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Many people love chocolate. But not everyone knows what and how this delicacy is made from. In this article you will learn how and what chocolate is made, what path it goes through before getting to us and giving pleasure.

What is chocolate made from?

Chocolate is a product based on cocoa beans. In this chapter, we will look step by step at where chocolate production begins, where the tree grows from whose beans this sweetness is made, what path cocoa beans go through before they become chocolate that melts in your mouth.

Cocoa is native to Central and South America. It was there, many millennia ago, that the ancient Aztec and Mayan tribes made a drink called “chocolatl” by mixing crushed cocoa beans with water and adding hot peppers.

The chocolate tree, also called cocoa, is an evergreen spindle-shaped tree with a height of 5 to 8 meters. Grows in tropical countries south of the equator.

Cocoa flowers are small, pale yellowish or pale pinkish, and bloom throughout the year. After pollination, the fruits, which are impressive compared to the flowers themselves, develop and contain cocoa beans. One such fruit can contain from 30 to 50 cocoa seeds, approximately the size of olives. Although they may differ both in size and smell depending on where the plant variety grows.

When freshly picked, they do not even closely resemble the chocolate we know: neither in color nor in smell.

Although the birthplace of cocoa beans is South America, today this tree is cultivated in many countries of the world for the production of cocoa beans, where there are appropriate growing conditions for this, including countries in Africa and Asia.

The main suppliers of raw materials for sweet products are Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Brazil, Indonesia, Malaysia and African countries.

Harvesting cocoa beans

Cocoa fruits are considered ripe when the shell turns bright yellow or orange, almost red. The interesting thing is that the pod does not grow on a branch, but directly from the tree trunk on a small petiole.

They are collected twice a year. As a rule, the first time is before the start of the dry season and the second time is before the start of the rainy season. Although, in principle, nuts can be collected continuously all year round. Harvest times vary depending on the country. But the process of turning beans into chocolate is the same and begins immediately after harvesting the fruits.

After the fruits are removed from the tree (and this work is entrusted only to experienced pickers), the fruit is cut into several parts and immediately subjected to fermentation or fermentation.

Fermentation or fermentation

Once harvested and cut, the fruits are fermented in sunlight until the beans turn from cream to purple. Where there is no possibility of fermentation under the sun, fermentation is carried out in special drying ovens.

The fermentation system is different. In Africa, the “heap method” is more popular, i.e. the fruits are laid out on banana leaves. In South America - in barrels.

Under the influence of heat and light, the pulp of the fruit begins to ferment. Fermentation can last from 5 to 10 days, during which the color of the beans changes, the familiar chocolate aroma appears and some of the bitterness that is present in the picked fruits is lost. During fermentation, the beans are stirred several times to ensure a more even flavor throughout the harvested beans.

Drying beans

The next step after fermentation is drying. The beans must be well dried. This is usually done in the sun. The beans are spread in a thin layer on wooden or bamboo mats or flooring and dried for 7 to 14 days under the scorching sun. During drying, they must be turned over several times to ensure even drying and to avoid the appearance of mold.

After drying, the beans may be reduced to almost half their original volume.

They are then sorted and put into bags, which are then sent for export.

Watch in the video all the stages of growth and collection and drying of cocoa beans

Preparing cocoa liquor

Once the crop is dried and packaged, the role of cocoa producing countries in chocolate production ends. Next, the process of preparing beans into chocolate products begins directly with the chocolate manufacturers.

First stage - frying

Once the beans reach the chocolate manufacturer, they can be mixed with other beans purchased in different countries. The fact is that cocoa beans, depending on the country of cultivation, may differ in their taste and aromatic qualities.

The beans are then placed in ovens and dried at not very high temperatures. After drying, the beans are shelled, i.e. separate the thin outer shell.

The drying system for cocoa beans varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. Some use standard ovens, while others use rotary ovens to dry the beans evenly. But at what temperature which manufacturer dries the beans is a trade secret. After all, during the drying process you can adjust the taste and aroma of the future chocolate.

Cracking

This is the name of the process in which the thin outer shell is separated from the beans, which is blown away by a fan. And only pure cocoa beans remain.

Chocolate production

After peeling or cracking comes the main point - chocolate production. The remaining clean beans are crushed, resulting in cocoa mass - a semi-finished product from which cocoa butter is subsequently obtained. To do this, this semi-finished product is placed under a press and the oil is squeezed out under high pressure. Cocoa powder is made from the remaining cake after squeezing. The oil is used to make chocolate. Thus, after pressing, two products are obtained: cocoa powder and cocoa butter.

