Several
types of chocolate can be distinguished. Pure, unsweetened chocolate contains
primarily cocoa solids and cocoa butter in varying proportions. Much of the
chocolate consumed today is in the form of sweet chocolate, combining chocolate
with sugar. Milk chocolate is sweet chocolate that additionally contains milk
powder or condensed milk. “White chocolate” contains cocoa butter, sugar, and
milk, but no cocoa solids. Chocolate contains alkaloids such as theobromine and
phenethylamine, which have some physiological effects in humans, but the
presence of theobromine renders it toxic to some animals, such as dogs and
cats. It has been linked to serotonin levels in the brain. Dark chocolate has
been promoted for unproven health benefits, as it seems to possess substantial
amount of antioxidants that reduce the formation of free radicals.
White chocolate is formed from a mixture of sugar, cocoa butter and milk
solids. Although its texture is similar to milk and dark chocolate, it does not
contain any cocoa solids. Because of this, many countries do not consider white
chocolate as chocolate at all. Although first introduced by Hebert Candies in
1955, Mars, Incorporated was the first to produce white chocolate within the
United States. Because it does not contain any cocoa solids, white chocolate
does not contain any theobromine, meaning it can be consumed by animals. It is
usually not used for cooking.
Dark chocolate is produced by adding fat and sugar to the cacao mixture. The
U.S. Food and Drug Administration calls this “sweet chocolate”, and requires a
15% concentration of chocolate liquor. Dark chocolate, with its high cocoa
content, is a rich source of epicatechin and gallic acid, which are thought to
possess cardioprotective properties. Dark chocolate has also been said to
reduce the possibility of a heart attack when consumed regularly in small
amounts. Semisweet chocolate is a dark chocolate with a low sugar content.
Bittersweet chocolate is chocolate liquor to which some sugar (typically a
third), more cocoa butter, vanilla and sometimes lecithin have been added. It
has less sugar and more liquor than semisweet chocolate, but the two are
interchangeable in baking.
Unsweetened chocolate is pure chocolate liquor, also known as bitter or baking
chocolate. It is unadulterated chocolate: the pure, ground, roasted chocolate
beans impart a strong, deep chocolate flavor.
Raw chocolate, often referred to as raw cacao, is always dark and a minimum of
75% cacao. Because the act of processing results in the loss of certain
vitamins and minerals (such as magnesium), some consider raw cacao to be a more
nutritious form of chocolate.
Some people who purchase chocolate off the store shelf can be disappointed when
they see whitish spots on the dark chocolate part. This is called chocolate
bloom and is not an indication of chocolate gone bad. Instead, this is just an
indication that sugar and/or fat has separated due to poor storage.
