After refining, the mass is transferred to large shear mixers called conche. Chocolate powder in conche machine is liquefied by adding 1-2% cocoa butter and kneading strongly.
This period is called ‘dry conching’ and takes some hours. With traditional longitudinal conche conching, period were generally very long compared with present-day practice, 96 hr was not uncommon.
With the changed to more powerful conches and the introduction of dry conching, the times have been considerably reduced.
Conching times will vary depending upon the formulation and final product desired, but can vary from 10 to 12 hr up.
Dry conching is followed by ‘wet conching’ in which a 1-2% amount of cocoa butter is added to the chocolate mass again. It will give more richly textured chocolate.
Half an hour before the end of the process, 0.3-0.4% of lecithin is added to the chocolate mass to emulsify the residual water content of the mass in the suspending cocoa butter phase.
Conching process will benefits the products by:
*Improved rheology and reduction in viscosity
*Elimination of harsh volatiles for a mellower taste
*Removal of moisture (reduced lumping and graining)
*Improved mouthfeel (smoothes sharp particle edges)
The process of conching is invented by Rodolfo Lindt in Switzerland in 1879; conching gives finished chocolate its melt in the mouth smoothness.
Chocolate conching
