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Making compound chocolate

Compound chocolate is a known alternative for pure chocolate. It uses vegetable fats that are semi-solid at room temperature as an alternative component. Compared to regular chocolates, they can deliver a richer cocoa flavor using practical compound chocolate production methods. It also does not have to undergo tempering due to the natural, glossy texture of vegetable fats.

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Compound chocolate vs. couverture chocolate

Compared to compound chocolate, couverture chocolate is the highest grade of chocolate available in the market. For a chocolate to be couverture, it must contain a minimum of 35% cocoa solids and 31% cocoa butter. In terms of ingredients, you make compound chocolates using cocoa powder and vegetable oil. Couverture chocolate, in their turn, use cocoa butter and chocolate liquor. You need to conch couverture chocolate more deliberately, due to the high-fat content. It also needs to go through tempering – where it heats to an optimal temperature of 29-32 °C (84.2-89.6 °F) for beta crystals to grow and then cools down to 20 °C (68 °F). Compound chocolate processing does not involve tempering and is more manageable in terms of resources.

Is compound chocolate ‘true’ chocolate?


No. It is only an alternative to true chocolate – which contains cocoa solids, cocoa butter, and dairy fat – by US standards. However, EU regulations allow up to 5% of vegetable fats to be present in true chocolates. In general, the chocolate standards-of-identity requires chocolate to contain 50-60% cocoa butter and should exclusively use cocoa liquor. Any deviation from these standards becomes a compound coating or compound chocolate. Cocoa butter replacers or CBRs are also used as an alternative to cocoa butter. Their consistency makes it easy to mix with chocolate liquor. However, their tolerance to other fats is only up to 20%.


Who will buy compound chocolates?

Compound chocolate production usually serves for coating candies. Compound chocolate hardens more easily than normal chocolate. This is because it has vegetable fats as ingredients, and they don’t require much tempering, which means it’s easy to mold them to candies and other desserts. True chocolate needs tempering to harden properly.

It also serves confectionaries and bakeries that involve dipping food items in chocolate, such as chocolate-dipped strawberries and biscuits. Compound chocolates are a reliable alternative for couverture chocolate to use in chocolate fountains. They are also a practical choice for large servings of chocolates, such as caterers, restaurants, and other dessert businesses. Though the flavor and melt-in-mouth sensation are not the same as pure chocolate, it is still a cost-effective substitute and is relatively easy to work with.


Healthy cocoa butter alternatives for compound chocolate production


Usually, CBEs (Cocoa Butter Equivalent) and CBAs (Cocoa Butter Alternatives) are using vegetable oils with hydrogenated fat or trans-fat. They emulate cocoa butter and increase the shelf life of compound chocolates. This can, in turn, leads to major health issues, such as raised cholesterol levels, and can further develop stroke or heart disease. There is however an alternative to this, which is non-hydrogenated fat. Most food companies now use this kind of fat in their dairy products such as chocolates. Lauric fats, which are ingredients of CBEs, do now have non-hydrogenated fat alternatives.


Processing steps involved in compound-chocolate making

Which compound chocolate technology do you need?

Carton Tray Forming Machine for Biscuits

Carton Tray Forming Machine for Biscuits

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Pre-refiner for chocolate processing

Pre-refiner for chocolate processing

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Laboratory conching solution for small batches of chocolate

Laboratory conching solution for small batches of chocolate

In a laboratory setting, developing and refining the flavor p…

Chocolate processing unit for mixing, grinding, and conching

Chocolate processing unit for mixing, grinding, and conching

Producing high-quality chocolate or other fat-based compound…

Fully automatic chocolate processing line

Fully automatic chocolate processing line

Producing high-quality chocolate, creams, and fat-based compounds requires precis…

Automatic chocolate processing line

Automatic chocolate processing line

In modern confectionery production, achieving consistent quality of chocolate, creams, a…

Ball mill for chocolate, cocoa, and nut products

Ball mill for chocolate, cocoa, and nut products

In industries such as chocolate and confectionery, achieving consistent fi…

Double-overthrow conche for chocolate production

Double-overthrow conche for chocolate production

Creating high-quality chocolate products requires precise control over tex…

Five-roll refiner for chocolate production

Five-roll refiner for chocolate production

In chocolate production, achieving a smooth and flavorful final product requires…

Chocolate tempering system

Chocolate tempering system

In chocolate production, achieving the perfect crystal structure is essential for high-quality pro…

Cooling simulator for chocolate production optimization

Cooling simulator for chocolate production optimization

In the chocolate industry, achieving the perfect cooling profile i…

Chocolate quality analysis instrument

Chocolate quality analysis instrument

Ensuring consistent chocolate quality can be challenging due to variations in producti…

Small-scale chocolate enrober for laboratory use

Small-scale chocolate enrober for laboratory use

In a research and development context, you may need to test chocolate enro…

Laboratory chocolate tempering solution

Laboratory chocolate tempering solution

In the chocolate production industry, precise tempering is crucial to ensure the qua…

Enrobing system for rapid changeover in confectionery production

Enrobing system for rapid changeover in confectionery production

In large-scale confectionery or bakery production, effic…

Depositing system for solid and filled chocolates

Depositing system for solid and filled chocolates

Producing high-quality solid and filled chocolates in small, medium, or …

Refining plant for chocolate

Refining plant for chocolate

Achieving a balanced, velvety mouthfeel in chocolate is challenging. Larger particles in chocola…

Mixer for production of chocolate with inclusions

Mixer for production of chocolate with inclusions

Using the same mixing equipment for different recipes in chocolate manuf…

High-speed chocolate block melt machine

High-speed chocolate block melt machine

If you produce chocolate using larger blocks instead of cocoa beans, chocolate melti…

Industrial melter for chocolate rework

Industrial melter for chocolate rework

Wastage or out-of-specification products are not uncommon in the chocolate manufactur…

Entry level bean to bar line

Entry level bean to bar line

One of the challenges when setting up a small-scale cocoa processing factory is making all of th…

Entry level cocoa roaster

Entry level cocoa roaster

The biggest challenge that small-scale cocoa processing manufacturers face is even and thorough roa…

Small capacity chocolate melangeur

Small capacity chocolate melangeur

In order to produce the finest of chocolate products, you need the cocoa nibs to be grind…

Small capacity cocoa grinder

Small capacity cocoa grinder

The first step of producing almost any kind of chocolate starts with grinding cocoa beans to get…

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