Types of chocolate bars. The benefits and harms of chocolate, the nutritional value of the product, cooking at home, photo recipes with this product

One of the important indicators is the content of cocoa beans in chocolate. Depending on this, its varieties are distinguished. If in bitter more than 60% cocoa products in chocolate, semi-bitter (dessert) about 50%, then dairy- only about 30%.
The higher the content in chocolate cocoa beans the higher its quality. So bitter- "real" - chocolate is considered the most respected in the world. It has a more bitter taste and bright aroma than others, and costs an order of magnitude more expensive; it is also considered the most useful. Dark chocolate contains cocoa butter, cocoa mass and powdered sugar. Some companies produce chocolate that contains 99% cocoa and contains no sugar at all.
AT dairy chocolate, in addition to these ingredients, dairy products are used: as a rule, it is not fresh, but powdered (whole or skimmed) milk, whey, cream powder or milk fat. Due to the content of milk fats, this chocolate is especially recommended for children. There is another chocolate classification, which takes into account the methods of its preparation, processing of raw materials and the ingredients included in the composition. Depending on this, chocolate is isolated

ordinary (with or without additions)
dessert (with or without additions)
porous (with or without additions)
with fillings
diabetic
white.

Ordinary chocolate is usually made from consumer(not elite) types of cocoa beans. The content of cocoa products in it is from 35 to 55%. Such chocolate contains relatively little theobromine, a caffeine-like alkaloid that is obtained from the husk of cocoa seeds, so products for children are mainly produced from ordinary chocolate.
In production dessert chocolate are used only noble varieties of cocoa beans that undergo more thorough and longer processing than raw materials in the manufacture of ordinary chocolate. Therefore, dessert chocolate has a finer dispersion (this means that the milk fat is crushed more finely here) and has a more delicate taste and aroma than ordinary chocolate. Such chocolate literally melts in your mouth, and when you break it, a characteristic sonorous sound is heard.

And what is chocolate with filling? These are tiles, bars, all kinds of figurines with filling inside, which are made, as a rule, from ordinary chocolate mass. In addition to the most common - fondant, there are nut (praline), cream, chocolate, creamy (milk), fruit and marmalade, fruit and jelly fillings, with jam, wafer crumbs, and their content in such chocolate should not exceed 50%.
A new kind of chocolate porous– appeared on our market relatively recently. It is made mainly from dessert chocolate mass. Due to the special - porous - structure, it has an unusual taste. As a rule, a bar of such chocolate is larger in size than a bar of ordinary chocolate, if they weigh the same.
AT diabetic chocolate - for diabetics - xylitol, sorbitol and others are used instead of sugar sweeteners.
White chocolate stands apart in this company. This cream-colored treat with a distinctive caramel flavor is made without the use of cocoa powder. And yet, white chocolate contains cocoa butter, which is no less than in ordinary dark chocolate. Powdered sugar, special milk powder, which gives the product a peculiar shade of taste, vanillin and various additives, are also used here. If classic chocolate without additives are made from cocoa products (cocoa liquor, cocoa butter) and powdered sugar, which determine its taste, then in chocolate with additions a lot depends on the additional ingredients. Products are produced with aromatic (vanillin, ground coffee or coffee extract, cognac, alcohol) and food additives (powdered or condensed milk, candied fruits, dried fruits, nuts, grillage - crushed caramel mass with nuts). Milk, cream, fruit pieces, cocoa nibs, wafer crumbs, and combinations thereof may also be used as additives. Chocolate is also produced with special additives, such as vitamins (C, E), minerals (iron, calcium) or medications.

About 500 additives are used as additions to chocolate! Another one classification- depending on the shapes and sizes chocolate:

-chocolate in tiles rectangular shape - 100 g or less,
–figured chocolate - solid, hollow or stuffed figures: loaves, medals, "bombs", eggs, shells, animals, fish, crustaceans, bugs, etc. Sometimes "surprises" are put into hollow figures (children's toys that should not be glass and should not have sharp parts)
–patterned chocolate: flat relief figures of small sizes, without filling or with filling. As a rule, such products are sold in chocolate sets.

