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White chocolate

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This article is about the confection. For other uses, see White chocolate (disambiguation).
White chocolate
White chocolate tablet
TypeChocolate
Place of originSwitzerland
Created byNestlé
Invented1936
Main ingredientsCocoa butter, sugar, milk solids
Ingredients generally usedVanilla

White chocolate is a form of chocolate typically made of sugar, milk, and cocoa butter, but no cocoa solids. It is pale ivory in color, and lacks many of the compounds found in milk, dark, and other chocolates.[1] It is solid at room temperature (25 °C (77 °F)) because the melting point of cocoa butter, the only white cocoa bean component, is 35 °C (95 °F).[2]

Like the other two main types of chocolate (dark and milk), white chocolate is used for chocolate bars or as a coating in confectionery.

History

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See also: History of chocolate

Chocolate was identified as "white chocolate" before 20th century, but these were very different from modern white chocolate. A 1783 reference to white chocolate is speculated to use the word white to describe the chocolate as lighter than other chocolate, to identify it as made from the then existing classification of cacao into the Theobroma alba (white cacao) variety,[3] or to refer to an ancient method of preparing chocolate named "white cacao".[4]

Recipes for "white chocolate" were published in 1869, 1871, and 1872, but these differed from how white chocolate is currently understood.[5] For example, Henry Blakely's 1871 recipe calls for "white sugar, rice flour, arrowroot powder, vanilla, cocoa butter, and gum arabic" boiled in water, which likely would produce a chewy confection.[5] White chocolate is essentially milk chocolate without cocoa solids. Milk chocolate was developed in 1875 by Swiss chocolatier Daniel Peter.[6]

1936 ad for Milkybar

In 1936, Swiss company Nestlé launched the first modern white chocolate tablet: Milkybar (or Galak) in Europe.[7] Making white chocolate was a way to use milk powder and cocoa butter, which were then produced in excess.[8] From about 1948 until the 1990s, Nestlé produced a white chocolate bar with almond pieces, Alpine White, for markets in the United States and Canada.[7] As white chocolate became mainstream, white versions of popular chocolate bars appeared, for instance Toblerone in 1973.[9] In 2002, the FDA regulated a standard of identity for white chocolate for the first time, after extensive lobbying from the Chocolate Manufacturers Association.[10]

Today, white chocolate is considered acceptable for adults to eat in the United Kingdom, despite being historically considered a product for children. It is included in assortment boxes.[11] White chocolate from Belgium is popular.[12]

Characteristics

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Cocoa butter can contribute a yellow color to white chocolate, which can be considered undesirable.[13] White chocolate 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.[14] Milk fats in white chocolate provide flavor, serve as flavor precursors, and carry flavors. Flavors derived from milk fat are produced throughout the production process.[15] Undesirable flavors in white chocolate include metal and paper or cardboard.[14][16]

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.[17][15] Instead, metallized films are used.[18]

Nutrition

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Candies, white chocolate
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy2,250 kJ (540 kcal)
59.2
Sugars59
Dietary fiber0.2 g
32.1
5.87
Vitamins and minerals
VitaminsQuantity
%DV†
Vitamin A equiv.
1%
9 μg
Vitamin A30 IU
Thiamine (B1)
5%
0.063 mg
Riboflavin (B2)
22%
0.282 mg
Niacin (B3)
5%
0.745 mg
Pantothenic acid (B5)
12%
0.608 mg
Vitamin B6
3%
0.056 mg
Folate (B9)
2%
7 μg
Vitamin E
6%
0.96 mg
Vitamin K
8%
9.1 μg
MineralsQuantity
%DV†
Calcium
15%
199 mg
Copper
7%
0.06 mg
Iron
1%
0.24 mg
Magnesium
3%
12 mg
Manganese
0%
0.008 mg
Phosphorus
14%
176 mg
Potassium
10%
286 mg
Selenium
8%
4.5 μg
Sodium
4%
90 mg
Zinc
7%
0.74 mg
Other constituentsQuantity
Water1.3 g
Caffeine0 mg
Theobromine0 mg
Link to USDA Database entry
†Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults,[19] except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation from the National Academies.[20]

