CHOCOLATE | Milk Chocolate

Abstract

This article begins by looking at the history of milk chocolate and its composition. Chocolate is different from most other foods in that it is solid at room temperature yet melts in the mouth, so its melting and liquid flow properties are important from a product quality and eating texture point of view. The article also goes on to describe how the milk components affect the flavor and texture of a typical chocolate tablet. A major consumer complaint is chocolate bloom, where some of the fat crystallizes on the surface to give it a white mold-like appearance. Milk fat plays an important role in the crystallization of both milk and plane chocolate, and hence in the formation and prevention of this type of bloom. Many different milk-based ingredients can be used in chocolate making, and the role of whole milk powder, skim milk powder, chocolate crumb, whey powder, lactose, high-fat powder, and buttermilk powder is described. The quantity and composition of the milk components in chocolate are carefully controlled by legislation, and products outside these limits cannot be sold as chocolate. Current legislation is summarized at the end of the article.