Chocolate cocoa butter

In chocolate, cocoa butter is the continuous phase. The characteristic meltabiUty of cocoa butter constitutes a puzzle in chemical stmcture and poses difficulty in replacement cocoa butter has a sharp melting point at body temperature. 

Codex Standards for Cocoa Products and Chocolate, Cocoa Butter Standard 86-1981, CodexMlimentarius, VoL VII, 1st ed.. Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Program, 1981. 

Many confections are coated in a thin layer of chocolate. The latter is a mixture of chocolate, cocoa butter and other fats, blended to form a suitable coating material. This layer melts at a temperature generally in the range 27-34°C. The manufacturer wishes to coat the confection in a thin, continuous layer, and then harden this layer so that the product can be wrapped and packed with the least delay on the production line. 

Stearic acid is a long chain SFA present, to varying degrees, in virtually all edible fats and oils. Table IV provides the fatty acid composition of fats and oils commonly consumed by humans. The most abundant food sources of stearic acid in the American diet are beef fat and cocoa butter (chocolate). Cocoa butter is valued by chocolate manufacturers because it remains solid at room temperature but dissolves quickly at body temperature, a unique characteristic of chocolate that is due largely to stearic acid. During the last few decades as cocoa butter prices and supplies have fluctuated, food companies began looking for alternative oils that could provide equivalent amounts of stearic acid in order to retain the desirable physical characteristics. Several... 

Cocoa butter is derived from the tree Theobroma cacao, which grows in several tropical areas, including Indonesia, the Ivory Coast, Malaysia, New Guinea and Brazil, which dominate the trade. The seeds of the tree, known as cocoa beans, were first consumed in the form of a drink prepared by the Maya and Aztec Indians. Cocoa beans were carried to Europe during the 16th century and the product was developed into the sweetened solid bar we are familiar with as chocolate. Cocoa butter is used mainly in the manufacture of chocolate confectionery, but it is also popular for applications in cosmetics and as an ingredient of pharmaceutical creams. 

Chocolate Cocoa butter Texture (snap) and gloss Shelf stability to blooming... 

Melts in your mouth Chocolate is a mixture of cocoa, cocoa butter, and other ingredients. This mixture is a solid at room temperature, but melts in your mouth. Why Because one of the main ingredients in chocolate—cocoa butter—is a fat that melts at near body temperature. 

Figure 23 (a) Effect of adding soy lecithin [initial viscosity of plain chocolate (cocoa butter content, 34.8%), >200 s] on the viscosity of chocolate, (b) Fat and lecithin contents of chocolate of identical viscosity (42 s). (c) Effect of adding soy lecithin to suspensions of ( ) cocoa butter and (A) ground sugar in cocoa butter on viscosity. Viscosity was measured at 50°C on Bournville Redwood-type viscometer. 

The boric and sulfuric acids are recycled to a HBF solution by reaction with CaF2. As a strong acid, fluoroboric acid is frequently used as an acid catalyst, eg, in synthesizing mixed polyol esters (29). This process provides an inexpensive route to confectioner s hard-butter compositions which are substitutes for cocoa butter in chocolate candies (see Chocolate and cocoa). Epichlorohydrin is polymerized in the presence of HBF for eventual conversion to polyglycidyl ethers (30) (see Chlorohydrins). A more concentrated solution, 61—71% HBF, catalyzes the addition of CO and water to olefins under pressure to form neo acids (31) (see Carboxylic acids). 

Chocolate (0.3—0.5% lecithin) lecithin is a wetting agent and emulsifier. It facihtates mixing, saves processiag time and power, saves cocoa butter, stabilizes viscosity, iacreases shelf life, counteracts moisture thickening, and aids release of molded goods (see Chocolate and cocoa). 