Some manufacturers of this sweet confectionery product replace cocoa butter with cheaper vegetable oils. Therefore, when purchasing, you need to carefully study the product label. It can only contain cocoa mass and cocoa butter and no other oils.

Conching

Conching is one of the most important operations in chocolate production. It is during conching that the final taste and aroma of chocolate is created.

A conche is a cylindrical mixer in which the chocolate mass, shaped like a shell, is mixed.

First, all the ingredients are put into the machine exactly according to the recipe. They are then mixed into a homogeneous chocolate mass and ground into a fine powder, the particles of which are so small that they cannot be felt by the human tongue.

During conching, sugar, milk powder if it is milk chocolate and other flavoring additives are added to the mass: lecithin for greater fluidity of the chocolate mass, cocoa butter, vanilla. This process lasts from several hours to several days and is determined by the manufacturer’s recipe.

During the conching process, the chocolate mass can be heated several times and then cooled again until the mass takes on a good glossy appearance and the desired texture.

During conching, several physical and chemical processes occur under the influence of heat and contact with air:

Distribution of milk and cocoa fats in the chocolate mixture;

The moisture present in the mixture evaporates;

Volatile acids disappear completely or partially depending on the conching time, which affects the final taste of the chocolate;

The caramelization process occurs, the mass becomes smooth and shiny, which also affects the final taste of chocolate, this is especially important for milk and white chocolate.

After the chocolate mass becomes homogeneous, it is fed to the next stage.

Quenching and forming

Good chocolate should make a clear clicking sound when broken. This is achieved through the tempering process - controlled heating and cooling of the chocolate mass to form the correct arrangement of crystals in the chocolate. If you simply let the chocolate mass cool naturally, the chocolate will be soft and crumbly and will not melt evenly in your mouth.

The hardening process can be done manually, but it takes time. So most manufacturers use special machines for this.

The last step in creating chocolate is molding, i.e. pouring chocolate mass into molds. In large enterprises, this procedure takes place on a conveyor belt, on which the required amount of chocolate mass is laid out in each mold. But in small enterprises this process most often occurs manually.

Package

After the final cooling of the chocolate, it is wrapped in wrapping paper and sent to a warehouse for subsequent delivery to customers.

Types of chocolate

In general, there are only three main types of chocolate:

Black or bitter;

Lactic;

The rest of the variations of chocolate products that we see in the store are varieties of these three types of chocolate. It can be porous, vegan, kosher, for diabetics, with various fillings. The basis for these types of chocolates are the first three main types.

Bitter or dark chocolate. For its production, only cocoa mass, cocoa butter and sugar are used. Depending on how bitter or sweet the dark chocolate may be, the amount of sugar varies. Usually on the labels of such chocolate you can see “dark” or bitter chocolate. This means that dark chocolate contains a minimal amount of sugar. In the dark - more. This is a very hard chocolate and should melt in your mouth.

Milk chocolate. Milk chocolate contains cocoa mass, cocoa butter, milk powder, and sugar. This type of chocolate is the most common. It is more often used in cooking and confectionery production to make glazes.

Many people know what chocolate is made from: cocoa beans and cocoa butter. Chocolate can be called the most popular sweet among both children and adults. It contains substances that affect a person’s emotional state, namely feelings of joy and love.

You need to figure out what chocolate is made from. This is a confectionery product that is prepared on the basis of cocoa beans, or, more precisely, their oil.

It is obtained by processing the beans of the chocolate tree. They are peeled and fried, resulting in the fruits becoming dark brown in color. They produce three main components: cocoa mass, butter and cake. Chocolate products are made from a combination of powdered sugar, cocoa mass and butter, and cocoa powder is made from cake.

Cocoa beans are rich in caffeine and theobromine and naturally have a tart taste. And the chocolate itself in most cases contains various flavoring additives. These include vanillin, mint oil, coffee, cognac, and in some recipes alcohol and hot pepper are added. The filling can also be different, for example, they are added to chocolate products, nuts, candied fruits, raisins, waffles and even pieces of roasted cocoa beans.

How chocolate is made

The production process is divided into several stages or technological stages, namely:

Return to zmystWarehouse of modern chocolate

When purchasing a chocolate treat, you need to consider what the chocolate is made of. Today, factories offer a wide range of such products, but most often instead of chocolate we get a sweet bar. Unscrupulous manufacturers add not only the necessary components to the product, but also vegetable fats and soy. In this case, the result is not a pure product, but a chocolate bar that does not contain the required concentration of nutrients.

