Type | Chocolate |
---|---|
Place of origin | Switzerland |
Created by | Nestlé |
Invented | 1936 |
Main ingredients | Cocoa butter, sugar, milk solids |
Ingredients generally used | Vanilla |
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.
Of the three main types of chocolate, white chocolate is the newest. It was first commercially sold by Swiss company Nestlé in 1936 and manufactured and nationally distributed in the United States in 1984. Even though it was branded as chocolate, some consumers found calling the confectionary product "chocolate" controversial; greater acceptance of the classification only came with the 21st century.[ citation needed ] That century, manufacturers began producing more premium white chocolate, and in the United Kingdom the traditionally children's product was marketed to adults for the first time. c. 2005, a variant called blond chocolate was invented, produced by slowly cooking white chocolate across multiple days.
White chocolate is made in a five-step process. First, the ingredients are mixed together to form a paste. Next, the paste is refined, reducing particle size to a powder. It is then agitated for several hours in a process known as conching, after which the product is further processed to ensure the product sold is standardized. Finally, the chocolate is tempered by heating, cooling and reheating the mass, improving the product's appearance, stability and snap.
In 2022, white chocolate made up 10% of the chocolate market. As of 2024, sales are projected to grow by around 5% annually for the next few years, driven by an increase in consumption of premium white chocolate, particularly in Europe.
Before modern white chocolate was created, some chocolate was referred to as white chocolate. This can be seen in a list of supplies from 1783, although its meaning is unknown. The description of the chocolate as white is speculated to mean it was lighter than other chocolate, to denote that it was made from what was then classified as a cacao variety, Theobroma alba (white cacao) [1] or to refer to an ancient method of preparing chocolate named "white cacao". [2]
While the history of white chocolate is unclear, there is a consensus that the first commercial white chocolate tablet, Nestlé Galak (known as Milkybar in the United Kingdom), was launched by the Swiss company Nestlé in 1936. Making white chocolate was said to be a way to use milk powder and cocoa butter, which were then produced in excess. [3] [4] According to Nestlé, white chocolate was originally a coating for a vitamin product they were making with pharmaceutical group Roche. [5] From 1961 to 2010, Nestlé successfully marketed Milkybar chocolate with "The Milkybar Kid", a blonde child sporting spectacles and a cowboy suit; after 2010 the character was portrayed by adults. [6] Historically in the United Kingdom, white chocolate has been closely associated with children [7] and there, Milkybar has been marketed as a chocolate for children. [8] As of 1992, the Milkybar constituted 80% of the £ 41,000,000 UK white chocolate market. [9]
In Spain, white chocolate became common in the early 1970s and by the late 1990s had four rival brands selling white chocolate. Since the late 1970s in Japan, White Day has been celebrated on March 14, following its promotion by chocolate companies. On this day, men give white chocolate to women who had given them dark chocolate on Valentine's Day a month earlier. [10] [11] In 1973, a white chocolate variety of Toblerone was created. [12]
White chocolate was not made and mass distributed in the United States until 1984, when Nestlé released Alpine White, a white chocolate bar which contained almonds marketed to the "female indulgence" market. [3] [8] That decade, white chocolate gained popularity in the United States as imports rose from Europe and white chocolate became trendy. Marketing associated the product with Europe. [13] Growth was driven by perceptions of white chocolate as "lighter and more delicate" than other types of chocolate. [14] By the 1990s, however, white chocolate had become unpopular and disliked. [15] During the 1990s, Nestlé discontinued Alpine White in 1993 and The Hershey Company introduced Hershey's Cookies 'n' Creme to the US market, a white chocolate product embedded with cookie chunks. [16] As of 2001, much of the white chocolate sold in the United States was made of palm kernel oils or hydrogenated fats and called "compound coating". It was sold as "ivory", "blanc", or just wrapped in clear plastic bags. Consumers had difficulty distinguishing white chocolate made with and without cocoa butter. [15] In 2002, the FDA regulated a standard of identity for white chocolate for the first time, after extensive lobbying from the Hershey's and the Chocolate Manufacturers Association (now part of the National Confectioners Association). [17] [4] This was enforced from 2004, requiring white chocolate to be made of at least 20% cocoa butter for the first time. [18]
Around the start of the start of the 21st century in the United Kingdom, chocolate makers began marketing white chocolate to adults, with Cadbury releasing Cadbury Snowflake and Dream, and Nestle releasing white chocolate versions of Aero and Kit-Kat. [19] Today, white chocolate is considered acceptable for adults to eat, as seen by its inclusion in assortment boxes. [7] In the United States during the 21st century, chocolate makers made more higher-quality white chocolate, in part in response to a rise in the cost of cocoa butter. [4] Since 2012, the French chocolate manufacturer Valrhona has sold "blond chocolate", invented c. 2005 after white chocolate was accidentally left in a bain-marie for four days. As of 2024, Valrhona was lobbying the French government to recognize it as a separate type of chocolate. [20]