White Chocolate. There is at present no standard of identity in the United States for white chocolate. Virtually all current uses of the term white chocolate do not meet the standards for chocolate, which prescribes the presence of ground cacao nibs. This restrictive requirement has acted as a practical deterrent to companies developing and marketing white chocolate-type products in the United States. When such products have been introduced and marketed in the United States, companies have had to label them with fanciful names to avoid the standardized labeling issues. In other countries where a standard of identity for white chocolate exists and where a minimum amount of cocoa butter is required by law, consumers have available to them a variety of easily recognizable products. 

White chocolate has been defined by the European Economic Community (EEC) Directive 75/155/EEC as free of coloring matter and consisting of cocoa butter (not less than 20%) sucrose (not more than 55%) milk or soHds obtained by partially or totally dehydrated whole milk, skimmed milk, or cream (not less than 14%) and butter or butter fat (not less than 3.5%). 

The cocoa bean is the basic raw ingredient in the manufacture of all cocoa products. The beans are converted to chocolate Hquor, the primary ingredient from which all chocolate and cocoa products are made. Eigure 1 depicts the conversion of cocoa beans to chocolate Hquor, and in turn to the chief chocolate and cocoa products manufactured in the United States, ie, cocoa powder, cocoa butter, and sweet and milk chocolate. 

Grinding. The final step in chocolate Hquor production is the grinding of the kernel or nib of the cocoa bean. The nib is a cellular mass containing about 50 to 56% cocoa fat (cocoa butter). Grinding Hberates the fat locked within the cell wall while producing temperatures as high as 110°C. 

Cocoa powder (cocoa) is prepared by pulverizing the remaining material after part of the fat (cocoa butter) is removed from chocolate Hquor. The U.S. chocolate standards define three types of cocoas based on their fat content. These are breakfast, or high fat cocoa, containing not less than 22% fat cocoa, or medium fat cocoa, containing less than 22% fat but more than 10% and low fat cocoa, containing less than 10% fat. 

Cocoa Powder Manufacture. When chocolate Hquor is exposed to pressures of 34—41 MPa (5000—6000 psig) in a hydrauHc press, and part of the fat (cocoa butter) is removed, cocoa cake (compressed powder) is produced. The original pot presses used in cocoa production had a series of pots mounted vertically one above the other. These have been supplanted by horizontal presses that have four to twenty-four pots mounted in a horizontal frame. The newer presses are capable of complete automation, and by careflil selection of pressure, temperature, and time of pressing, cocoa cake of a specified fat content can be produced. 

Cocoa butter is the common name given to the fat obtained by subjecting chocolate Hquor to hydrauHc pressure. It is the main carrier and suspending medium for cocoa particles in chocolate Hquor and for sugar and other ingredients in sweet and milk chocolate. 

The FDA has not legally defined cocoa butter, and no standard exists for this product under the U.S. Chocolate Standards. For the purpose of enforcement, the FDA defines cocoa butter as the edible fat obtained from cocoa beans either before or after roasting. Cocoa butter as defined in the US. Pharmacopeia is the fat obtained from the roasted seed of Theohroma cacao Uinne. 

The Codex Committee on Cocoa and Chocolate Products defines cocoa butter as the fat produced from one or more of the following cocoa beans, cocoa nibs, cocoa mass (chocolate Hquor), cocoa cake, expeUer cake, or cocoa dust (fines) by a mechanical process and/or with the aid of permissible solvents (10). It further states that cocoa butter shall not contain sheU fat or germ fat ia excess of the proportion ia which they occur ia the whole bean. 

Codex has also defined the various types of cocoa butter ia commercial trade (10). Press cocoa butter is defined as fat obtained by pressure from cocoa nib or chocolate Hquor. In the United States, this is often referred to as prime pure cocoa butter. ExpeUer cocoa butter is defined as the fat prepared by the expeUer process. In this process, cocoa butter is obtained direcdy from whole beans by pressing ia a cage press. ExpeUer butter usuaUy has a stronger flavor and darker color than prime cocoa butter and is filtered with carbon or otherwise treated prior to use. Solvent extracted cocoa butter is cocoa butter obtained from beans, nibs, Hquor, cake, or fines by solvent extraction (qv), usuaUy with hexane. Refined cocoa butter is any of the above cocoa butters that has been treated to remove impurities or undesirable odors and flavors. 

