Marketing Report: Chocolate - Classification, Quality, and Storage

This report provides a comprehensive overview of chocolate, beginning with its historical origins in Meso-America and tracing its evolution through various classifications. The report details the composition of different chocolate types, including dark, white, and milk chocolates, and highlights the key ingredients such as cocoa solids, sugar, and milk fat. It also discusses the importance of lecithin in achieving a smooth texture. Furthermore, the report differentiates between high-quality chocolates made with natural ingredients and compound chocolates that may contain hydrogenated oils and artificial flavors. The report emphasizes the significance of proper storage to prevent melting and maintain product integrity, recommending a three-layer packaging system. Finally, it addresses issues related to chocolate wastage due to defective batches, heat damage, and poor packaging, as well as the challenges posed by the limited shelf life of chocolates. The report references relevant research on chocolate evaluation.

RESEARCHING COMMODITIES
Classification and origin:
The history of chocolate began in Meso-America in 450 BC.
The chocolates were prepared as a drink mixed with spices
or corn puree. It came from Latin America where cocoa trees
grew wild and from these wild trees, cocoa seed originated.
Although, chocolates can be classified into various
forms by adding flavours but originally there are three types
of Chocolates:
 Dark chocolate: Dark chocolates are the purest form
of chocolates as it does not include added sugar or
flavours and has the highest percentage of cocoa
content ranging from 70 to 100%.
 White chocolate: White chocolate is made of sugar,
milk and cocoa butter without cocoa solids.
 Milk chocolate: The milk chocolate was made in
1875 by a Swiss confectioner, Daniel Peter by using
condensed milk which was later adopted by his
neighbour Henri Nestle, the founder of Nestle
company.
Description, structure and composition:
Most of the chocolates are light, very sweet and soft apart
from dark chocolates. These chocolates also have nuts and
almonds in them to enhance its taste and to make it more
crispy and crunchy.
Chocolates are made up of cocoa solids, butter,
sugar and milk fat. Lecithin is also used in making
chocolates as it gives them a sweet and smooth texture
which makes it easy to eat.
It also includes chemicals like Theobromine, a bitter
alkaloid of the cocoa plant and is found in chocolate as well
as other food products too like leaves of the tea plant.
Quality consideration: There are two types of chocolates, one of them
is made up of natural ingredients while the other one is made up of
added chemicals. The real chocolates are made up of high quality
ingredients like milk, sugar, vanilla, cocoa liquor, cocoa powder
and butter.
On the other hand, the compound chocolates also use cocoa butter and
powder but also required a lot of flavours and includes hydrogenated
oils like vegetable oil such as palm or soybean. The quality of
compound chocolates is not up to the mark and can cause harm to the
human body.
Storage: It is advisable to store chocolates at a cold place so that it does
not melt down and also the chocolates are fragile products
therefore it is important to have a three layer packaging in the
form of hard cardboard box, small box and then the primary
plastic or paper packaging for the chocolate. This will help in
preserving and protecting the chocolate.
Wastage: The chocolate brands face many problems related to the
wastage of chocolates as some times the batch produced becomes
defective which means that it is not up to the quality or some times the
chocolates are damaged through heat, poor packaging or by insects.
These are the main factors causing wastage of chocolates.
Issues relating to shelf life: The chocolates are perishable goods and
have poor shelf life.
References:
Oberrauter, L.M., Januszewska, R., Schlich, P. and Majchrzak, D., 2018.
Sensory evaluation of dark origin and non-origin chocolates applying Temporal
Dominance of Sensations (TDS). Food research international, 111, pp.39-49.
Acierno, V., Yener, S., Alewijn, M., Biasioli, F. and Van Ruth, S., 2016.
Factors
contributing to the variation in the volatile composition of chocolate: Botanical
and geographical origins of the cocoa beans, and brand-related formulation and