The Chemistry of Chocolate

Introduction

My chemistry of dot dot dot is chocolate. I chose chocolate because it’s used everyday for multiply things. Chocolate is a processed food made from the seed of the tropical Theobroma Cacao tree. The earliest evidence of chocolate is 1100 B.C. by the Mesoamerican people. The chocolate beverage was so bitter it was used in beverages known as xocolatl or “bitter water”. It was first introduced to Europe, during the 16th century, by a Spanish conquistador, named Hernan Cortes. In 1867, a swiss candle maker, named Daniel Peter started to experiment with chocolate as an ingredient. Milk chocolate was created in 1875.

Composition of ...

    • Hershey’s chocolate is made of sugar, chocolate, cocoa butter, cocoa processed with alkali, milk fat, lactose (milk), soy lecithin, PGPR (emulsifier), vanillin, artificial flavor, and milk.
    • Hershey’s chocolate started out being made in a factory in Hershey, Pennsylvania by Milton Hershey.
    • Hershey’s is a chocolate bar that’s been around for 119 years.
  • The chocolate is made by blending whole milk, chocolate liquor, sugar, and cocoa butter. Then letting it dry. The chocolate crumb is ran through a conche. Where it is turned into a paste. The paste is ready to be poured into a mold, to make the classic hershey’s bar we all know and love.

Main Chemicals, Compounds, Components

    • The main components in milk chocolate is cocoa butter, sugar, and milk powder.
    • Cocoa is the most important component, containing theobromine or C7H8N4O2.
    • Sugar is what sweetens it: C6H12O6+C6H12O6=>C12H22O11+H2O
    • It also contains a lot of caffeine: C8H10N4O2
  • Milk is very important to make milk chocolate however there are too many forms of milk to have a chemical formula, it is made up of emulsion and colloids.

Chemistry's Role

Cocoa butter is made from whole cacao beans, which are fermented, then roasted, and finally separated from their hull’s. This is made into chocolate liquor which is pressed to separate cocoa butter from cocoa solids.

Sugar is also a very important part of chocolate. The sugar that is used in our foods is pulled of a plant called sugarcane. The sugarcane gets juiced, then crystallized to make sugar.

My final product would be chocolate which is a good product, that uses many forms of chemistry to make this fabulous treat.

Background Research

Chocolate is made from cacao beans. Which are fermented, then dried, then cleaned, and finally roasted. The shells are removed to produce cacao nibs. The nibs are grounded into cocoa mass. The cocoa mass gets liquefied to form chocolate liquor. Which is finally process into cocoa solids and cocoa butter. To make the classic milk chocolate bar, you mix cocoa butter, sugar, and milk powder or condensed milk.

Resources

http://sweets.seriouseats.com/2008/09/chocolate-cocoa-butter-replacements-hersheys.html

ingredients of chocolate

http://www.thehersheycompany.com/about-hershey/our-story/making-our-chocolate.aspx

composition of chocolate

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chocolate

information for video, intro, and background.

About the Author

Kylie Haslet is a junior at Billings Senior High. She enjoys volunteering at the hospital and babysitting. She also enjoys her job. She hopes to pursue a career in medicine, something like athletic training. Her favorite kind of chocolate is milk chocolate with almonds.