But, of course, the list of chocolate products does not end there. It is used for glazing, all kinds of pastes, powders and other products are prepared from it.
note: so-called " confectionery and sweet tiles"cannot be compared with real chocolate - it has a different taste, has a different consistency (the bar is softer), and it costs much less. If chocolate should contain at least 25% cocoa products, then in the "sweet bars" these ingredients are much less, and some do not at all! Instead of an expensive component - cocoa butter - cheaper substitutes can be used here: vegetable oils or hydrogenated fats. The ingredients also include sugar, aromatic and flavoring additives: apple powder, coffee, peanuts, etc.
Chocolate glaze, which does not use cocoa butter, but its substitutes, may contain trans fats that are dangerous to health and a large number of artificial food additives. Chocolate paste is a plastic mass, which is made from cocoa products, sugar, fat, emulsifiers with the addition of flavoring and aromatic substances. One of the required components is whey, whole or skimmed milk powder. Often they produce pastes with the addition of nuts, soybean products, puffed rice, coconut crumbs and other components.
From chocolate powder preparing drinks. It consists of grated cocoa, powdered sugar and vanillin. Dairy products, such as milk powder, can also be added to the powder. Cocoa butter is not put here, and sugar, as a rule, is added more than in regular chocolate. It is enough to dilute such a powder with hot water or milk in a ratio of 1:1 or 1:2 - and a fragrant hot drink will be ready.

Recently, chocolate has also been used for cosmetic purposes. Beauty salons offer courses of anti-aging, tightening, moisturizing and other procedures for the face and body: "chocolate" masks, body wraps, baths, massages. Using mixtures in which, in addition to chocolate and cocoa, vegetable oils, milk, honey, fruits, berries and plant extracts are added, you can take care of your face and body at home.

The variety of types of chocolate depends on the technological schemes of production.

The classification of the assortment of chocolate, taking into account the peculiarities of the classification according to the product classifier, is given in Figure 1.

Rice. 1 Classification of assortment of chocolate.

The differences between the varieties of chocolate are determined by the recipe ratios of sugar, cocoa mass and cocoa butter. The introduction of the best varieties of cocoa beans (Arriba, Java, Guayaquil, etc.) into the recipe improves the quality and makes it possible to obtain chocolate with different taste properties.

Ordinary chocolate is sweeter than dessert chocolate, it contains more sugar (up to 63%) and less cocoa mass (35%).

Classification of chocolate. Depending on the method of processing, the chocolate mass is divided into dessert and ordinary. Dessert chocolate mass has high aromatic qualities and fine dispersion. It acquires these properties as a result of particularly careful and lengthy processing. The sugar content in it is not more than 55%.

Ordinary chocolate mass has lower taste and aromatic qualities and less fine dispersion. The sugar content in it is not more than 63%.

Aerated chocolate is obtained mainly from dessert chocolate mass, which is poured into molds for ¾ volume, placed in vacuum boilers and kept in a liquid state (at a temperature of 40 ° C) for 4 hours. When the vacuum is removed due to the expansion of air bubbles, a finely porous structure of the tile is formed.

Depending on the composition, chocolate is divided into chocolate without additives, with additives, with filling, diabetic and white.

Chocolate without additives is made from cocoa mass, powdered sugar and cocoa butter. Such chocolate has specific properties inherent in cocoa beans. By changing the ratio between powdered sugar and cocoa mass, you can change the taste of the resulting chocolate - from bitter to sweet. The more cocoa liquor in chocolate, the more bitter taste and brighter aroma chocolate has and the more it is valued.

The main varieties of chocolate without additives:

dessert

chocolate figured

ordinary

Chocolate with additions is made from cocoa mass, cocoa butter, powdered sugar and various nutritional, flavoring and aromatic substances. Powdered milk, dried cream, nut kernels, coffee, waffles, candied fruits, alcohol, cognac, vanillin, food essences, etc. are most often used as additives. The ratio between the listed components of chocolate reflects the features of its assortment and varies widely.

Table Types of chocolate with additions

	Type of chocolate depending on the additions	Type of additions

	Lactic	Powdered or condensed milk
	Walnut	Roasted nuts, crushed, whole or crushed (15-35%)
	Coffee	Ground coffee or coffee extract (3-5%)
	With waffles	Wafer crumbs (4.4 - 6%)
	With special additives (nuts, cola and vitamins)	Nuts, cola with caffeine, theobromine, alkaloids (6%), with vitamins C, A, B.
	With fruits	Dry fruits, candied fruit, zest (1-12%)
	With grillage	Crushed caramel mass with nuts (15%)

Chocolate with filling is made from chocolate mass without additions and with the addition of milk. They produce it in the form of tiles, long loaves, shells and other figures with various fillings: walnut, fondant, chocolate, fruit-jelly, cream, milk, creamy. The amount of filling should be no more than 50% of the total mass of products.

Chocolate diabetic is intended for diabetic patients. Instead of sugar, sorbitol, xylitol, mannitol are introduced into the composition of chocolate.

White chocolate is prepared according to a special recipe from cocoa butter, sugar, milk powder, vanillin without adding cocoa mass, so it has a creamy color (white) and does not contain theobromine. Depending on the form, chocolate is produced in the form of bars, figures and powder.