White chocolate is 59% carbohydrates, 32% fat, 6% protein, and 1% water (table). In a reference amount of 100 grams (3.5 oz), white chocolate supplies 540 calories 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]

Manufacture

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Ingredients

[edit]

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] 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]

Process

[edit]

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 a 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 "brown" the chocolate.[26] 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).[37][38] 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.[39] 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.[40] 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.[41]

Regulations

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Main article: Legal definitions of chocolate

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%.[42] As of May 2021, the European Food Safety Authority proposed banning the food coloring agent, E171 (titanium dioxide), used as a common whitener in some white chocolate products.[43]

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."[44] 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.[44]

Market

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As of 2022, white chocolate accounted for about 10% percent of the overall chocolate market.[45] The smaller consumption of white chocolate compared to milk and dark chocolate has been attributed to white chocolate containing fewer aromatic compounds.[46] White chocolate is also controversial among some members of the public as to whether it is "really" chocolate.[47]

During the 2010s, white chocolate consumption declined as consumers opted for dark chocolate in light of attention to claims made about health benefits.[48]

White chocolate, supplemented with fat soluble colors and flavors, is often used to coat candies and cakes in the United States.[49]

Variations

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Vegan white chocolate, made with rice milk

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.[50] Alternatively, sorbitol or fructose are used as sucrose substitutes.[51] Sugar-free white chocolate also substitutes milk ingredients for lactose-free variants.[52]

Blonde chocolate is made by slowly heating white chocolate, which gives it a golden color and triggers Maillard reactions, which create a range of flavor compounds, contributing to its caramel-like flavor. It was made by a French chef.[53]

