Did you know that the sweet and delicious bar of chocolate you munch every day is made from such a bitter product as cocoa beans? Yes, chocolate comes from cocoa beans which are harvested by hand because using machines tends to harm the beans. The beans are then loaded into sacks and then stored in warehouses or silos. From silos, the beans are transported to manufacturing lines where chocolate production begins. This article intends to discuss the process that cocoa beans go through in order to be turned into chocolate bars.

Cleaning and roasting

The first process in the production line is to clean the cocoa beans and blend them according to specifications. During the cleaning process, machines are used to remove any extraneous material from the beans. Powerful vacuum machines are then used to blow away finest dusts and other material before the beans are taken to a roaster for roasting. The roasting is meant to give the beans their characteristic chocolate aroma. The process roasting is done inside large rotary cylinders. How long the roasting will lasts usually depends on the desired end results. Optimal temperature for roasting is usually 250 degrees F.

Shell Removal and grinding of nibs

After roasting is completed, the beans are given time to cool before their thin shells are removed. The removal of the shell is done using giant winnowing machines that pass the beans between serrated cones to crack rather than crush them. Once the thin shells are removed, they are blown away by large fans. Once the shell is gone you are left with the nibs which contain cocoa butter. The nibs are usually ground into a paste by large grinding stones or steel discs. The paste is then passed through hydraulic pressure to produce a pure fat with the characteristic chocolate aroma.

Coca is separated from cocoa butter and other ingredients added to form chocolate

Cocoa butter is usually manufactured at this point from cocoa butter. Cocoa butter is passed through very heavy hydraulic presses to remove 80% of cocoa butter and leave behind cocoa. The cocoa is what is called cocoa liquor and other ingredients are added to it to form chocolate bars. Depending on the kind of chocolate being made, some of the most commonly added ingredients are milk, sugar, and cocoa butter. Once these ingredients are added, individual ingredients can now be applied in making the final product that you buy in stores. The final taste is often determined by the various ingredients and cocoa pastes added to the cocoa liquor. The ingredients are mixed inside a large tank that contains rotating arms that knead the mixture. The kneading is done continuously until a homogenous mixture is achieved. The result is chocolate paste that is still gritty and need further refining.

To tamper the chocolate paste, heating, cooling, and reheating is done to achieve a certain feel. Cooling is done very slowly so that the flavor is not compromised. The tempered chocolate is them poured into molds to make bars. Visit mymallgift to learn more about this.