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Learning Objective: Understand what is included in this module

About Module 3 on the physiology of taste

"Ne croyez pas que le chocolat soit un substitut à l'amour, L'amour est un substitut au chocolat." (Don't believe that chocolate is a substitute for love. Love is a substitute for chocolate.) Miranda Ingram

In this module, we move on to explore chocolate flavor and taste – what it is and how to measure it. We'll talk about what components and ingredients make up that special flavor and you'll get an overview of just how the industry describes flavor nuances.

To get you thinking about sourcing your special chocolate flavor, here are the current options for sourcing bulk chocolate, their level of financial risk and resulting promotional opportunities that are now available to the chocolatier when it comes to sourcing bulk chocolate:

Options for sourcing bulk chocolate Financial risk Promotional opportunity
Use "off the shelf" flavors from select manufacturers Minimum risk in inventory investment Be proud of who and what you use and explain why *
Do in-house blending of "off the shelf" bulk chocolate to achieve a unique flavor profile Minimum risk in inventory investment and blending experimentation. Explain your blending process and why it's important for you to get a unique flavor
Work with manufacturer to formulate bulk chocolate in a particular flavor and texture by special order. Callebaut Or Noir** or Valrhona will do this as may others Medium risk in investment in minimum quantities and long-term purchase commitment Promote the fact that your chocolate flavor is unique and made especially for you by a particular manufacturer
Buy bulk chocolate liquor that you flavor, refine and conch in-house to your own specifications. Valrhona and Callebaut offer chocolate liquors in bulk High financial risk for machinery (refiner and conch) and human resources for machine operations and maintenance Promote the fact that you flavor and refine your own chocolate
Make chocolate from the dried cocoa beans Very, very high financial risk for machinery and dried-bean inventory as well as human resources for bean sourcing, machine operation/maintenance Promote that you source and make your own chocolate from the bean

*I believe that as chocolatiers, we need to be transparent and proud to disclose the bulk chocolate we use in our products. We don't have to tell the exact product number but if I'm using a Guittard product, shouldn't I be happy to let the customer know that? After all, Guittard is responsible for a lot of the flavor of my products. Restaurants have been singing the praises of their food and beverage purveyors on menus for years. Isn't it time we do the same? Lots of good food for thought and as I've said before – the consumer is much more educated about chocolate than we think.

**Callebaut's Or Noir Laboratory will make you a special chocolate in minimum quantities of 500 kg, 1 ton, or 5 ton. There are already 110 Callebaut customers having special bulk chocolate made in this state-of-the-art laboratory outside Paris in France – you must travel there to work with the technicians at the factory. Cost for the special order is usually about 1 or 2 Euros over the regular price for a comparable "off the shelf" chocolate from Callebaut. If you're interested, contact:

Natacha Verot
Sales Manager OR NOIR
Phone +33 1-30-22-84-05
Mobile +33 6-89-04-89-57
natacha_verot@barry-callebaut.com

Barry Callebaut hopes to have produced "potentially the finest chocolate the world has ever seen or tasted" in the following Media Release.

Barry Callebaut launches Terra Cacao chocolate range at ISM 2011: A giant leap forward in superior tasting chocolate.

January 31, 2011 English Deutsch Overview Barry Callebaut develops revolutionary new cocoa cultivation method resulting in a new range of vastly superior quality chocolate 

Advanced fermentation technique results in cocoa beans with virtually zero defects or off-flavors

The new Terra Cacao product line sets new standard in superior tasting chocolate

Barry Callebaut helps empower local farmers to produce the highest possible quality cocoa beans 

Cologne, 31st January 2011 – Barry Callebaut, the world’s leading manufacturer of high-quality cocoa and chocolate products, announces the launch of the Terra Cacao range: an exciting new innovation in superior tasting chocolate. Based on revolutionary new cocoa cultivation and fermentation methods developed by Barry Callebaut in collaboration with local growers, the Terra Cacao range represents a giant leap forward in terms of both quality and sustainability. Thanks mostly to improvements in the fermentation of the raw cocoa beans, the cocoa used to make Terra Cacao has virtually zero defects or off flavors, resulting in a 100% natural chocolate with an unprecedented harmony of pure tastes and rich aromas.

The Terra Cacao range covers several milk and dark chocolate references varying from 33.5% to 70.5% cocoa mass. The range, shaped as callets, is available for industrial customers worldwide and packed in 10kg bags.