Vegan versions of white chocolate chips, bars, and truffles are available from several brands, such as Galaxy and Plamil.[54][55]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "White chocolate". Bon Appétit. 12 November 2007.
  2. ^ "Physical and chemical information on cocoa beans, butter, mass and powder". www.icco.org. Archived from the original on 7 October 2020. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  3. ^ Cabezon, Barriga & Grivetti (2009), p. 431.
  4. ^ Cabezon, Barriga & Grivetti (2009), p. 434.
  5. ^ a b Wassberg Johnson, Sarah (14 February 2021). "Before Nestle: A History of White Chocolate". Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  6. ^ Collins, Ross F. (2022). Chocolate: A Cultural Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. p. 310. ISBN 9781440876080. Milk chocolate grew to become the standard of what the public thought chocolate should be. The old quest for high-quality cocoa beans became less important. Manufacturers instead considered the quality of the milk.
  7. ^ a b "The history of white chocolate". The Nibble. The World's Best White Chocolate. 1 April 2008. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
  8. ^ Sethi, Simran (27 November 2017). "For those who think white chocolate isn't 'real' chocolate, have we got bars for you". The Washington Post. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  9. ^ Chrystal, Paul (2013). Chocolate: The British Chocolate Industry. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 68. ISBN 978-0-7478-1074-2. Dark Toblerone was launched in 1969 with White Toblerone following in 1973.
  10. ^ Thomas (2017), p. 671.
  11. ^ Wohlmuth & Edward G, p. 492.
  12. ^ Wohlmuth (2017), p. 493.
  13. ^ Kamphuis & Fowler (2017), p. 65.
  14. ^ a b Bau (2008), p. 38.
  15. ^ a b Skytte & Kaylegian (2017), p. 108.
  16. ^ Skytte & Kaylegian (2017), p. 109.
  17. ^ Beckett (2019), p. 19.
  18. ^ Jones (2017), p. 640.
  19. ^ United States Food and Drug Administration (2024). "Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels". FDA. Archived from the original on 27 March 2024. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  20. ^ National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Health and Medicine Division; Food and Nutrition Board; Committee to Review the Dietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium (2019). Oria, Maria; Harrison, Meghan; Stallings, Virginia A. (eds.). Dietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium. The National Academies Collection: Reports funded by National Institutes of Health. Washington, DC: National Academies Press (US). ISBN 978-0-309-48834-1. PMID 30844154. Archived from the original on 9 May 2024. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
  21. ^ a b Zoumas, Barry; Kreisler, Wesley; Martin, Robert (1980). "Theobromine and Caffeine Content of Chocolate Products". Journal of Food Science. 45 (2): 314–316. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2621.1980.tb02603.x.
  22. ^ Beckett (2019), p. 53.
  23. ^ a b Kamphuis (2017), p. 64.
  24. ^ Skytte & Kaylegian (2017), p. 131.
  25. ^ Wells (2017), p. 136.
  26. ^ a b Wohlmuth (2017), p. 497.
  27. ^ Wohlmuth (2017), p. 498.
  28. ^ Talbot (2017), p. 162.
  29. ^ Talbot (2017), p. 176.
  30. ^ Talbot (2017), p. 177.
  31. ^ a b c d Hofberger & Tanabe (2007), p. 682.
  32. ^ Jewett (2017), p. 474.
  33. ^ Presilla (2001), p. 64.
  34. ^ a b Hofberger & Tanabe (2007), p. 683.
  35. ^ a b Stauffer (2017), p. 545.
  36. ^ Wohlmuth (2017), p. 495.
  37. ^ Beckett (2019), pp. 95–96.
  38. ^ Walker (2017), p. 308.
  39. ^ Jewell (2017), p. 475.
  40. ^ Jewett (2017), pp. 474–475.
  41. ^ Gray & Máñez-Cortell (2017), p. 396.
  42. ^ "Directive 2000/36/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 June 2000 relating to cocoa and chocolate products intended for human consumption". 23 June 2000. Retrieved 27 October 2010.
  43. ^ "EFSA considers E171 food additive no longer safe". European Food Safety Authority. 6 May 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  44. ^ a b "Title 21, Chapter I, Subchapter B, Part 163.124 (white chocolate) of the US Code of Federal Regulations". United States Government Publishing Office. 5 May 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  45. ^ "White Chocolate: Consumers Take Notice". 6 October 2022. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  46. ^ Aydın, Kian-Pour & Toker (2021), p. 3182.
  47. ^ Leissle (2018), p. 55.
  48. ^ Afoakwa (2016), p. 37.
  49. ^ Wohlmuth (2017), p. 508.
  50. ^ Beckett (2019), p. 117.
  51. ^ Wohlmuth (2017), p. 507.
  52. ^ Wohlmuth (2017), p. 506.
  53. ^ Filloon, Whitney (9 February 2018). "Caramelized White Chocolate Is for People Who Hate White Chocolate". Eater. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  54. ^ Pointing, Charlotte. "Is Vegan White Chocolate a Thing? Yes! (and Here's Where to Buy It)". VegNews.com. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  55. ^ Smith, Rachel (13 April 2022). "We tried Galaxy's new vegan white chocolate and it didn't disappoint!". Vegan Food & Living. Retrieved 2 June 2023.