White chocolate does not contain cocoa solids, the primary non-fat constituent of chocolate liquor; these are replaced by milk solids. During manufacturing, the dark-colored solids of the cocoa bean are separated from its fatty content, as with milk chocolate and dark chocolate, but, unlike with other forms of chocolate, no cocoa mass is added back. This makes cocoa butter the only cocoa ingredient in white chocolate. [21] As pure pressed cocoa butter has a flavor that can be considered unpleasant in some applications, before it is used in white chocolate it is partly deodorized. This involves steam distilling the cocoa butter under a vacuum, [22] [23] or by using solvents. [4] If cocoa butter were fully deodorized, it would lose all cocoa flavor; as a result, less deodorized (and therefore having a more full flavor) cocoa butters are used in dark chocolates, while white chocolates use more deodorized cocoa butter. [23]
Beyond cocoa butter, milk chocolate contains sugar, milk solids, emulsifiers (such as soy lecithin), and flavors (such as vanilla). Manufacturers vary the milk solids used to create different effects. Some use yoghurt powder as a milk powder, as the acidity masks the sweetness of the sugar. [24] Other manufacturers substitute milk powder for "white" chocolate crumb (a mixture of sugar, milk and cocoa butter dried simultaneously [25] ), to give it a caramelized flavor, and others make white chocolate softer by using skimmed milk powder and milk fat instead of full cream milk powder. [26] The ratio between cocoa butter, sugar and milk fat impacts the quality, and higher quality white chocolate recipes require less sugar, and more cocoa butter and milk fat. [27] In some chocolate, some cocoa butter is substituted for cocoa butter equivalents (CBEs) and cocoa butter substitutes (CBSs). CBEs are fats with similar triglyceride structures, [28] while CBSs are fats with dissimilar triglyceride structures that are refined to have similar qualities of hardness, mouthfeel and flavor release. [29] [30]
The basic process of making white chocolate involves mixing, refining, conching, standardizing and tempering. [31]
In the mixing phase, cocoa butter is combined with sugar, milk solids, emulsifiers (such as soy lecithin), and flavors (such as vanilla). [31] [32] These ingredients are mixed until a rough paste is formed. [31] After the ingredients are mixed, the mass enters a refining machine. This carries the mass through large steel rollers set to varying widths, turning the mass into a dry powder. [33] [31] White chocolate is then transferred to a conching machine. [34] These machines mix and knead the mass, changing the flavor and texture. [35] White chocolate is conched between 40–50 °C (104–122 °F), the lowest temperature of the traditional types of chocolate; [36] conching at higher temperatures can give the chocolate undesirable flavors produced by the Maillard reaction. [26] [37] After conching, the viscosity and taste of the mixture is standardized by adding flavorings, emulsifiers or cocoa butter. This is necessary, given the use of automatic molding and enrobing equipment. [34] [35]
In the final step of production, the chocolate is tempered. While waiting to temper, the chocolate is kept in liquid chocolate storage. Storing white chocolate for this time is particularly difficult compared to other types of chocolate, as it tends to thicken at higher temperatures. To prevent this, the chocolate is constantly stirred while being held between 38–40 °C (100–104 °F). [38] [39] Before tempering, chocolate is heated to ensure all the cocoa butter that has crystallized has melted. In white chocolate, this occurs at about 45 °C (113 °F), lower than milk and dark chocolates. [40] During tempering, chocolate is cooled to the point where the cocoa butter can begin to crystallize, and then heated to ensure that of the various crystal structures, only the most stable remain. For white chocolate, the temperatures the chocolate is cooled to and then heated to are lower than those needed for other chocolates; up to four degrees Celsius lower when compared to dark chocolate. [41] High milk fat contents in white and milk chocolates reduces the temperature at which they solidify. As a result, they require a comparatively high cooling time. [42]
Regulations govern what may be marketed as white chocolate: since 2000 in the European Union, white chocolate must be (by weight) at least 20% cocoa butter, 14% total milk solids of which enough milk fat is contained to make up 3.5%. [43] In January 2022, the European Food Safety Authority banned the food coloring agent, E171 (titanium dioxide), used as a common whitener in some white chocolate products. [44] [45]
Since 2004 in the United States, the Code of Federal Regulations defined that white chocolate should contain "not less than 20 percent by weight of cacao fat", "not less than 3.5 percent by weight of milkfat and not less than 14 percent by weight of total milk solids", and "not more than 55 percent by weight of a nutritive carbohydrate sweetener" (generally sucrose). [46] [47] Acceptable dairy elements when manufacturing white chocolate in the United States include evaporated milk, skim milk, buttermilk, and malted milk. White chocolate products may not contain artificial coloring agents. [46]