Chocolate figures are made from dessert chocolate mass in the form of various hollow objects and animal figures. Powdered chocolate is made from cocoa mass and powdered sugar without additives and with the addition of dairy products.

The assortment of chocolate products in Ukraine is presented widely and is constantly updated. The main product groups are: chocolate bars, sweets (bulk and packaged), chocolate and chocolate-wafer bars and cakes, flour products enriched with chocolate icing, and so on.

The industry leaders are five manufacturers: Kraft Jacobs Sushard JSC (Trostyanets chocolate factory Ukraine; TM Korona, Milka, Siesta, Chocolate factory Ukraine), Roshen Corporation (Kyiv, Vinnitsa, Kremenchug, Mariupol factories; TM "Roshen"), TPF "Svitoch" (Lviv confectionery factory "Svitoch"; TM "Svitoch", "Nestle"), CJSC "Malbi" (TPG "Rainford"; Dnepropetrovsk chocolate factory, TM "Millenium ”, “Lubimov”) and CJSC PO “KONTI” (Donetsk, Konstantinovskaya, Gorlovskaya confectionery factories; ТМ “Dolci”, “AMOUR-CARRE”, “Super-kontik”, “Bonjour”). In total, these producers account for more than 93% of chocolate output (the share of chocolate in the structure of production of confectionery products from cocoa beans is about 13%). The top ten manufacturers of chocolate bars also include OJSC Poltavakonditer (TM Dominik), CJSC AVK (TM Persona, DOMIOR, Masterpiece) and CJSC Kharkiv BF (TM Biscuit-Chocolate) ).

The assortment is formed taking into account the mass fraction of fat. Chocolate is a high-calorie product in 100 grams of chocolate 540-560 kcal

Roasting (from French griller - to fry) is the hardest filling for sweets. It is made from boiled viscous sugar and roasted crushed nuts. The finished mixture is poured into molds, allowed to harden, cut and covered with chocolate.

Chocolate is a multifaceted product. It can vary in many parameters: in composition and consistency, in density and percentage of cocoa content, in shape and types of filler, as well as in taste, color and aroma. Today, chocolate is produced all over the world, and there are so many types of chocolate that even a sophisticated lover of sweet treats will not immediately figure out which product is hidden behind a colorful wrapper. We hope that this information will become a useful guide for you in the vast world of chocolate products.

Types of cocoa beans

Recall that the basis of chocolate is the grains of cocoa beans - the fruits of tropical trees - and the cocoa butter obtained from them. It is by them that the quality of the product is determined, and all other ingredients are secondary and only give it variety and piquancy. In turn, cocoa trees also have different types, and their fruits differ somewhat from each other both in quality and in taste.

Despite the fact that America is considered the birthplace of chocolate, the best premium product is made from African cocoa beans, while American and Asian ones are noticeably inferior to them in many respects. African fruits are classified as varietal and have a delicate, but at the same time rich taste and delicate aroma. Consumer varieties have a bitter or sour taste and a sharper and more tart aroma.

Chocolate classification

According to the content of cocoa products, chocolate is divided into three main types:

- bitter, with a content of cocoa products from 55% or more. Some premium varieties contain up to 90% cocoa;

- dark or classic, which includes from 35% to 60% cocoa products;

- dairy, which contains less than 35% cocoa products;

- white, made on the basis of cocoa butter without the addition of grated beans.

According to the composition and method of processing the ingredients, chocolate is:

Shape and consistency:

Through the efforts of modern confectioners, the types of chocolate are constantly increasing. Moreover, not only well-known world brands, but also domestic factories succeed in this. Thanks to large Russian factories, our product has gained worldwide popularity. Young companies do not lag behind popular brands: for example, at the new Podolsk factory that produces chocolate and confectionery products under
The Mister Cho brand produces a wide range of products: from premium dark chocolate drops to white bars. Love for a noble delicacy is the main source of inspiration for talented craftsmen, encouraging them to create new types of chocolate to the delight of millions of Russian sweet teeth.

There is not a single person on the planet, especially a child, who would not like the taste of chocolate. What is chocolate, it is interesting to know everyone. Using the popularity of chocolate around the world, they began to use it for making sweets in various versions, they learned how to add all kinds of ingredients and toppings. In addition to sweets and chocolates, cakes, rolls, cookies are made from it, they are used as layers and fillers for other desserts.

Nevertheless, pure chocolate products have not lost their popularity, and with the help of obtaining its varieties, they began to create real culinary masterpieces in the form of various figurines and holiday gift sets. Varieties of chocolate can be in mixed forms, as well as alternating with each other.

