Aerated chocolate, also known as air chocolate, is a type of chocolate that intentionally contains gas, forming bubbles.
Aerated chocolate, also known as air chocolate, is a type of chocolate that intentionally contains gas, forming bubbles.
In 1935, British chocolate manufacturer Rowntree's brought the first aerated chocolate, Aero, to market. [1] The process for making the new chocolate was covered by a broad patent, capturing a variety of tablets including ones embedded with additions such as nuts. [2] Rowntree's initially promoted aerated chocolate as more digestible than solid chocolate, though this was objected to by rival chocolate manufacturer Cadbury. Further to these objections, Cadbury contested the validity of the patent itself. [3] In September 1936, chocolate makers Fry's released an aerated Crunchie bar made entirely of chocolate. They justified this move, saying it did not breach the patent as it was not a block but a bar. [4] After Fry's launched a second aerated chocolate in August 1937 called Ripple, Rowntree agreed to allow chocolate manufacturers to manufacture aerated chocolates after June 1938 if they agreed to pay Rowntree a sum upon releasing new aerated chocolate lines and a 0.5% royalty on sales. [5] After this period, Cadbury only released an aerated chocolate in markets in overseas dominions where Aero was not established. [6] Nestlé-produced aerated chocolates included a chocolate called Bubblo, made in the UK for export to New Zealand under a New Zealand patent. [7]
By 1936, Aero was being successfully exported to Australia, [8] and The Hershey Company purchased the Aero patent in May 1937, later altering the flavor and texture for the American palate. [9] During 1937, Rowntree's produced machinery for production in Éire, Canada and South Africa, as well as for the companies Lindt and Van Houten. [10] In the 1970s, biscuit manufacturers began using micro-aeration to process chocolate for moulded products. In 1981 or 1983, [11] [12] Cadbury released Wispa, an aerated chocolate made using a secret, non-patented process. While its launch was a success, while it was temporarily withdrawn to resolve manufacturing difficulties, Rowntree developed and launched a chunky Aero which was still on the market by 2008. [11] Wispa was discontinued in the early 2000s, and Cadbury did not sell aerated chocolate until releasing Dairy Milk Bubbly in October 2007 following an internet campaign. [12] Today, Aero is manufactured by Nestlé. [1]
Biting into some aerated chocolates produces an audible crunch, a phenomenon understood to be a product of its structure and texture. On entering the mouth, they generate a "fragile mouth feel" and quickly melt when chewed. These phenomenon stem from the greater surface area, and intensify the flavor. [13]
Aerated chocolate is less dense than conventional chocolate, giving it properties of a greater volume, a soft texture and melting experience. The most commonly produced aerated chocolates have visible bubbles with diameters between 0.05–3.0 mm (0.002–0.118 in). To make most of these products, aerated chocolate is poured into a shell. After it has set, liquid chocolate is poured over to form a smooth back. It is produced under a vacuum or by beating gas into the chocolate under high pressure. [1] In the former, liquid chocolate, sometimes mixed with a gas is placed in a vacuum, forming a foam which maintains its shape when the fat sets. This process easily permits additions (such as nuts or nougat), but is difficult to keep hygienic and as a result the latter method is more frequently used. In high pressure aeration systems, gas is worked into liquid tempered chocolate under a high pressure. Gas that does not dissolve is dispersed as bubbles using a beater. [14] Using different gases generates different bubble sizes, flavors and textures, possibly due to different solubility properties of gases. [15]
Another type is micro-aerated chocolate, which contains bubbles invisible to the naked eye, producing a faster melting and creamier product. It is used on chocolate biscuits to reduce the percentage of chocolate by weight. Semi-set or solid chocolate extruded creates a final type of aerated chocolate, containing continuous tubes of air running through. Cadbury previously sold this type of aerated chocolate under the name Spira. [1]
Unlike normal chocolate where the material is held together by fat, some aerated chocolate is held together with a skeleton of solid particles (particularly sugar). [1] [14] This aerated chocolate can have an extremely low density (0.1–0.3 g/cm3 (0.0036–0.0108 lb/cu in)), allowing it to dissolve quickly in the mouth. [15] It is produced by emulsifying water (optionally containing sugar sugar) with liquid chocolate or chocolate liquor and milk solids. Removing the water then leaves the aerated chocolate behind. [15] [16]
Factors affecting bubble size include chocolate viscosity, rate of setting, the type of gas, pressure differences, and the rate of change of pressure. [17] Chocolate foamed with nitrogen—and especially with nitrous oxide—has the most intense taste. This is due to the larger bubbles these gases produce. [18]
As of 2012 researchers asserted "[t]he existing technology to control bubble size and distribution is difficult." [19] In 2013, Chinese scientists announced results from a study using phospholipids derived from soybeans to aerate cocoa butter. [20]
Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cocoa beans that can be a liquid, solid, or paste, either on its own or as a flavoring in other foods. The cacao tree has been used as a source of food for at least 5,300 years, starting with the Mayo-Chinchipe culture in what is present-day Ecuador. Later, Mesoamerican civilizations consumed cacao beverages, of which one, chocolate, was introduced to Europe in the 16th century.