High-quality chocolate must melt at a temperature equal to that of the human body, which is why it melts so well in the mouth.

Bad chocolate will not melt like that, because unnecessary impurities and fats slow down this process.

You should pay special attention to what chocolate is made from, and specifically to the percentage of cocoa beans and additives in the finished product. For example, dessert or semi-bitter chocolate must contain at least 50% cocoa powder, bitter chocolate must contain 60% or more, and milk chocolate must not exceed the 30% barrier. The amount of added sugar directly depends on the type of chocolate. The classic composition includes:

• proteins: from 5 to 8%;
• fats: from 30 to 40%;
• carbohydrates: 5 to 6%;
• alkaloids: no more than 0.5%;
• minerals and tannins: no more than 1%.

All confectionery factories produce chocolate depending on the category of consumers. After all, what is allowed for adults is not necessarily allowed for children. For example, chocolate is prepared for children with the addition of a significant amount of dairy products and with a smaller percentage of cocoa liquor. There are also special sweets with vitamin supplements.

In order to expand the range of products, chocolate is produced in various forms, namely:

• in the form of monolithic or porous tiles;
• in the form of a monolithic or porous bar with and without different fillings;
• in the form of accessories, medals, coins and various figures, for example, animals, cars and so on;
• in the form of decorations or semi-finished products, with the help of which it is possible to make all kinds of confectionery products.

Return to chocolate type

Today, several types of chocolate are known, which are made with the addition of various components, such as cocoa beans, lecithin, palm or cocoa butter, as well as various flavors and fillings. The main types of chocolate include:

Let's look at a chocolate bar or any chocolate product and think about how what we love so much and often eat in large quantities is produced? What does this delicacy consist of? How is white chocolate created? What is the origin of cocoa beans? If you couldn’t answer these questions right away, then let’s try to figure it out together. Today we are going to the Chocolate Museum, once the chocolate factory of the manufacturer Stollwerck (German: Stollwerck) in the German city of Cologne.

So, where does it all begin? Everything is obvious from the cocoa tree - a species of tree from the genus Theobroma (lat. Theobroma). In the wild, such trees grow in the tropical forests of Central and South America, in Mexico, but currently cocoa is cultivated in all tropical countries.

Cocoa fruits, similar to elongated lemons of a rough shape, ripen in 4–7 months, after which they are cut by workers (formerly mostly slaves). One such fruit weighs from 300 grams. up to 1 kg.

Inside the fruit, cocoa beans are located in five rows along longitudinal grooves, surrounded by pulp. They are what are needed to make chocolate. Inside the fruit there can be from 20 to 60 seeds. Depending on the recipe, from one fruit you can produce from half to three bars (100 g).

However, they must first be fermented and dried. Cocoa beans are poured into wooden boxes and covered with banana tree leaves. Thanks to this fermentation process, the fruits, when exposed to temperature, release their aroma and become less bitter. After this, the cocoa beans are dried in the sun for about a week.

Then the cocoa beans undergo control, sorting, classification by type, cleaning, weighing process, are packaged and transported to the customer.
The main producers of cocoa beans are: Ivory Coast, Indonesia, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Brazil, Ecuador.

At the next stage, the cocoa beans are roasted to release their specific aroma.

In special installations, the husks are separated, after which they are crushed to form cocoa liquor (or cocoa mass, which appears when heated)

At the next stage, the cocoa mass is placed under a press and the cocoa butter is squeezed out. The remaining mass is ground into cocoa powder. You can start making chocolate.

After several more technical steps, the so-called conching is performed - mixing the ingredients.

For example, one bar of milk chocolate consists of the following components: 40% sugar, 25% milk powder, 20% cocoa butter, 14% cocoa mass, 0.5% lecithin and 0.5% vanillin (total: 34% cocoa) . White chocolate contains no cocoa mass at all.

At the final stage, tempering is carried out, the chocolate is heated and cooled several times. The almost finished product remains to be poured into molds and cooled again.

The last stage is packaging and packing.

These were the main stages of chocolate production. Of course, depending on the variety and type of product, new steps and stages appear.

A few more photos from the Cologne Chocolate Museum.

Friends, enjoy your tea!

