Chocolate confectionery manufacture

In another method of tempering, soHd chocolate shavings are added as seed crystals to Hquid chocolate at 32—33°C. This is a particularly good technique for a small confectionery manufacturer, who does not produce his own chocolate. However, the shavings are sometimes difficult to disperse and may cause lumps in the finished product (20). Most companies use continuous thin-film heat exchangers for the tempering process. 

Jensen, H. R., The Chemistry, Flavouring and Manufacture of Chocolate, Confectionery and Cocoa, Churchill, London, 1931. 

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. 

Nuttall, C., Chocolate marketing and other aspects of the confectionery industry worldwide, in Industrial Chocolate Manufacture and Use, Beckett, S. T., Ed., Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York 1988, chap. 18. 

From R Lees and B Jackson, Sugar Confectionery and Chocolate Manufacture, Leonard Hill, Glasgow (1973)... 

The non-cocoa fats used in confectionery are mixtures known as cocoa butter alternatives (CBAs), of which the most important are cocoa butter equivalents (CBEs). These are formulated from non-hydrogenated fat fractions with a tri-acylglycerol composition almost identical with cocoa butter and which are miscible with cocoa butter in all proportions. Other alternative fats such as cocoa butter replacers (CBRs) and cocoa butter substitutes (CBSs) are used, particularly in the manufacture of specialized forms of chocolate application such as coatings. 

Mixing with cocoa butter results in a eutectic state. If the manufacturer is to change from chocolate to confectionery coatings, an absolute cleanout of all tanks and enrobing systems is required. Separate production lines are preferred. These fats do not tolerate more than 6% cocoa butter. 

The final product is made from the fondant mass directly through moulding or extrusion. Fondants are generally used as semi-finished products for manufacturing other types of confectionery (e.g. chocolate bars with soft centre, chocolate coated products, etc.). 

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