Cocoa and chocolates

Synonymous with pleasure and indulgence, chocolate comes from the fruit of the cacao tree: the cocoa bean. Its origins date back to Aztec and Mayan civilizations, where it was consumed as a beverage. Imported into Europe in the 16th century, it wasn't until the mid-19th century that the term "chocolate" came into use. Today, the chocolate industry involves a wide range of players, from producers - mostly small-scale planters scattered across the world's humid tropics - to consumers, mainly located in temperate countries.

The processing chain can be divided into three levels:

• production of walking cocoa (fermented and dried cocoa beans);

• production of semi-finished products: cocoa butter, cocoa powder, cocoa mass/paste;

• chocolate production, ultimate processing of semi-finished products in combination with sugar and possibly milk powder (milk and white chocolate).

In the course of these transformations, numerous operations are required, such as fermentation, drying, roasting, grinding, pressing, formulation, blending, conching and shaping. The quality of finished products depends on how these operations are carried out, but is also closely linked to the characteristics of the raw materials used.