It is difficult to find a person who would be indifferent to chocolate - it is both a wonderful treat and a product that promotes the production of endorphins, which can improve mood. The technology for making chocolate at the best confectionery factories is constantly being improved, and using various ingredients, bars of the required color and taste are obtained.

The process of making real chocolate

How is chocolate made at the factory, and what ingredients are needed to make this amazing delicacy? According to the correct chocolate production technology, the seeds of the evergreen cocoa tree, which originates from the subequatorial regions of America, are used. The plant, whose scientific name is Theobroma cacao, belongs to the Sterculaceae family and is widely distributed in the tropics.

Today, cocoa, called chocolate tree in our country, is grown on other continents. But in the wild it can be found on the coast of Mexico, in Central and South America. The height of the tree depends on the place of growth and ranges from 10 to 20 meters. When cultivated, the height is regulated by pruning, and it rarely reaches 7 meters. Cocoa leaves are thin, oblong-elliptical, up to 30 centimeters long, the flowers are small, waxy, pinkish-white, appearing on the surface of the trunk and large branches. The fruit, which lasts four months to ripen, is small in cocoa, and its length ranges from 20–38 centimeters. In appearance, it resembles a large cucumber or a small melon, with a leathery, slightly woody shell of red, reddish-brown, green or yellow, changing in the process of ripening. One cocoa fruit contains from 20 to 50 beans, immersed in a viscous, sticky liquid that hardens in the open air. The individual seed (bean) is covered with an oily skin.

Based on where they grow, cocoa beans for real chocolate are divided into American, African and Asian, and the largest exporters of cocoa beans are countries such as Côte d'Ivoire, Venezuela, Indonesia, Ghana, Cameroon, Brazil and Ecuador.

The group of Criollo varieties, characterized by a mild taste, is considered to be the best. It is bred in Venezuela, Costa Rica and Nicaragua. The varieties of the Forastero group are the most common among producers and exporters. The Ca Labasillo group of cocoa beans is the cheapest of all, but also the lowest quality.

Correct technology for making chocolate

What is chocolate made from in modern factories? Cocoa beans of all three varieties are used to produce chocolate. They are cut from tree trunks with large, long knives (machetes) and collected in baskets. The harvest is then dumped into heaps and the fruits are cut into several pieces. The next stage of the chocolate making process is to separate the cocoa beans from the pulp - an experienced carver opens up to five hundred fruits of the chocolate tree within one hour.

In the process of making chocolate, cocoa beans are laid out on pallets and left for several days to ferment - under the influence of natural yeasts and enzymes, they darken and acquire a bright chocolate smell and taste. Upon completion of this process, according to the correct technology for making chocolate, the fruits are dried in the sun and fried, removing the husk. They are then sorted and packaged for further processing.

At the next stage of chocolate production at the factory, cocoa beans are ground to obtain a paste-like mass called cocoa mass. It is interesting that the fats that make up cocoa beans melt when heated and after grinding the cocoa liquor is obtained in liquid form, but thickens and hardens during the cooling process. The product is now suitable for the production of chocolate, as well as for use in cosmetic and pharmaceutical products.

The most valuable product obtained by pressing cocoa liquor is cocoa butter. It is not only one of the essential ingredients of chocolate, but is also used to prepare ointments in cosmetics. It is cocoa butter that gives chocolate its unique taste. But it also has some unique properties, as it consists of three types of fats. One of them is identical to the fat in olive oil. The second is a type of so-called saturated fat, which is converted in the liver into a fat similar to olive oil fat. The third type of fat helps strengthen the cell membranes of our body. All this suggests that the fat contained in cocoa butter is not harmful to humans.

The dry residue obtained during preparation is ground, and the well-known cocoa powder is obtained, used in confectionery production and for preparing cocoa drinks.

Watch a video of how chocolate is made in modern factories:

Chemical composition and nutritional value of chocolate made from cocoa beans

The cocoa beans of the chocolate tree contain up to 300 different beneficial substances. The approximate chemical composition of chocolate from cocoa beans is as follows: fats - 54%, proteins - 11.5%, cellulose - 9%, starch and polysaccharides - 7.5%, tannin - 6%, water - 5%, minerals and salts – 2.6%, organic acids – 2%, saccharides – 1% and caffeine – 0.2%. Among the substances contained in cocoa beans are: anandamide, arginine, dopamine, epicatechin, histamine, cocohil, serotonin, tryptophan, tyramine, phenylethylamine, polyphenol, salsolinol, magnesium.