Cadbury, formerly Cadbury's and Cadbury Schweppes, is a British multinational confectionery company owned by Mondelez International since 2010. It is the second-largest confectionery brand in the world, after Mars. Cadbury is internationally headquartered in Greater London, and operates in more than 50 countries worldwide. It is known for its Dairy Milk chocolate, the Creme Egg and Roses selection box, and many other confectionery products. One of the best-known British brands, in 2013 The Daily Telegraph named Cadbury among Britain's most successful exports.
Marshmallow is a confectionery made from sugar, water and gelatin whipped to a solid-but-soft consistency. It is used as a filling in baking or molded into shapes and coated with corn starch. This sugar confection is inspired by a medicinal confection made from Althaea officinalis, the marsh-mallow plant.
A chocolate bar is a confection containing chocolate, which may also contain layerings or mixtures that include nuts, fruit, caramel, nougat, and wafers. A flat, easily breakable, chocolate bar is also called a tablet. In some varieties of English and food labeling standards, the term chocolate bar is reserved for bars of solid chocolate, with candy bar used for products with additional ingredients.
Milk chocolate is a form of solid chocolate containing cocoa, sugar and milk. It is the most consumed type of chocolate, and is used in a wide diversity of bars, tablets and other confectionery products. Milk chocolate contains smaller amounts of cocoa solids than dark chocolates do, and contains milk solids. While its taste has been key to its popularity, milk chocolate was historically promoted as a healthy food, particularly for children.
Violet Crumble is an Australian chocolate bar. The bar is a crumbly honeycomb toffee centre coated in a layer of compound chocolate. It was first made by Hoadley's Chocolates in South Melbourne around the year 1913; and is currently made in Adelaide, South Australia by Robern Menz after a period of ownership by Nestlé. Its advertising slogan is "It's the way it shatters that matters", and previously was "Nothing else matters". The bar shares similarities to the Crunchie bar made by British firm Cadbury. Aside from Australia, it is available in Hawaii and a few other places, including Hong Kong, and Mollie Stone's Markets and Cost Plus World Market in the United States.
Galaxy is a chocolate bar, made and marketed by Mars Inc., and first manufactured in the United Kingdom in the 1960s. Galaxy is sold in the United Kingdom, Ireland, South Africa, the Middle East, Morocco, India, Pakistan, Australia, Malta, and is also sold in the United States, Canada, Mexico and various Continental European countries as Dove. In 2014, Galaxy was ranked the second-best-selling chocolate bar in the UK, after Cadbury Dairy Milk.
Wispa is a brand of chocolate bar manufactured by British chocolate company Cadbury. Using aerated chocolate, the bar was launched in 1981 as a trial version in North East England, and with its success it was introduced nationally in 1983. It was seen as a competitor to Rowntree's Aero . In 2003, as part of a relaunch of the Cadbury Dairy Milk brand, the Wispa brand was discontinued and the product relaunched as "Dairy Milk Bubbly". As part of the relaunch, the product was reshaped as a standard moulded bar instead of a whole-bar count-line.
