he Modern Chocolate Factory
Author: Michelle Bery

When people think of a chocolate factory chances are that most
immediately conjure that whimsical place inhabited by Willy
Wonka and a steadfast crew of Oompa Loompas. And while the
reality is far less enchanting, the truth remains that the
modern chocolate factory turns out its own form of magic as it
labors to bring the gift of chocolate to the masses.

The statistics say it all; it is estimated that chocolate
consumption reaches over 3.3 billion pounds a year in the United
States alone. To keep pace with this constant demand, the
chocolate factory of today utilizes an intricate system to
deliver a variety of chocolate treats to consumers in record
time.

The process of chocolate making in today's chocolate factory
has remained much the same as it did when mechanical chocolate
production made its debut during the Industrial Revolution. It
begins with the cocoa seeds which are carefully sorted through
to discard imperfections. This is normally a process done by
hand – one of few hand-done processes still done in the
chocolate factory – and one that culminates in the separation of
each particular seed into type and country from which it
originated. From there, the seeds are thoroughly cleaned and
weighed.

Next, the cocoa seeds are roasted in the chocolate factory
until all the moisture is completely removed and the seeds are a
rich, dark brown. Once roasted, the seeds pass through a machine
where the shells are opened to get to the seed bits – or nibs –
inside. The nibs are then sorted by size in a chocolate factory
process known as winnowing. The nibs contain the flavor of the
chocolate and they are crushed into heavy chocolate liquor to
which milk and sugar are added to get the chocolate we know and
love.

From this point, a series of different processes can take place
within the chocolate factory according to any number of recipes.
Regardless of what chocolate you crave, you have access to your
heart's desire thanks to the modern chocolate factory.


About The Author: For easy to understand, in depth information
about chocolate visit our ezGuide 2
http://chocolate.ezguide2.com