Sources

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Books

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  • Afoakwa, Emmanuel Ohene (8 April 2016). Chocolate Science and Technology. Wiley (publisher). ISBN 9781118913789.
  • Bau, Frédéric (2008). Chocolate Fusion: Chocolate in Cuisine (2nd English ed.). Montagud Editores. ISBN 978-84-7212-117-1.
  • Beckett, Stephen T (2019). The Science of Chocolate (3rd ed.). Croydon, United Kingdom: Royal Society of Chemistry. ISBN 9781788012355.
  • Cabezon, Beatriz; Barriga, Patricia; Grivetti, Louis Evan (2009). "Blood, Conflict, and Faith". In Grivetti, Louis Evan; Shapiro, Howard-Yana (eds.). Chocolate: History, Culture, and Heritage. Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley. ISBN 978-0-470-12165-8.
  • Gray, Michael P; Máñez-Cortell, Ángel (2017). "Moulding, enrobing and cooling chocolate products". In Beckett, Stephen T; Fowler, Mark S; Ziegler, Gregory R (eds.). Beckett’s Industrial Chocolate Manufacture and Use (5th ed.). West Sussex, UK: Wiley. ISBN 9781118780145.
  • Hofberger, Randall; Tanabe, Nina Ann (2007). "Chocolate and Cocoa". In Hui, Y H (ed.). Handbook of Food Products Manufacturing. New Jersey: Wiley. ISBN 978-0-470-04964-8.
  • Jewett, Sophie (2017). "Artisan chocolate making". In Beckett, Stephen T; Fowler, Mark S; Ziegler, Gregory R (eds.). Beckett’s Industrial Chocolate Manufacture and Use (5th ed.). West Sussex, UK: Wiley. ISBN 9781118780145.
  • Jones, Carl E (2017). "Packaging". In Beckett, Stephen T; Fowler, Mark S; Ziegler, Gregory R (eds.). Beckett’s Industrial Chocolate Manufacture and Use (5th ed.). West Sussex, UK: Wiley. ISBN 9781118780145.
  • Kamphuis, Henri J; Fowler, Mark S (2017). "Production of cocoa mass, cocoa butter and cocoa powder". In Beckett, Stephen T; Fowler, Mark S; Ziegler, Gregory R (eds.). Beckett’s Industrial Chocolate Manufacture and Use (5th ed.). West Sussex, UK: Wiley. ISBN 9781118780145.
  • Leissle, Kristy (2018). Cocoa. Polity. ISBN 9781509513208. OCLC 988580966.
  • Presilla, Maricel E. (2001). The New Taste of Chocolate, Revised: A Cultural and Natural History of Cacao with Recipes. New York: Ten Speed Press. ISBN 978-1580089500.
  • Skytte, Ulla P; Kaylegian, Kerry E (2017). "Ingredients from milk". In Beckett, Stephen T; Fowler, Mark S; Ziegler, Gregory R (eds.). Beckett’s Industrial Chocolate Manufacture and Use (5th ed.). West Sussex, UK: Wiley. ISBN 9781118780145.
  • Stauffer, Marlene B (2017). "Quality control and shelf life". In Beckett, Stephen T; Fowler, Mark S; Ziegler, Gregory R (eds.). Beckett's Industrial Chocolate Manufacture and Use (5th ed.). West Sussex, UK: Wiley. ISBN 9781118780145.
  • Thomas, Jonathan (2017). "The global chocolate confectionery market". In Beckett, Stephen T; Fowler, Mark S; Ziegler, Gregory R (eds.). Beckett’s Industrial Chocolate Manufacture and Use (5th ed.). West Sussex, UK: Wiley. ISBN 9781118780145.
  • Walker, John H (2017). "Bulk chocolate handling". In Beckett, Stephen T; Fowler, Mark S; Ziegler, Gregory R (eds.). Beckett’s Industrial Chocolate Manufacture and Use (5th ed.). West Sussex, UK: Wiley. ISBN 9781118780145.
  • Wells, Martin A (2017). "Chocolate crumb". In Beckett, Stephen T; Fowler, Mark S; Ziegler, Gregory R (eds.). Beckett’s Industrial Chocolate Manufacture and Use (5th ed.). West Sussex, UK: Wiley. ISBN 9781118780145.
  • Wohlmuth, Edward G (2017). "Recipes". In Beckett, Stephen T; Fowler, Mark S; Ziegler, Gregory R (eds.). Beckett’s Industrial Chocolate Manufacture and Use (5th ed.). West Sussex, UK: Wiley. ISBN 9781118780145.

Journal articles

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  • Aydın, Nurcanan; Kian‑Pour, Nasim; Toker, Omer Said (2021). "Caramelized white chocolate: efects of production process on quality parameters". Journal of Food Measurement and Characterization. 15. doi:10.1007/s11694-021-00890-1.
  • Talbot, Geoff (2017). "Properties of cocoa butter and vegetable fats". In Beckett, Stephen T; Fowler, Mark S; Ziegler, Gregory R (eds.). Beckett's Industrial Chocolate Manufacture and Use (5th ed.). West Sussex, UK: Wiley. ISBN 9781118780145.
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