shape of the molds. When the chocolate have already solidified they are properly wrapped in a manner that they can remain fresh for a period between 12 and 24 months. References Beckett, S. T. (2000). The science of chocolate. Cambridge: Royal Society of Chemistry. Belitz, H.-D., Grosch, W., & Schieberle, P. (2009). Food chemistry. Berlin: Springer. Blech, Z. Y. (2008). Kosher food production. Oxford, UK: Wiley Blackwell. Bradley, J. (2013). Cadburys purple reign: The story behind chocolates best-loved brand. Hoboken, N.J: Wiley. Fox, P. F., & McSweeney, P. L. H. (2003). Advanced dairy chemistry. New York, N.Y: Springer. Hawkins, K. (2008). Chocolate!. London: New Holland. Liberman, S. (2011). American food by the decades. Santa Barbara, Calif: Greenwood. Pech, J. (2010). The chocolate therapist: A users guide to the extraordinary health benefits of chocolate. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons. Read More