What are the types of chocolate?

Unsweetened chocolate. This is pure chocolate liqueur with no added sugar. It is not overripe and is made by roasting cocoa beans, which provide a fragrant chocolate flavor. If you add sweetness to it, then it is quite suitable for pies and cakes as a base.
Black chocolate. This is a finished product that is made on the basis of liquor and 35% cocoa bean powder. A characteristic feature regarding the technology is the complete absence of milk in its composition, which has an excellent combination of taste and is successfully added to other varieties. This type of chocolate belongs to semi-sweet, although it has a considerable proportion of sugar, which still retains a bitter aftertaste. The product is added to culinary products or can be formed into tiles. The color of dark chocolate is somewhat darker than any other kind, while it has some tonic effect.
Milk chocolate. Its preparation is based on roasted cocoa beans with the addition of dry milk powder or pre-treated canned milk. According to European standards, cocoa powder should not exceed 25%, and chocolate liqueur - 10%. The color of milk chocolate is lighter, softer, not cloyingly sweet and very healthy for children. It contains a certain amount of milk fat, it is quite suitable as a means of increasing hemoglobin in the blood.
White chocolate. In this variety of chocolate products, there are practically no cocoa beans in the composition, therefore its color is absolutely white with a barely noticeable shade. In terms of taste, white chocolate is not inferior to other varieties, and it contains cocoa butter, milk and sugar. Fans of such sweets, who are contraindicated in natural chocolate, can eat it without fear. This applies to the category of people who suffer from chronic liver diseases.

The artificial type of chocolate refers to the sweetness, in shape and taste reminiscent of regular chocolate. However, its composition may contain cocoa products in a minimum amount. In most cases, even instead of cocoa butter, a substitute is used in the form of hydrofat, confectionery fat, mass from extracts of nuts, soy products, milk or cream powder. This is a diabetic product that is produced for a separate category of people. The classification and assortment of chocolate are closely interrelated.

So, the classification has three main pure types:

black chocolate;
milk chocolate;
White chocolate.

Classification of chocolate according to the recipe

Chocolate as a product has its own classification according to the presence in it of the predominance of certain components and features of innovations in technologies. He can be:

ordinary;
dessert;
porous;
with the presence of filling inside;

Dessert chocolate is characterized by strong grinding of the total volume and long-term thorough processing in specialized units - conche machines. Regular, both dessert and aerated chocolate, are made with and without additives. These are powdered milk, cream in dry form, both natural and synthetic, various types of nuts, coffee, figs, raisins, waffle layers, candied fruits, prunes, dried pitted dates.

The fillings can be different in taste, reproduced in pure form or mixed. For example, a mass with a taste of caramel, raspberries, nuts, citrus fruits, fudge with a coffee, milk or chocolate flavor.

It is customary to call natural chocolate with sugar without fillings and flavored components.

Form classification

There is a division of chocolate sweets into forms:

monolithic tiled;
tile porous with a bubble internal structure, a more delicate taste compared to an ordinary tile form;
in the form of bars with soft filling and without it;
figured, medal, in the form of hollow volumetric chocolate toys;
patterned, designed to decorate cakes;
chocolate cakes;

In addition, chocolate bars are produced in the form of semi-finished products and glaze. Glaze goes on sale as packed chips or a block of a certain weight.

If we schematically analyze the classification of chocolate, then the following picture emerges:

Chocolate can be

with stuffing;
without stuffing;
artificial chocolate from substitutes.

Without stuffing:

without additives;
with additives;
porous structure;
white without cocoa content;

Without additives:

normal;
dessert.

With additives:

normal;
dessert.

Medicinal properties of chocolate

Chocolate has a number of health benefits. Depending on its type and concentration of cocoa, it can act as an excellent medicine. This has been scientifically proven by scientists at the University of London. Chocolate, if consumed in moderation, produces the hormone of pleasure in the body and is able to increase the vitality of lovers of this sweetness throughout the day.

In addition, it helps to eliminate blood clots and increases the number of blood cells. Due to this, in people suffering from anemia, the level of hemoglobin increases significantly. Of course, the use of dark chocolate will have the most effective effect in this case. With the help of other varieties, including the aforementioned one, the development of dementia is successfully prevented, especially in people of the older age category, vitality, mood, concentration of attention increase, the person becomes more collected and positively minded. For many, anger and irritability disappear, and life's problems are solved with less susceptibility and lack of emotional aggression. It has been noticed that in people of senile age who often consume chocolate, there is no development of macular degeneration, a serious disease that leads to complete blindness.

