CN1230086C - Method for producing chocolate - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides a method of producing a chocolate whereby a chocolate with a rich flavor can be obtained and the contiguing time can be shortened in the chocolate production process. This method comprises adding an alkali agent, which is in the form of particles or a powder, selected from among salts and hydroxides of potassium, sodium, magnesium, calcium and ammonium in one of the four steps in the chocolate production process, namely, the grinding step, the mixing step, the pulverizing step and the kneading (contiguing) step, thereby giving a chocolate with a rich flavor and shortening the contiguing time.

Description

How Chocolate is Prepared

technical field

The present invention relates to a method for preparing chocolate, which improves the flavor of chocolate and reduces conching time in chocolate processing.

Background technique

Generally, chocolate is produced through the following steps.

(1) "Cleaning step" in which impurities such as metals, stones, twine and waste paper etc. are removed from the cocoa beans; (2) "Roasting step" in which special substances in the cocoa beans are converted into chocolate flavor, reducing the bitterness , which adjusts the chocolate taste and makes it easier to remove the cocoa beans from the husk; (3) "the winnowing step" in which the roasted cocoa beans are broken and separated into beans, germ, etc.; (4) "blending step" in which the beans suitable for the base material and the beans suitable for the flavoring agent are skillfully blended on the basis of utilizing the characteristics of cocoa beans from each origin; etc. grind the cocoa beans to form a paste; this paste is called cocoa paste, cocoa liquor or cocoa mass, etc., and when sold, it is generally called bitter chocolate. (6) "Mixing step" in which sugar is mixed with cocoa mass, and cocoa butter, milk powder, etc. are also suitable for mixing; (7) "Refining step" in which the mixture is further passed between rollers for fine grinding into fine particles ; (8) "Conching step" in which the finely ground chocolate is thoroughly kneaded in the conching machine to make the flavor more beautiful and mellow; (9) "Tempering step" in which in order to obtain chocolate products, after refining, through cooling and molding (10) The "molding and cooling step" in which the liquid tempers the chocolate is poured into molds of various shapes, such as sticks, balls, sticks, etc., and cooled by passing through a cooling tunnel; (11) "packaging step" in which the chocolate is unmoulded and wrapped packaging; and (12) an "aging step" in which the chocolate is aged at a given temperature for a given time to stabilize the crystalline structure of the cocoa butter.

Usually, in the production process of cocoa powder, the cocoa beans are treated with alkali agent, because the cocoa beans have been fermented and thus contain organic acids, so that the cocoa beans are sour. If cocoa powder is produced from such cocoa beans, the flavor quality of the resulting cocoa powder is poor. This is followed by an alkaline treatment to neutralize the acid components, resulting in a cocoa powder suitable for special use. The alkaline agents used are carbonates, bicarbonates and hydroxides of ammonium, magnesium, sodium and potassium. Specifically, cocoa powder is produced as follows. After lightly roasting the cocoa beans, the cocoa beans are detached, and an alkaline aqueous solution, such as 40% potassium carbonate aqueous solution, is added to the beans in an amount of 2-10 wt.% based on the weight of the cocoa beans, so that the cocoa beans The meat is soaked in the solution. The bean meat is made to fully absorb the aqueous solution, and stirred. Next, the soy meat is dried and roasted. The roasted soy meat is ground and pressed to defat. The resulting defatted mass is finely ground to produce cocoa powder. The cocoa powder thus obtained lacks the characteristic mellow and rich chocolate flavor and texture.

As a method for improving the flavor of chocolate, for example, JP59-169452A proposes a method for processing cocoa beans. In this treatment method, cocoa powder obtained from alkali-treated cocoa mass, or cocoa powder obtained from cocoa mass which has been subjected to alkali treatment and then removed a part of fat by pressing, is mixed with ethanol-containing or ethanol-free 70-130°C The hot water is evenly mixed to dissolve the water soluble part in the hot water. The components containing the water soluble fraction and the fine particle fraction are then extracted and separated from the above mixture.

However, this method requires complicated processing, and the improvement of flavor is still insufficient.

Disclosure of the invention

Therefore, the present inventors have conducted intensive studies. As a result, a method for preparing chocolate which reduces conching time in chocolate processing and provides rich flavor to chocolate by controlling the conditions and steps of adding an alkaline agent has been found. That is, the present invention provides a method for preparing chocolate, which method comprises adding an alkaline agent in the form of granules or powder in one to four steps selected from the grinding step, the mixing step, the refining step and the conching step of chocolate processing, the alkali The agent is selected from the salts and hydroxides of potassium, sodium, magnesium, calcium and ammonium.

