Ingredients of Fine Chocolate - Fine Chocolate Industry Association (2024)

FAQs

Ingredients of Fine Chocolate - Fine Chocolate Industry Association? ›

Dark Chocolate Ingredients: Cacao liquor

In simple terms, industrial chocolate is the “raw material” of consumer chocolate product manufacturers. The chocolate has undergone conching and is produced from cocoa liquor and cocoa butter combined with ingredients such as sugar.

Invented in Switzerland in 1875, solid chocolate usually involves combining cocoa mass (fermented, roasted and ground cocoa beans), cocoa butter (a rich, complex fat extracted during cocoa bean processing), sugar (of which there are many subtly-different kinds) and whole milk or dairy solids.

Definition: Fine chocolate is defined in terms of its flavor, texture and appearance, as well as how its limited ingredients, high cocoa and low sugar content, are sourced and processed.

But many of us eat chocolate just because we crave it: That's probably because the treat contains stimulants such as caffeine, theobromine, and the amphetamine-like substance phenylethylamine. Chocolate also contains the cannabinoid molecule anandamide, which likely helps induce cravings.

To meet the FDA standard, milk chocolate must contain at least 10% chocolate liquor and 12% milk solids. The only fats allowed in milk chocolate are those from the cocoa butter and milk.

The essential ingredient in all chocolate is cocoa, which is made from the cream-colored beans that grow in pods on a tree with the botanical name Theobroma cacao. The cocoa or cacao tree, as it is commonly known, is a native of the tropical regions of South and Central America.

Especially, “fake” chocolate does not melt at high temperatures. The main ingredients contain Cocoa powder (cocoa powder), Cocoa butter substitute (vegetable oil or vegetable fat), vanillin, sugar, lecithin.

White Chocolate: sugar, milk powder and cocoa butter.

These are the only ingredients needed to create exceptional chocolate!

What nasty ingredient is in chocolate? ›

But our research has found a potential health risk in popular chocolate products that's been flying under the radar – many chocolates contain toxic metals like lead and cadmium. No level of lead is safe for children. Lead exposure has been a significant public health issue for decades.

Feeling Good Naturally

When we eat chocolate, our brains make a chemical called serotonin. This chemical helps us feel good and happy. So, when we're feeling sad or anxious, chocolate can actually help us feel better. Chocolate has something called tryptophan, which is like a building block for serotonin.

Valrhona. Hailing from France's Rhône Valley and crafting couverture since 1922, Valrhona is considered the Rolls Royce of chocolate. The brand has perfected techniques for enhancing the flavor of rare cocoa beans that are directly bought from the plantations in South America, the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean.

Cacao is considered chocolate in its purest form. It's the raw ingredient from which all chocolate is made, even white chocolate.

Good chocolate is a sensory experience that begins the moment you lay eyes on it. It typically has a smooth and glossy appearance without any blemishes or whitish discolouration, also known as bloom. Due to the high cocoa content and proper tempering, good chocolate should snap cleanly when broken.

Producing Chocolate:

The ingredients used are dependent on the type of chocolate being made. Dark chocolate requires only cocoa mass, cocoa butter, and sugar. Adding milk powder makes milk chocolate. White chocolate is made with cocoa butter, sugar, and milk powder (but no cocoa mass/liquor).

High-quality chocolate is typically made from premium cocoa beans, cocoa butter, sugar, and sometimes milk powder or other flavourings. These ingredients are sourced from reputable suppliers and are often organic or certified sustainably produced.

Chocolate is toxic to dogs because it contains theobromine and to a lesser extent, caffeine. Humans metabolize theobromine easily, but dogs don't. Dogs process theobromine and caffeine slowly, which allows these toxic compounds to build up in their systems and cause clinical signs associated with chocolate toxicity.

It takes weeks to turn that colourful fruit into a tasty chocolate bar, which takes ten steps. Chocolate manufacture includes harvesting, fermentation, drying, roasting, winnowing, refining, and tempering. Most chocolate bars you've ever eaten were made following these steps.