Enhanced Fermentation
The innovation in Terra Cacao is applied after the harvest, during the critical initial fermentation of the cocoa beans at the plantations. Years of painstaking research into the intricacies of this complex process have yielded important insights into how flavor precursors are developed during fermentation. Barry Callebaut has developed a revolutionary technique to naturally enhance this process and promote the growth of the right ferment cultures to awaken even the most delicate and refined flavor precursors in the cocoa beans.

Superior Selection
Terra Cacao is very much a product of Barry Callebaut’s long-standing commitment to fostering sustainability in the cocoa industry through forging close ties with local farming organizations. The process begins with the careful selection of cocoa varieties and growing conditions to ensure the best possible stock. Barry Callebaut seeks out the most favorable altitudes and flavor-enhancing terroirs in equatorial regions where the soil is fertile and farmers tend the trees with patience and respect. Only the best fruits are picked by hand at precisely the right moment, ensuring a maximum of latent flavors and aromas in the bean.

Genuine Craftsmanship
Because the new, advanced fermentation method and sun-drying process produce cocoa beans with virtually zero defects or off-flavors, Barry Callebaut’s master craftsmen can go to work with the very finest ingredients to produce potentially the finest chocolate the world has ever seen or tasted. Mild roasting and patient conching produce a truly exquisite chocolate whose texture, aroma, taste and flavors are blended to perfection.

Nicholas Camu, Fermentation Innovation Manager, Barry Callebaut: “We are extremely proud of the achievement Terra Cacao represents. Years of research, experimentation, trial and error have gone into perfecting the fermentation process to generate vastly superior quality cocoa beans in a 100% natural way. Most importantly, Terra Cacao is helping to build a more sustainable future for the cocoa industry. By improving overall quality, local farmers are able to earn better incomes and thus a better livelihood for themselves and their communities.”

Visitors to the Barry Callebaut booth at ISM 2011 in Cologne will be able to witness the sheer pleasure of Terra Cacao chocolate with their own eyes and taste buds. Come and taste the future of chocolate with Barry Callebaut.

ISM, Colgne 30/01 – 02/02/2011 - Hall 10.2, Aisle C No: 010Aisle D No: 019

For more information: www.terracacao.com

***

Barry Callebaut
With annual sales of about CHF 5.2 billion / EUR 3.6 billion / USD 4.9 billion for fiscal year 2009/10, Zurich-based Barry Callebaut is the world’s leading manufacturer of high-quality cocoa and chocolate – from the cocoa bean to the finest finished product. Barry Callebaut is present in 26 countries, operates more than 40 production facilities and employs about 7,500 people. The company serves the entire food industry, from food manufacturers to professional users of chocolate (such as chocolatiers, pastry chefs or bakers), to global retailers. Barry Callebaut is the global leader in cocoa and chocolate innovations and provides a comprehensive range of services in the fields of product development, processing, training and marketing. The company is actively engaged in initiatives and projects that contribute to a more sustainable cocoa supply chain.

***

More on tasting chocolate....

Prof reveals chocolate secrets

By Geoff McMaster, University of Alberta ExpressNews

February 13, 2002 - Most people would probably regard eating chocolate as one of life's supreme pleasures. But it's not everyone who spends the bulk of his time analyzing what takes place when you pop a piece of what the Aztecs called "food of the gods" into your mouth.

Dr. Suresh Narine, however, has built much of his career on it. He studies the physical properties of chocolate and the chemical reactions that occur when it interacts with saliva. Before joining the University of Alberta's Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science about a year ago, Narine worked as a research scientist in New Jersey for M&M Mars, the confectionery giant that makes such products as Snickers and Mars bars.

There is probably no one on campus more qualified to tell you what's going on as you dive into those Valentine treats today.

"I can go into a 10-minute rant about what happens when you eat chocolate," he says. And then the rant begins. First, and not to be underestimated, is the anticipation as you stare at the beautifully wrapped object and imagine what it tastes like. Then you appreciate its shiny appearance, and the satisfying snap as you break it.

"Then when you bite down on it, you start to break its structure, breaking down its fat. So the chocolate yields to you...as you melt it in your saliva it becomes viscous and that flow is very pleasurable to the mouth. It's carefully designed to have a particular viscosity."