Therefore, the present invention provides a method for preparing chocolate, which includes adding a granular or powdered alkaline agent selected from the group consisting of potassium carbonate, sodium carbonate, ammonium carbonate, and , potassium bicarbonate, sodium bicarbonate, ammonium bicarbonate, potassium phosphate, sodium phosphate and ammonium phosphate.

In one embodiment, the present invention provides a method for preparing chocolate comprising adding 0.02 - 3% by weight of granular or powdered alkaline agent selected from potassium carbonate, sodium carbonate, ammonium carbonate, potassium bicarbonate, sodium bicarbonate, ammonium bicarbonate, potassium phosphate, sodium phosphate to reduce refining time and ammonium phosphate.

The present invention also provides a method for reducing conching time in the preparation of chocolate, which comprises adding a granular or powdered alkaline agent selected from the group consisting of potassium carbonate, sodium carbonate, ammonium carbonate in the preparation step of chocolate processing , potassium bicarbonate, sodium bicarbonate, ammonium bicarbonate, potassium phosphate, sodium phosphate and ammonium phosphate.

Preferred Embodiments of the Invention

The cocoa material used in the present invention is not limited to a specific production area and a specific harvest season of cocoa beans. In addition, the degree of roasting in the above-mentioned step (2) "roasting step" is not limited to a particular degree, and any degree of roasting can be used, regardless of whether it is low-level roasting or high-level roasting. As a raw material of chocolate, cocoa powder can also be used. The milk raw material can use whole milk powder, skimmed milk powder, powdered cream and buttermilk powder etc. They can be used alone or in combination. As sugar raw materials, for example, monosaccharides, oligosaccharides, sugar alcohols, dextrin, millet jelly and the like can be used. Examples of monosaccharides include glucose, fructose, mannose and xylose. Generally, oligosaccharides include disaccharides to hexoses, and examples thereof include sucrose, maltose, lactose, trehalose, maltotriose, and the like. Examples of sugar alcohols include sorbitol, maltitol, mannitol, erythritol, xylitol, oligosaccharide sugar alcohols, and the like. These sugars can be used alone or in combination.

Examples of alkaline agents used in the present invention include potassium carbonate, sodium carbonate, magnesium carbonate, calcium carbonate, ammonium carbonate, potassium hydrogencarbonate, sodium hydrogencarbonate, magnesium hydrogencarbonate, calcium hydrogencarbonate, ammonium hydrogencarbonate, potassium phosphate, sodium phosphate , magnesium phosphate, calcium phosphate, ammonium phosphate, potassium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, magnesium hydroxide and calcium hydroxide, etc. They can be used alone or in combination. Potassium carbonate is preferable in terms of flavor.

Based on the chocolate, the amount of the added alkaline agent may be 0.02 to 3 wt.%, preferably 0.5 to 1.5 wt.%. When the amount of alkali agent is less than 0.02wt.%, it is difficult to achieve the expected effect of adding alkali agent. On the other hand, when the amount of the alkaline agent exceeds 3wt.%, the taste of the alkaline agent increases, negatively affecting the flavor of chocolate.

The alkaline agent should be added in the form of granules or powder. Hitherto, cocoa beans or cocoa bean flesh have been treated with an alkaline aqueous solution before roasting to enhance the flavor of the cocoa mass or to neutralize organic acids. Chocolate obtained from such treated cocoa mass has a cocoa powder-like flavor and lacks the characteristic mellow and rich chocolate flavor and texture. Furthermore, when the water is contaminated during chocolate processing, the viscosity increases during conching, so that the chocolate loses its fluidity, or becomes rough, and the finished product has obvious defects.