Composition and Properties. Cocoa butter is a unique fat with specific melting characteristics. It is a soHd at room temperature (20°C), starts to soften around 30°C, and melts completely just below body temperature. Its distinct melting characteristic makes cocoa butter the preferred fat for chocolate products. 

Substitutes and Equivalents. In the past 25 years, many fats have been developed to replace part or all of the added cocoa butter ia chocolate-flavored products. These fats fall into two basic categories commonly known as cocoa butter substitutes and cocoa butter equivalents. Neither can be used ia the United States ia standardized chocolate products, but they are used ia small amounts, usually up to 5% of the total weight of the product, ia some European countries. 

Cocoa butter substitutes of all types enjoy widespread use ia the United States chiefly as ingredients ia chocolate-flavored products. Cocoa butter equivalents are not widely used because of their higher price and limited supply. 

Most chocolate consumed in the United States is consumed in the form of milk chocolate and sweet chocolate. Sweet chocolate is chocolate Hquor to which sugar and cocoa butter have been added. Milk chocolate contains these same ingredients and milk or milk soHds (Eig. 2). 

Standardizing. In standardizing or finishing, emulsifiers and cocoa butter are added to the chocolate to adjust viscosity to final specifications. 

Lecithin (qv), a natural phosphoHpid possessing both hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties, is the most common emulsifier in the chocolate industry (5). The hydrophilic groups of the lecithin molecules attach themselves to the water, sugar, and cocoa soflds present in chocolate. The hydrophobic groups attach themselves to the cocoa butter and other fats such as milk fat. This reduces both the surface tension, between cocoa butter and the other materials present, and the viscosity. Less cocoa butter is then needed to adjust the final viscosity of the chocolate. 

The amount of lecithin required falls within a narrow range of about 0.2—0.6% (27). It can have a substantial effect on the amount of cocoa butter used, reducing the final fat content of chocolate by as much as 5%. Because cocoa butter is usually the most costly ingredient in the formulation of chocolate, the savings to a large manufacturer can be substantial. 

Tempering. The state, or physical stmcture, of the fat base in which sugar, cocoa, and milk soHds are suspended is critical to the overall quaHty and stabiHty of chocolate. Production of a stable fat base is compHcated because the cocoa butter in soHdified chocolate exists in several polymorphic forms. Tempering is the process of inducing satisfactory crystal nucleation of the Hquid fat in chocolate. 

Nucleation tempering of the stiU molten fat is necessary because the cocoa butter, if left to itself, can soHdify in a number of different physical forms, ie, into an unstable form if cooled rapidly, or into an equally unacceptable super stable form if cooled too slowly, as commonly happens when a chocolate turns gray or white after being left in the sun. The coarse white fat crystals that can form in the slowly cooled center of a very thick piece of chocolate are similarly in a super stable form known in the industry as fat bloom. 

Control of the polymorphic forms in cocoa butter is further compHcated by the presence of other fats such as milk fat. The fat in a chocolate can be likened to the mortar between the bricks in a mason s wall. The soHd particles in a weU-conched chocolate bed down better than the soHds in a coarsely refined and poorly mixed one (30). 

A stable crystalline form for chocolate depends primarily on the method used to cool the fat present in the Hquid chocolate. To avoid the grainy texture and poor color and appearance of improperly cooled chocolate, the chocolate must be tempered or cooled down so as to form cocoa butter seed crystals (31). This is usually accompHshed by cooling the warm (44—50°C) Hquid chocolate in a water jacketed tank, which has a slowly rotating scraper or mixer. As the chocolate cools, the fat begins to soHdify and form seed crystals. Cooling is continued to around 26—29°C, during which time the chocolate becomes more viscous. If not further processed quickly, the chocolate will become too thick to process. 