The whole process from bite to swallow releases literally hundreds of flavours over a number of seconds, he says. "The wonderful thing about chocolate is the delayed flavour release, and over the course of your first bite into a chocolate bar you're probably getting about 500 different flavours, but you don't get them all at once. It's a cornucopia of senses -- it's really a marvel to unravel the physical processes."

Understanding the complexity of chocolate is vital for Narine's research. He has given a number of presentations on chocolate (in Sweden, the Netherlands and the United States), the physics of which, he says, "blow away scientists working in other areas."

Part of his research involves looking for a substitute for cocoa butter, the sublime ingredient in chocolate. He knows that unless a substitute can do it all, it probably won't cut it on the market, because our senses are "far more acute than any measuring device."

Narine's work contributes to a growing body of research that has begun to reveal the mystery of our love affair with chocolate. The food, which humans have been eating for about a millennia, has been shown to have many surprising benefits. First, it contains anti-oxidants, which help block the damaging effects of oxidation that go on in the body. Second, it has shown to have aphrodisiac properties. Finally, it contains a chemical that affects the brain in much the same way as THC, the active ingredient in marijuana.

This doesn't mean we should all start ingesting massive quantities in order to stave off cancer and feel euphoric, says Narine.

"I wouldn't go out and eat copious amounts of chocolate in order to increase the amount of anti-oxidants in my body -- that's not really how it's supposed to be looked at." But if you like chocolate and are going to eat it anyway, then at least you can rest assured that it's not all bad.

We've included a quick scientific lesson with great images on exactly how we taste. Probably more information than you really want to know but gives you a good grounding on the physiology involved.

Then you get a chance to create your own tasting regimen and practice the art of tasting chocolate. Sometimes it is hard to get all your tasters together in this short time frame but having different palates at the tasting makes it more instructive. Here's why the tasting is important:

  • you'll have an opportunity in a formal setting to taste different chocolates to develop your palate. As with fine wine, it takes a few tastings to develop your ability to discern the qualities of different chocolates.
  • your tasters will have the benefit of an educational experience and give you an idea of the preferences of your target market (if you choose people for the tasting that represent your future customers).
  • you'll create a tasting guide or rating sheet that can be used for tastings given for your customers at a later date. You'll discover what works and what doesn't during this first tasting.

Developing your tasting palate it is a very necessary step in your education. Before you can develop recipes, you have to get your palate educated. For example, Jean-Paul Hévin believes in the importance of tasting for a chocolatier:

"How does Jean-Paul Hévin manage to maintain the consistently high quality of his “black pearls”? He tells us that the secret is “the high-quality ingredients, which I am constantly tasting and sampling. I am just as uncompromising on the subject of where our fine cocoa beans come from (selected mostly in Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia, and Madagascar) as I am about their flavor or color. My job, first and foremost, is that of a taster. I’m not entrusting the responsibility of tasting to anyone else.” Jean-Paul Hévin has developed a number of methods that enable him to “taste” each chocolate to detect the different levels of flavors hidden deep within."

And Chef Mark Miller concurs:

"Chefs need to cook from taste memory, ultimately, and not just cookbooks or recipes. If you want to be a good cook, you need to continually train your palate. The ability to know whether something's right or wrong comes from personal perceptual experience, which requires an understanding of flavors, spices, cooking techniques, flavor combinations and ingredients."

We discuss the Organic and Fair Trade movements in order for you to be aware of the challenges. This is also a good time to talk about traceability. The term "traceability" is used in the general food business and is defined as knowing where and how products are grown and processed. A label might include where the product is from, when it was grown and harvested, as well as freshness dates. Is this something we should embrace in the chocolate industry?

Also in this module, we introduce you to chocolatiers in Europe and North America. We've tried to give you a feel for the flavors and fantasies created by each of the important chocolatiers we've visited.

Important Information on Planning for Assignments 4 and 5

The upcoming Module 4, which is focused on recipe development, is just around the corner so try to have this module's curriculum read by that time. We've scheduled over 5 weeks from the launch of Module 4 to the due date of Assignment 5 so you'll have lots of time for recipe development. You will need that time - so make sure you catch up on all your assignments, study and research for Modules 1 - 3 over the next two weeks.

Finally, in this Module's Technique section is an introduction to decorating chocolates. While you don't have any assignments in this Module that ask you to use these techniques, you need to begin thinking about how you'll decorate your signature chocolates. Set aside some time in your chocolate "laboratory" to experiment with all the different decorating techniques over the next two weeks.

 

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