White chocolate has an ivory color and can smell of biscuit, vanilla or caramel, but can also easily pick up undesirable environmental smells. This can give it undesirable smells of rancidity or cheese. [48] White chocolate made from nondeodorized cocoa butter retain the aroma of chocolate, but have an unappealing taste to most consumers. [lower-alpha 1] [49] [50] Cocoa butter can contribute a yellow color to white chocolate, which can be considered undesirable. [51] Milk fats in white chocolate carry flavors, serve as flavor precursors, and provide flavor, some of these produced throughout the production process. [52] Undesirable flavors in white chocolate includes metal and paper or cardboard. The latter flavors can arise from exposure to oxygen. [48] [53] It has a reputation as tasting overly sweet. [4]
As cocoa antioxidants that act as preservatives are mainly present in the dark cocoa material that white chocolate lacks, white chocolate has a shorter shelf life than milk and dark chocolate. The presence of milk fats in white chocolate also mean white chocolate cannot be packed in a transparent wrapper, as the milk fat is delicate, and will decompose faster if exposed to light. [54] [52] Instead, metallized films are used. [55]
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Energy | 2,250 kJ (540 kcal) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
59.2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sugars | 59 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dietary fiber | 0.2 g | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
32.1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
5.87 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Other constituents | Quantity | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Water | 1.3 g | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Caffeine | 0 mg | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Theobromine | 0 mg | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
†Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults, [56] except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation from the National Academies. [57] |
White chocolate is 59% carbohydrates, 32% fat, 6% protein, and 1% water (see table). In a reference amount of 100 grams (3.5 oz), white chocolate supplies 540 kilocalories of food energy, is a rich source (22% of the Daily Value, DV) of riboflavin, and a moderate source (10-15% DV) of pantothenic acid, calcium, phosphorus, and potassium (table). White chocolate contains only trace amounts of the stimulants theobromine and caffeine, as these are present in the cocoa mass but not the cocoa butter. [21]
As of 2022 [update] , white chocolate accounted for about 10% percent of the overall chocolate market. [58] The smaller consumption of white chocolate compared to milk and dark chocolate has been attributed to white chocolate containing fewer aromatic compounds. [59] White chocolate is also controversial among some members of the public as to whether it is "really" chocolate, [60] contributing to a bad reputation added to by perceptions of it being too sweet and containing too many additives. [4] During the 2010s, white chocolate consumption declined as consumers opted for dark chocolate in light of attention to claims made about health benefits. [61] White chocolate, supplemented with fat soluble colors and flavors, is often used to coat candies and cakes in the United States. [62] In 2018, around half of the white chocolate was made of white chocolate bars, valued at US$19.18 billion. [63] As of two years later, Nestle's Milkybar white chocolate was the most popular white chocolate sold in the United Kingdom and Ireland. [64]
Belgium is a popular producer of white chocolate, [65] often mixing it with milk or dark chocolates as decoration. [19] Craft white chocolate is popular, particularly in Japan. [63] [66] As of 2024, demand for artisanal white chocolate is increasing. This is a product of a general increase in demand for premium chocolate, driven in part by an increase in demand for organic, sugar-free, vegan and gluten-free chocolate. Beyond sales directly to customer, white chocolate is also sold industrially as compound chocolate, to be used by bakeries, confectioners and for making cookies and biscuits. The cosmetics industry also purchases white chocolate based on beliefs that it can help with "skin renewal and rejuvenation". It is thus used in body lotions and wax. [63]
According to a market research report released in May 2024, the white chocolate market was projected to grow by US$9.11 billion at a compound annual growth rate of 4.87% for 2024–2028, driven by an increase in consumption in premium white chocolate. Europe was projected to account for 44% of this growth. These predictions were challenged by instability on the cocoa market that had occurred in recent years. [63]
Sugar-free and reduced sugar white chocolate contain maltitol, a sugar alcohol, instead of sucrose. As maltitol is a laxative, some manufacturers combine it with a fiber blend and stevia. [67] Alternatively, sorbitol or fructose are used as sucrose substitutes. [68] Sugar-free white chocolate also substitutes milk ingredients for lactose-free variants. [69] Other varieties of white chocolate include organic, vegan and gluten-free chocolate. [63]
Blond chocolate is made by slowly heating white chocolate, which triggers Maillard reactions, creating a chocolate with light caramel flavor. [20] White chocolate bars can be flavored and filled, including with butterscotch, caramel, coffee, fondant, honey, mint, nougat, nuts and vanilla. [63]
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.
