Liquor chocolate processing

At one time, the process ended here. One simply mixed the liquor with water to produce a bitter beverage that was marred by a layer of oil that floated on top. This is where Van Houten stepped in. He invented a hydraulic press that squeezed the cacao fat out of the chocolate liquor. The residue of this process Van Houten pulverized to a fine powder. The beverage it produced was still bitter, but Van Houten found that treating the powder with sodium bicarbonate or ammonium hydroxide... 

For chocolate production, the raw cocoa is stored, shipped, and processed. The processing steps are roasting and liquor production. The heat treatment induces Maillard reactions, caramelization of sugars, protein degradation, and formatiiMi of volatile aroma components [85, 89]. An often applied step to cocoa is the dutching, the alkali treatment of cocoa powder in order to modify the color, and other physiochemical properties. The pH values of cocoa powders are adjusted from ph 5.3-5.8 in natural powders to higher than 7.6 in heavily dutched materials. The total flavanol contents are reduced from more than 34 to 3.9 g kg In the same way, the antioxidative properties of the powders are diminished [90]. 

Dutching, or alkalizing, is carried out to modify the color and flavor of cocoa. Depending on the degree of alkalization, the color becomes darker and the flavor milder and much less harsh. This process involves the addition of alkali to the milled chocolate liquor accompanied by efficient mixing and the removal of water by heating. 

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