However, experts recommend eating chocolate in an amount of no more than 30 g per day. This is enough for the human body at any age. According to cardiologists, chocolate is much healthier and safer than coffee abuse. For the core, coffee is a bad drink, and chocolate can bring some benefits, like a small amount of red wine or apples.

Based on the experience of the doctors of the Middle Ages, we can conclude that for a healthy body, sweetness also benefits the liver. With anemia, tuberculosis and the presence of heart disease, chocolate is an indispensable auxiliary product. Studies have been conducted on the ability of chocolate to bring down body temperature and prevent the development of gout. However, today skeptics do not take the healing properties of chocolate very seriously, but they do not refuse the assertion that it is still possible to prevent many diseases with its help.

Many modern doctors know that the product normalizes blood pressure and resists the formation of blood clots. And lovers of this sweetness are much easier to endure painful menstruation. In addition, chocolate treats a bad cough no worse than some pills.

However, despite all the advantages, cocoa grains contain nitrogen, albeit in meager amounts, which can slow down metabolic processes in all body systems. And chocolate is contraindicated for overweight people, and even more so for those who are obese or diabetic.

Making chocolate of different varieties

Which types of chocolate will be produced in a plant equipped with all the necessary equipment is decided using analytical data after studying the supply and demand for a particular type of product. The basis is usually taken as an average figure for a certain period.

The technology consists in frying fresh raw materials - beans - on special grills. The further heat treatment process takes place in cylindrical containers, which are launched and perform rotational movements. This technology allows the beans to darken as a chemical reaction takes place in them. From this point on, the beans become fragrant and full of exactly the taste that we used to think of as chocolate. During frying, the shell opens and separates, which disappears during separation. Next, the grains are crushed and ground in tanks. Then the refining process takes place, after which the liquor becomes a homogeneous mass.

The next stage is the roasting of cocoa powder, which is done by passing the substance through the compressor rollers. The resulting cakes are ground, crushed and sifted. After adding sugar to the cocoa powder, the raw material, ready for production, comes out - chocolati. The remaining components are mixed in depending on what kind of chocolate products will be prepared.

"Mapc" / "Mars" (USA)

- this is the slogan of this delicious and beloved bar. Eating it in food is an easy and affordable way to satisfy hunger. The bar has been made since 1932, since then its recipe has not changed. The United States is the birthplace of chocolate. And now Mars bars have long been popular all over the globe. The proportion of ingredients changes from time to time. But the hallmark of "Mars" is always a thick chocolate layer. Caramel filling, nougat and almond crumbs harmoniously complement the pleasant taste of chocolate. No wonder this bar was one of the first to come from abroad to the post-Soviet space.

"Snickers" in translation means "laughter", "chuckle". The beginning of production falls on 1923, the manufacturer is Frank Mars. Chocolate is called "Snickers" in honor of the family's favorite horse. It is a bar, which contains peanuts (there are variations with seeds and nuts), nougat, caramel.

Alpen Gold / Alpen Gold (USA)

Chocolate Alpen Gold came to our market in the early nineties of the last century and very successfully began to conquer domestic sweet teeth. After all, chocolate is of excellent quality and very tasty, and bright packaging is sure to catch the eye even from the farthest shelves. And the brand slogan speaks for itself.

Marketing "Alpen Gold" has chosen the path to the elite segment of the chocolate market. And the variety of their products allows the consumer to choose a chocolate bar to suit their taste and mood.

"Chocolate Korkunov" / "Mars" (USA, Russia)

Chocolate is produced in Russia. Since his main sales take place in the Russian Federation, it is there that he is most famous. "BUT. Korkunov" has a delicate chocolate flavor. It really tastes like natural chocolate. It does not contain coconut or palm kernel oil. The factory tries to observe the classic canons of chocolate production.

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"Hestle" / "Nestle" (Switzerland)

Which of the modern kids does not know the bright and funny rabbit Kviki? It must be hard to find such a child. does an excellent job of including healthy milk in the diet of children. After all, not everyone loves it in its purest form.

Company, ready-made breakfasts and other delicious products. And all these delicacies are accompanied by a magical aroma of cocoa and a delicate taste.

Milka / Kraft Foods (Switzerland)

Delicious delicate chocolate "Milka" began its history back in 1901. And today it is one of the most popular chocolates in Europe. The traditions of taste have been preserved to this day, one of the secrets of the popularity of which is the addition of real alpine milk to the product. The fantastic lilac ladybug on the packaging makes the chocolate recognizable and can no longer be confused with any of the rivals. And when choosing a gift for a real sweet tooth, be sure to pay attention to the huge chocolate bars of this brand. This will cheer you up and at the same time give you the opportunity to enjoy a rather big company.