A chocolate chip cookie is a drop cookie that features chocolate chips or chocolate morsels as its distinguishing ingredient. Chocolate chip cookies are claimed to have originated in the United States in 1938, when Ruth Graves Wakefield chopped up a Nestlé semi-sweet chocolate bar and added the chopped chocolate to a cookie recipe; however, historical recipes for grated or chopped chocolate cookies exist prior to 1938 by various other authors.
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.
Kit Kat is a chocolate-covered wafer bar confection created by Rowntree's of York, England. It is produced globally by Nestlé, except in the United States, where it is made under licence by the H. B. Reese Candy Company, a division of the Hershey Company.
Cocoa butter, also called theobroma oil, is a pale-yellow, edible fat extracted from the cocoa bean. It is used to make chocolate, as well as some ointments, toiletries, and pharmaceuticals. Cocoa butter has a cocoa flavor and aroma. Its melting point is slightly below human body temperature. It is an essential ingredient of chocolate and related confectionary products. Cocoa butter does not contain butter or other animal products; it is vegan.
Big Turk is a candy bar manufactured by Nestlé in Canada, that consists of dark magenta Turkish delight coated in a chocolate coating.
Compound chocolate is a product made from a combination of cocoa, vegetable fat and sweeteners. It is used as a lower-cost alternative to pure chocolate, as it uses less-expensive hard vegetable fats such as coconut oil or palm kernel oil in place of the more expensive cocoa butter. It may also be known as "compound coating" or "chocolatey coating" when used as a coating for candy. It is often used in less expensive chocolate bars to replace enrobed chocolate on a product.
Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cocoa beans mixed with fat and powdered sugar to produce a solid confectionery. There are several types of chocolate, classified primarily according to the proportion of cocoa and fat content used in a particular formulation.
The history of chocolate dates back over 5,000 years, when the cacao tree was first domesticated in present-day southeast Ecuador. Soon introduced to Mesoamerica, it gained cultural significance as an elite drink among different cultures, including the Mayans and Aztecs. Cacao was extremely important; considered a gift from the gods, it was used as a currency as well as medicinally and ceremonially. Chocolate was often associated with the heart, and was believed to be psychedelic. It is unclear when chocolate was first drunk, and there is evidence of Mesoamerican groups drinking an alcoholic drink made by fermenting the pulp around cacao seeds.
Swiss chocolate is chocolate produced in Switzerland. Switzerland's chocolates have earned an international reputation for high quality with many famous international chocolate brands.
Chocolate bloom is either of two types of whitish coating that can appear on the surface of chocolate: fat bloom, caused by changes in the fat crystals in the chocolate; and sugar bloom, due to crystals formed by the action of moisture on the sugar. Fat and sugar bloom damage the appearance of chocolate but do not limit its shelf life. Chocolate that has "bloomed" is still safe to eat, but may have an unappetizing appearance and surface texture. Chocolate bloom can be repaired by melting the chocolate down, stirring it, then pouring it into a mould and allowing it to cool and re-solidify, bringing the sugar or fat back into the solution.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to chocolate:
Milkybar, called Galak in Continental Europe and Latin America, is a white chocolate confection produced by Nestlé since 1936 and sold worldwide. According to Nestlé, Milkybar/Galak contains no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives. In Australia and New Zealand, Milkybar does not contain cocoa butter, and is therefore not labelled as chocolate.
Nesquik is a brand of food products made by Swiss company Nestlé. In 1948, Nestlé launched a drink mix for chocolate-flavored milk called Nestlé Quik in the United States; this was released in Europe during the 1950s as Nesquik.
Tempering is a technique applied in chocolate production to create chocolate that is glossy, has a good snap and is more resistant to chocolate bloom. It involves cooling liquid chocolate while agitating it until a small amount of cocoa butter crystallizes. The liquid is then heated to maintain only the most stable crystal forms, which serve as nuclei for the rest of the cocoa butter to solidify around.
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.
Flavor cocoa or fine cocoa are cocoa beans that are sold at a premium, contrasted with bulk cocoa.
Bulk cocoa is a class of cocoa beans. It is contrasted with flavor cocoa. They generally grow in West Africa.
There are different categories of cocoa beans. The traditional varieties of Forastero, Criollo and Trinitario, while still used in marketing materials, are no longer considered to have a botanical basis.
French chocolate is chocolate produced in France. France is considered the "home of dark chocolate", and French chocolate has a smooth texture and is characterised by its dark roast flavour.