Pop Rocks, also known as popping candy, is a type of candy owned by Zeta Espacial S.A. Pop Rocks ingredients include sugar, lactose, and flavoring. It differs from typical hard candy in that pressurized carbon dioxide gas bubbles are embedded inside of the candy, creating a small popping reaction when it dissolves.
Aero is an aerated chocolate bar manufactured by the Vevey-based company Nestlé. Originally produced by Rowntree's, Aero bars were introduced in 1935 to the North of England as the "new chocolate". By the end of that year, it had proved sufficiently popular with consumers that sales were extended throughout the United Kingdom.
White chocolate is a form of chocolate made of cocoa butter, sugar and milk. Unlike milk and dark chocolate, it does not contain cocoa solids, which darken the chocolate. White chocolate has an ivory color, and can smell of biscuit, vanilla or caramel, although it can also easily pick up smells from the environment and become rancid with its relatively short shelf life. Like milk and dark chocolate, white chocolate is used to make chocolate bars and as a coating in confectionery.
After Eight Mint Chocolate Thins, often referred to as simply After Eights, are a brand of mint chocolate covered sugar confectionery. They were created by Rowntree Company Limited in the UK in 1962 and have been manufactured by Nestlé since its acquisition of Rowntree in 1988.
Nestlé UK Ltd., trading as Rowntree's, is a British confectionery brand and a former business based in York, England. Rowntree developed the Kit Kat, Aero, Fruit Pastilles, Smarties brands, and the Rolo and Quality Street brands when it merged with Mackintosh's in 1969 to form Rowntree Mackintosh Confectionery. Rowntree's also launched After Eight thin mint chocolates in 1962. The Yorkie and Lion bars were introduced in 1976. Rowntree's also pioneered the festive selection box which in the UK have been a staple gift at Christmas for over a century.
Drifter was a wafer-based chocolate bar. Rowntree's launched Drifter in 1980, consisting of a wafer with caramel layered on top, covered with milk chocolate. Nestlé later produced the bar following their takeover of Rowntree's in 1988.
Whipped cream, also known as Chantilly cream or crème Chantilly, is high-fat dairy cream that has been aerated by whisking until it becomes light, fluffy, and capable of holding its shape. This process incorporates air into the cream, creating a semi-solid colloid. It is commonly sweetened with white sugar and sometimes flavored with vanilla. Whipped cream is often served on desserts and hot beverages, and used as an ingredient in desserts.
Cadbury is a British multinational confectionery company owned by Mondelēz International. It is the second largest confectionery brand in the world after Mars. Cadbury is headquartered in Uxbridge, London, and operates in more than fifty countries worldwide. Its best known products include Dairy Milk chocolate.
Rowntree Mackintosh plc, trading as Rowntree Mackintosh Confectionery, was an English confectionery company based in York, England. It was formed by the merger of Rowntree's and John Mackintosh Co. The company was famous for making chocolate brands, such as Kit Kat, Aero and Quality Street. It was purchased by Nestlé in 1987, with products rebranded under its own brand.
Dark chocolate is a form of chocolate made of cocoa solids, cocoa butter and sugar. Without added sweetener, dark chocolate is known as bitter chocolate or unsweetened chocolate. Dark chocolate, above white and milk chocolate, is valued for claimed, albeit unsupported health benefits and for being a sophisticated choice of chocolate. Like milk and white chocolate, dark chocolate is used to make chocolate bars and as a coating for confectionery.
Peter's Chocolate was a Swiss chocolate producer founded in 1867 by Daniel Peter in Vevey. It is notably the company who produced the first successful milk chocolate bar. It merged with Kohler in 1904, with Cailler in 1911, and was bought by Nestlé in 1929. The brand was purchased by Cargill in 2002. Peter's Chocolate was recurrently advertised with the image of a traditionally dressed man waving a chocolate bar, often with an Alpine scenery.