The first important technical development in the chocolate manufacturing process occurred when water-powered mills superseded the use of manual labor to grind cocoa beans. This led to the establishment of many chocolate factories from 1804 to 1840. Early production consisted entirely of a type of chocolate beverage that was somewhat indigestible since none of the cocoa butter was removed during processing. In 1828, the Dutch firm of Van Houten invented the cocoa press, which facilitated the production of cocoa powder by partial removal of the cocoa butter from beans. 

The second major technical development occurred in 1876, when milk chocolate was invented in Switzerland by M. D. Peter. This process provided a new stimulus to the cacao trade. Milk chocolate powder and cocoa butter were later combined to make an eating chocolate that formed the backbone of the chocolate industry today. 

Cocoa butter is the fat obtained from subjecting chocolate liquor to pressure. Since the alkaloids are sparingly soluble in fat, only trace amounts of theobromine and caffeine in cocoa butter have been reported. The theobromine and caffeine content of four cocoa butter samples averaged 0.008% and 0.038%, respectively.33... 

Most chocolate is consumed in the form of chocolate confectionery. Sweet chocolate is produced from chocolate liquor with the addition of sugar and cocoa butter. Sometimes called dark chocolate, sweet chocolate must contain at least 15% chocolate liquor, but may contain as much as 50%. Semisweet or bittersweet chocolate consists of a minimum of 35% chocolate liquor. The chocolate liquor content results in sweet and semisweet chocolate containing the highest amount of theobromine and caffeine per serving of any type of chocolate confectionery (Table 9). Within brands of sweet chocolate, there is wide variation in the methylxanthine... 

Consumption of sweet chocolate in the U.S. is low. The majority of chocolate consumed is milk chocolate produced from chocolate liquor, sugar, cocoa butter, and milk solids. Because most milk chocolate produced in the U.S. contains 10 to 12% chocolate liquor, differences in methylxanthine content among commercial milk chocolate are due more to the varieties and blends of cocoa bean (Table 9). Based on analytical data from seven brands of commercial milk chocolate, a typical 40-g milk chocolate bar contains approximately 65 mg theobromine and less than 10 mg caffeine.28 Milk chocolate bars containing other ingredients, such as peanuts, almonds, and confectionery fillings, obviously contain less methylxanthines. In a survey of 49 marketed chocolate and confectionery products, theobromine concentrations ranged from 0.001 to 2.598% and caffeine content from 0.001 to 0.247%.33... 

Chocolate liquor is a semifinished product commonly called "baking" or unsweetened chocolate. The average theobromine and caffeine content of liquors has been reported at 1.2% and 0.21%, respectively. Cocoa powder, which is prepared after partial removal of the cocoa butter, contains about 1.9 to 2.7% theobromine and 0.16 to 0.26% caffeine. Milk chocolate averages 0.168% theobromine and 0.022% caffeine, thus providing about 65 mg of theobromine and less than 10 mg of caffeine in a 40-g serving. The methylxanthine content of chocolate foods has received only slight attention in the literature, yet is necessary in order to obtain an accurate assessment of the total amount of theobromine and caffeine that is ingested via the diet. 

In 1990, 74% of all cocoa produced was exported.21 This figure does not include semi-processed cocoa products, including cocoa paste, cocoa butter, cocoa powder, and chocolate. However, it demonstrates that cocoa is not a crop of domestic consumption within the major producing nations. Similarly to coffee, cocoa contributes to the economy of several large producing nations. 

Cocoa beans and related cocoa product imports (liquor, paste, powder) to the U.S. all declined in 1995 however, cocoa butter and chocolate rose in total imports. U.S. exports of cocoa have a large market in neighboring countries of Canada and Mexico together they account for 51% of all cocoa products exported by the U.S., or 316.8 million in value.23... 

Dutch chocolate liquor composition, 6 369t tocopherols, 6 370t Dutch cocoa butter... 

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