Cocoa & Chocolate

Different types of cocoa products

To be officially labeled as "chocolate", all dark, milk and white chocolate products need to contain a certain percentage of specific ingredients, such as cocoa mass/liquor, cocoa butter and milk fat. Manufacturers can use several forms of chocolate and cocoa products in food-making processes, including:

• Cocoa mass/ liquor: Cocoa mass is produced from broken, deshelled, alkalized, roasted and ground cocoa beans. It is the main ingredient in chocolate. No other component in this application has such an impact on the ultimate flavor outcome. In addition cocoa mass is a raw material to produce cocoa powder and cocoa butter.

• Cocoa powder: Cocoa powder is one of the most widely used forms of cocoa. The two main types of this product include natural (non-alkalized) cocoa powder and processed (alkalized) cocoa powder, resulting in different color shades of the cocoa powder, from light brown to reddish brown, to almost black. Cocoa powder is also available in different fat levels.

• Cocoa butter: Cocoa butter is the soft, smooth substance obtained by hydraulic pressing of cocoa mass, after which the cocoa butter is filtered.

• Industrial chocolate: products such as bakery and ice creams contain chocolate or are topped with chocolate sprinkles or buttons. Depending on the process it has to withstand – freezing for ice cream, baking for croissants – and the required impact on the final product, there is a wide range of dark, milk and white chocolate products on the market for inclusion and decoration.