Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
Manufacturing of Chocolate
Veronica Ramos
Manufacturing of Chocolate
The industry in chocolate is huge, but not many know how it is made or where it comes
from. Currently, there is a $34.5 billion industry for confections in the United States. Chocolate
sales contribute approximately $21.1 billion; about 60% of the industry. Every year chocolate
prices are increasing due to high demand and climate change providing smaller harvests. It is a
great industry to get into but learning how it is produced before hand may give an advantage.
Making chocolate starts with the Cacao tree, or the beans from the fruit that grows on
them. This tree grows in the hot climate 20 degrees North and South of the equator. It is grown
often in Africa, the West Indies, and Central and South America. In the United States, it can be
grown only in Hawaii. Most of the world’s chocolate comes from trees grown in West African
countries, such as the Ivory Coast and Ghana. It can take new cacao trees 3-5 years to yield a
After harvesting the beans from the cacao fruit, they are then fermented and dried.
Fermentation is typically done by laying down banana leaves on a flat surface, piling cacao
beans on top and then covering them with more banana leaves. It can also be done in a box with
holes in the bottom and the beans get stirred and put into another box every two days. The
fermentation process can take from six to ten days. Once the beans turn from a purple color to a
red color, they are properly fermented. Next, the beans get dried for five to ten days. To do this,
they are placed on a wood board off the ground in a place where they get a lot of sun. They must
be protected from rain so there is typically a cover that can be placed overtop the board. In areas
where the climate is more humid, a concrete slab over a fire is used to dry the beans.
Once finished fermenting and drying, the beans are sorted to remove any bad beans or
debris and sold. After purchasing raw beans from a supplier, they should always be resorted for
any missed debris. Other than debris, raw beans also carry the threat of E. coli and Salmonella.
Although it is rare for an outbreak from cacao beans to occur, proper handling and storing should
be utilized. It is also common for tropical moths to lay eggs on the surface of cacao beans.
Therefore, until ready to use the raw beans, keep them stored in a sealed bag or container in a
refrigerator. When ready, they are roasted to kill any bacteria and moth eggs. Roasting the beans
also help develop the flavor of the beans and to reduce moisture. Usually, the beans are roasted
in an oven at 300-350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 to 60 minutes. The amount of time they are
roasted depends on the type and origin of the beans and the flavor wanting to be obtained.
Next comes winnowing, grinding and pressing the beans. Winnowing is the process of
putting the beans through a rolling machine with a wire mesh to remove the shell from the bean.
The shell contains a toxic amount of heavy metals so only a 1% shell content is allowed in the
finished chocolate product. Once all the shells have been removed, the beans are ground and
turned into a paste called chocolate liquor. They are ground to a particle size of at least 100
microns. Part of the chocolate liquor then gets pressed by approximately 65 tons of force for one
to two hours to remove the fat, or cocoa butter, from the beans. Cocoa butter makes up 50% of
the cacao bean. The leftover product is called a press cake and can be further processed into
cocoa powder.
The next step in processing the cacao beans is refining. In refining, other ingredients that
turn chocolate liquor into chocolate are added and the particle size is reduced to no less than 20
microns. These ingredients include sugar, extra cocoa butter, and whole milk powder. It is put
throw several types of machines for different ingredients. There are some machines that allow
conching to occur, the next step in the process. Conching includes heat, airflow and agitation that
takes up to several hours or days to complete. It provides the chocolate with even more flavor
and texture.
The last two steps to producing chocolate are sifting and aging. During sifting, he
chocolate gets vibrated through screens to remove any large pieces. One of those large pieces is
typically the germ, which is a hard stem from inside the cacao bean that makes the chocolate
have a gritty texture and is bitter. A powerful magnet can also be passed over the chocolate to
make sure there are no residual heavy metals. Lastly, the chocolate is aged. Aging provides the
chocolate with a rounder or more pronounced flavor. This can take up to two or more months
depending on the type of cacao bean used. Large manufacturers, such as Hershey’s, use the
length of time between when the chocolate is first made and when it is sold at a store for the
aging process.
should be the first step. Although it is a huge industry, manufacturing chocolate may take up to a
few months to several years. It is a long process to create the flavors of chocolate that are desired
but, considering the demand for chocolate, a great final product pays off in the end. The
satisfaction of making something that people will enjoy is also worth the effort.
References
Chocolate Industry Analysis 2018 - Cost & Trends. (n.d.). Retrieved March 17, 2019, from
https://www.franchisehelp.com/industry-reports/chocolate-industry-analysis-2018-cost-trends/
Greweling, P. P. (2013). Chocolates and confections: Formula, theory, and technique for the artisan
Laiskonis, M. (2015, August 24). Bean-to-Bar: Chocolate in 10 Steps. Retrieved March 19, 2019,
from https://www.ice.edu/blog/chocolate-10-steps
http://www.fao.org/3/ad220e/AD220E06.htm