Considering the chemical composition of chocolate, the nutritional value of the product is very high. The calorie content of 100 g of finished chocolate bar is about 550 kcal.

Numerous studies note that the fats contained in cocoa beans belong to the so-called saturated fats, but do not have a harmful effect on the human body - chocolate does not increase cholesterol levels in the blood. The composition of cocoa beans is such that the elements it contains organically complement each other. For example, chromium is involved in the breakdown of glucose, maintaining normal blood sugar levels, and promotes fat metabolism. We need all this both in cosmetology and with proper nutrition.

The Aztecs called this famous product “chocolatl”, that is "bitter water". They drank this same water every day and, despite the bitter taste, it was considered a real treat and was very popular. Later, Europeans, who settled a large area of ​​Central America, contributed to its preparation. It is thanks to their ingenuity that we enjoy chocolate in all its forms today.

And it’s no secret for a child that chocolate is made from the seeds of the cocoa tree- beans. To prepare just 1 kg of sweets you need about 500 of these small buttons. Now you should be surprised at how cheap this product is, considering that in a year one tree can produce beans worth only 5 kg of chocolate maximum. Add to this the fact that the crops are harvested only by hand. It turns out that it’s worth buying more expensive products to be sure that the bar still contains more cocoa and not other impurities.

Chocolate trees

The height of one tree reaches about 15 m, but there are smaller specimens. The plant does not like direct sunlight, so plantations are usually mixed with mango and banana trees, rubber, coconut and avocado.

If you think that it is enough to plant a tree and then collect the fruits, then this is not so: the plant is so capricious that it requires very careful care. For example, the first flowers appear only 6 years after planting, but then they bear fruit for 40 to 80 years.

Pinkish-white flowers grow in bunches not only on the branches, but also from the bark of the trunk. The fruits take up to 4 months to ripen; they resemble a large cucumber or a slightly elongated melon and weigh up to 600 g (30–50 beans). During the entire year, one tree can be harvested twice. But nature makes only the first one the highest quality.

How to harvest

In the modern world, where machines have almost completely replaced humans in production, there are still industries where technology is prohibited from entering. All ripe fruits of the chocolate tree are cut off with a machete. They are divided into parts and the seeds are removed only manually.

Special wooden boxes are lined with banana leaves and the fruits are dried in them for up to 10 days. Why don't they do this in the sun? Then the taste will not only be bitter, but also very tart, and it is not so valued. At the end of the period, the seeds turn brown-purple and smell delicious.

After this, all the seeds are sorted and fried, the shell is removed from them, crushed and ground until a thick, stretchy mass is obtained. It is she who becomes dark chocolate. And then sugar and milk powder, vanilla and a variety of flavoring additives come into play, creating the chocolate that we so often buy and eat with such pleasure.

About the benefits of cocoa beans

They are called the source of the most useful components. The composition contains approximately 300 substances that create lipid, protein and mineral compositions. These products are very useful for a number of reasons.

1. Speeds up metabolism.
2. Improves the functioning of the heart muscle, as well as the condition of blood vessels.
3. Replenishes the deficiency of substances such as chromium and magnesium, zinc and iodine.
4. Protects the body from harmful external factors.
5. Accelerates skin regeneration.
6. Reduces the form of diabetes.
7. Treats colds.
8. Helps in cases of intestinal inflammation.
9. Facilitates the period of menopause.
10. Extends life.

If you eat 50 g of raw cocoa daily, you will quickly save yourself from insomnia and feel a surge of vigor and energy in the morning. In a month, your complexion will improve and your hormonal balance will return to normal.

Cocoa beans in cosmetology

Their composition tones and tightens the skin, improves the synthesis of elastin and collagen, activates metabolic processes and even eliminates stretch marks. Many people mistakenly assume that products based on it can only be enjoyed in a professional salon. But cocoa face masks are easy to make at home.

Such products are called universal: they are suitable for women of all ages and even teenagers with problem skin. Cocoa gets rid of acne and blackheads, perfectly moisturizes, regulates the functioning of the sebaceous glands, and makes the skin more elastic.

You can also lose weight with this product! Nutritionists say that whenever you feel hungry but don't want to overeat, eat 1 tsp. cocoa or drink an unsweetened powdered drink. The feeling of hunger will not appear for another 3 hours. Did you know this about cocoa? Would you have thought that the fruits of the chocolate tree look like this? Share the information with your friends and experience the benefits of the product for yourself.