How Is Chocolate Made Out of Cacao Beans?

Each cacao pod contains about 40 cacao seeds.

Timing, precision and heavy machinery transform cacao beans into chocolate. Farmers harvest ripe pods from tropical cacao trees, then export dried fermented beans to processing plants. Manufacturers extract, purify and blend cacao to create the familiar confection known as chocolate.

Cleaning, Roasting, Sorting

Machines remove waste and pulp from fresh cacao beans, or seeds. Manufacturers weigh seeds, then roast cacao at 250 degrees Fahrenheit for up to two hours. A winnowing machine opens roasted shells to expose inner cacao bits, or nibs. Manufacturers sort nibs by size, and steel disks crush nibs into viscous liquor.

Processing

Chocolate makers may add alkali to liquor, reducing liquor's acidity to impart a milder, fuller chocolate flavor. A hydraulic press separates most liquor into cocoa butter and cocoa solids. Manufacturers use cocoa butter as a chocolate base, and grind solids into cocoa powder.

Creating

Unrefined chocolate liquor combines with sugar and cocoa butter to produce a dark, chocolate powder called crumb. Milk chocolate crumb also contains condensed milk. Rollers press crumb into paste, and large vats churn, or conch paste into smooth, uniform chocolate. Manufacturers temper chocolate, cooling and heating it until chocolate melts correctly and achieves optimum shine.

References

• The Field Museum: All About Chocolate: Making Chocolate: Stage 3: Manufacturing Chocolate: Step #7
• The Field Museum: All About Chocolate: Making Chocolate: Stage 3: Manufacturing Chocolate: Step #10
• The Field Museum: All About Chocolate: Making Chocolate: Stage 3: Manufacturing Chocolate: Step #13
• "The New Taste of Chocolate: A Cultural & Natural History of Cacao with Recipes"; Maricel E. Presilla; 2009