Preferably, the alkaline agent is added in the form of granules or powder in a step selected from one to four of the following chocolate processing steps so that the agent is thoroughly mixed with the mixture: (5) "grinding step" in which the Grinding cocoa beans, etc., to form a paste; (6) "mixing step" in which sugar is mixed with cocoa mass, and cocoa butter, milk powder, etc. are also suitable for mixing; (7) "finishing step" in which the The mixture is further passed between rollers to finely grind the particles; and (8) "conching step" in which the finely ground chocolate is thoroughly kneaded in a conch to make the flavor more beautiful and mellow. When the alkaline agent is added to cocoa beans or cocoa pulp, it is difficult to achieve a sufficient and uniform effect on the interior of the cocoa beans or cacao pulp. Preferably, the alkaline agent in granular form is mixed in a "mixing step" in which sugar is mixed with cocoa mass, and cocoa butter, milk powder, etc. are also mixed. The particle size of the mixture is then adjusted by passing between the rollers in the "finishing step". After passing between the rollers, subsequent steps can be carried out according to conventional chocolate processing steps.

Example

The following examples are to further illustrate the present invention, but should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention. In the following examples, all "%" and "parts" are by weight.

Example 1

Cocoa mass (40 parts) was mixed with sugar (44.45 parts), lecithin (0.5 part), vanillin (0.05 part) and powdered potassium carbonate (1 part) and heated at 60°C for 0.5 hour. Passing the mixture between rollers transformed the mixture into flakes having particles with an average particle diameter of 20 μm. The flakes obtained are refined through a refiner for 24 hours. After addition of cocoa butter (15 parts), refining was continued for another 4 hours. The obtained chocolate paste is tempered and molded to obtain the desired chocolate. When evaluated for chocolate taste, it had a rich flavor and left a refreshing taste in the mouth.

Example 2

According to the same recipe of Example 1 and in the same manner, flakes were obtained. In Example 1 the flakes were refined with a refiner for 24 hours, whereas in Example 2 the refining time was shortened to 12 hours. Then, treat the chocolate in the same manner according to Example 1 to obtain the desired chocolate. When evaluated for chocolate taste, it had a rich flavor and left a refreshing taste in the mouth.

Comparative example 1 (conventional chocolate product)

Chocolate was obtained according to the same recipe and in the same manner as described in Example 1, except that no powdered potassium carbonate (1 part) was added. When the taste of chocolate was evaluated, the flavor was not sufficient.

Test Example 1

By using the chocolate samples of the present invention prepared in Example 1 and the conventional chocolate prepared in Comparative Example 1, 30 panelists were invited to perform sensory evaluation.

Which chocolate has a stronger flavor?

The chocolate of embodiment 1 29 judges

The chocolate of comparative example 1 1 judge

Which chocolate leaves a lighter taste in the mouth?

The chocolate of embodiment 1 27 judges

The chocolate of comparative example 1 3 judges

Test Example 2

By using the chocolate samples of the present invention prepared in Example 2 and the conventional chocolate prepared in Comparative Example 1, 30 panelists were invited to perform sensory evaluation.

Which chocolate has a stronger flavor?

The chocolate of embodiment 2 29 judges

The chocolate of comparative example 1 1 judge

Which chocolate leaves a lighter taste in the mouth?

The chocolate of embodiment 2 19 judges

The chocolate of comparative example 1 11 judges

Comparative Example 2

Cocoa mass (40 parts) was mixed with sugar (44.45 parts), lecithin (0.5 parts), vanillin (0.05 parts) and 40% aqueous potassium carbonate solution (2.5 parts) and heated at 60° C. for 0.5 hours. Passing the mixture between rollers transformed the mixture into flakes having particles with an average particle diameter of 20 μm. The flakes obtained are refined through a refiner for 24 hours. After addition of cocoa butter (12.5 parts), refining was continued for a further 4 hours. The roughness is caused during conching due to the addition of water and the chocolate spread becomes very fluid. When evaluated for chocolate taste, rich flavor and texture could not be recognized.

Industrial Applicability

As described above, the chocolate provided by the present invention has a strong flavor and leaves a refreshing taste in the mouth, and the method for preparing chocolate provided by the present invention can reduce conching time in chocolate processing.

Claims (2)

1. one kind prepares chocolate method, comprising in one to four preparation process of the chocolate procedure of processing that is selected from grinding steps, blend step, correct grinding step and refinement step, the alkaline agent that adds the graininess of 0.02-3% weight of chocolate weight or powdery is to reduce refining time, and described alkaline agent is selected from potash, sodium carbonate, ammonium carbonate, saleratus, sodium acid carbonate, carbonic hydroammonium, potassium phosphate, sodium phosphate and ammonium phosphate.

2. according to the process of claim 1 wherein that alkaline agent is a potash.