Standards and Regulations

Generally speaking, chocolate must contain the following ingredients:Cocoa, cocoa butter, sugar, lecithin, vanilla extract, etc. Milk chocolate also contains whole milk solids. White chocolate is actually a confection made with milk, cocoa butter, sugar, and vanilla extract. It lacks the flavor of chocolate but has the same melting properties as other chocolates. On the other hand, if another fat is used instead of or in addition to cocoa butter, the product is often called compound chocolate.

(In fact, many chocolate products use alternative fat blends. These blends are often cheaper than cocoa butter, and manufacturers can adjust the product's melting point and other properties. Pure chocolate is not good in the summer.!European countries, on the other hand, have a much broader definition of chocolate. Fats other than cocoa butter can be used in European chocolate. In fact, Belgians prefer to use animal fat in their chocolate because it gives it a softer texture. Clearly, what's chocolate to one person can be a nightmare to another.

Nightmares are indeed the stuff of which marijuana cigarettes are made. Although it is now clear that chocolate may containKosherMaterials, manyKosherThe problem is hidden beneath the surface. For example, lecithin(A soybean derivative)It may seem harmless, but it may contain animal fatty acids. In addition, many countries allow the use of fat emulsifiers in addition to lecithin, some of which are derived from animal fat. Whey is a by-product of cheese production and is often used as a substitute for skim milk powder in European chocolate. Even though milk powder may be subject to strictKosherCompanies that produce the material often use the same processing equipment to make infant formula containing animal fat or veal feed, a spray-dried mixture of milk and beef fat.!Even butter can causeKosherThese ingredient issues relate to the chocolate itself, not to mention any questionable ingredients that chocolate-coated products may contain. Even if the chocolate itself does not contain any questionable ingredients, it may still be used in the production of non-KosherFood processing equipment.

The art of chocolate making involves manipulating the crystal structure of cocoa, fat, and sugar to create a smooth melt-in-the-mouth texture. The first step is conching, where the fat, cocoa, and sugar are ground into very fine particles. This mixture then undergoes a process called churning, which chocolatiers consider the true art of chocolate making.

Whisk the mixture by adding extra cocoa butter to the chocolate mixture.150Knead at a temperature of degrees Fahrenheit24to96Hours to make it smooth and fatty and to remove any remaining moisture. (The word "mixing" comes from the Latinconcha, meaning shell. Originally used to process chocolatebasinsIt consists of a flat granite bed over which heavy granite rollers attached to steel arms roll back and forth across the chocolate. (These ancient longitudinal conch shells resemble seashells, hence the name.) Most modern conch shells have a different construction and use different steel rollers, but the basic process of imparting smoothness to the product is the same.

The final step in making chocolate is tempering. As liquid chocolate cools and solidifies, the cocoa butter forms crystals. To temper chocolate, it is heated and cooled under controlled conditions so that a fine, uniform texture is formed. Typically, the chocolate at this stage is not heated above115Fahrenheit. Careful tempering can also reduce chocolate's tendency to bloom. When cocoa butter melts and recrystallizes, a hazy, white haze forms on the surface of chocolate. Lecithin, a natural emulsifier derived from soy, is added to chocolate to reduce this problem, which can occur in chocolate that has been stored for long periods of time or refrigerated. However, after Passover,(PASSOVER)CertifiedPassoverChocolate does not use lecithin and needs to add more(Expensive)Cocoa butter.

One characteristic of chocolate is that water interferes with the crystallization of cocoa butter. During processing, the fine particles of chocolate are tightly packed with fat. If water is added to chocolate, it will become a hard and brittle substance. Although mixing it with milk can improve the taste of chocolate, liquid milk is not easy to break.90%It's all water, and mixing liquid milk with chocolate presents a serious challenge.

The frugal Swiss were particularly keen to find a way to make use of their excess milk by incorporating it into chocolate.1875In 1860, a Swiss man named Daniel Peters discovered the key to successfully making milk chocolate. By using powdered milk, he was able to produce a coarse, dry milk chocolate bar. However, by the time1897By 1945, Mr. Peters had perfected the process of using condensed milk to produce an intermediate product called milk crumb. Milk crumb was made by cooking chocolate liquor with sweetened condensed milk, drying the mixture into a powder, and then mixing it with cocoa butter to make chocolate.

The use of milk powder may bring an interestingHalachikLeniency.Rav Tzvi Pesach Frank ztl (Har Tzvi Reponsa 103 and 104)I think milk powder is notCholov Akumlimitations, so even if you insistCholov YisroelPeople can also eat chocolate made from milk powder. As for chocolate made from milk crumbs,Rav Avrohom ShapiroIt is argued that since the majority of the mixture is chocolate liquor rather than milk, it does not fall under this criterion.,Others disagree. However, it is certain that caramel and other non-pure chocolate confectionery ingredients, which often use liquid milk, will not enjoy this leniency.

There is also an interesting Halachic implication that chocolate production cannot tolerate water. Many chocolate production systems are used for both milk chocolate and dark chocolate.(Non-dairy milk), and from dairy to Pale(or from unsupervised milk toCholov Yisroel)ofKosheringThe equipment posed a significant challenge. Generally, chocolate manufacturers were reluctant to allow cassarin to be added with water. Water is detrimental to chocolate production for two reasons: it can react with the chocolate and form a brittle mass that is very difficult to remove. Therefore, if the flame heating method is used,(Libun)If this is not practical, some authorities rely on heating the chocolate with cocoa butter or the chocolate itself.KosheringThis has again become a topic of discussion among contemporary Persians. Besides the general issue raised by Halachik regarding the use of liquids other than water for kasarinization, there is also the question of whether cocoa butter should be considered a liquid in the first place, since it solidifies at room temperature.

Taking into accountKosheringDespite the difficulties of chocolate factories, it is worth noting that at least one company did successfully achieve waterKosheringProductiontrulyMehadrinA renowned Swiss chocolate company has agreed to produce the Passover chocolate under special supervision.Cholov Yisroelchocolate. Until then, no Swiss chocolate company had agreed to add water to their equipment. In this production process, all equipment was heated with flames or hot water, and equipment that proved difficult to heat was specifically designed forKosherThe food industry has long believed thatKosherThe market is significant and worth further efforts to enter.KosherConsumer expectations are rising, and companies are willing to go the extra mile to deliver products that meet the highest standards.KosherProducts. Fine Swiss chocolatemehadrin-style, is just one recent example of what can be achieved by adhering toKosherThe standard has been met.

Chalav Yisrael[1]：

is aKosherA certified term for all dairy products, including cheese and skim milk powder, that come from milk that has been milked under the supervision of a Jewish person.

Chelva Akum：

existKosherThe term refers to the milking process being supervised by a Jew to ensure that milk from non-kosher animals is not mixed in. This supervised milk is called "young man of Israel” (“Jewish Milk”). Unsupervised milk is called "chalav akum” or “non-kosher milk.”

Koshering:

KosheringUsually refers to the processing of nonKosherThe product's nonKosherThoroughly clean the equipment toKosherAfter cleaning, the equipment becomes available for processingKosherProductKosherequipment.