Master Chocolatier Program: Quality Assurance & Keeping Limits for Chocolatiers

The Quality Assurance & Keeping Limits for Chocolatiers program is all about science – the science of producing a quality product, handling and storing it properly and knowing its keeping limits.

When I set out to write this program, I knew I wasn't a food scientist and needed the help of those who are. I was delighted when Dr. William Dantzer PhD agreed to contribute lectures to the curriculum. He lives in Belgium and had all that great chocolate to inspire him.

What differentiates this program from other food quality assurance books, programs and classes? We concentrate solely on chocolate and the centers (fillings) we chocolatiers put inside the bonbons and confections.

What we found as we started researching for the curriculum is that while there is lots of general food science information, there's not much that is specific to chocolate and nothing on the centers we enrobe in chocolate. Confirming my findings started me down this road three years ago. We had to determine just what is important for a chocolate maker to know, and after much research, we've had a very educational experience and now offer the same experience to you.

I gave Dr. Dantzer 11 master recipes, pictures of a typical chocolatier production facility and common ingredients we use in making chocolate centers. With those, he was able to focus all his research and lectures on our specific needs as chocolatiers. You'll note that even the HACCP and GMP lectures have additional comments on what we need and don't need in the way of processes and reporting.

At the end of all that research, Dr. Dantzer and I determined that what was lacking was definitive information on bonbon- and confection-keeping limits backed up by controlled storage studies. We found in our research that published studies on this topic don't exist. We assume that companies have done their testing on their own recipes which are confidential and not in the published literature. It seems that no one has independently studied a range of popular confection recipes to determine their keeping limits – until now!

So I contracted with the University of British Columbia Land and Food Systems Faculty's Food Information Service (FIS) to make and test each of the 11 master recipes and do a scientific storage test on them over a six-week period. This important information gives you a starting point from which to determine your own keeping limits. I also asked both Dr. Dantzer and FIS to give us information for each recipe on which ingredients reduce or extend shelf life – as well as any other recommendations that came out of the research.

"Yes, this course is full of information, much more than I could have imagined. I didn't know what to expect because I knew there was so much info I needed to know. However, this was exceptional." Linda, Sept. 08 Graduate

"Many different issues got cleared up for me in my studying this subject. . . Actually, I was surprised to see that there really are a tremendous number of important points and practices necessary to produce a top quality product." Alex, Jan. 08 Graduate

"This module exceeds my expectations; this compilation is an excellent set of reference materials for both learning and using as a reference guide. The calibre and broad range of information and resources included in the Quality Assurance and Keeping Limits Program is indicative of Ecole Chocolat's commitment to training and supporting the artisan chocolate maker." Graduate, Sept. 2007 

The length of the Quality Assurance & Keeping Limits for Chocolatiers program is six weeks. There are two grading modes in this program to enable us to test your knowledge of quality assurance concepts and practical realities. What I am hoping is that everyone will take this time while you are in the program (and have invested your hard-earned money) to really learn and think about quality assurance for your facility and business.

Research and discussion assignments that make up your Participation Grade – 50 points

There are no right or wrong answers on any of the assignments. You'll be graded on your participation only with full points for complete and 0 points for incomplete.

Exam: Quality assurance proficiency – 50 points

The exam will ask questions taken from the program curriculum. Questions will only be taken from lectures, research, case examples or information pages. The exam uses true/false or multiple choice questions to assess your knowledge of the curriculum.

About the Curriculum

The Quality Assurance & Keeping Limits for Chocolatiers program curriculum tackles three different topics:

Quality Assurance

Topics: HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points), GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices), Sanitation and Food Safety. The curriculum in Module 2 is all about you protecting your plant and people from introducing food-borne illness or spoilage factors into your product at the elementary level. In our research, we found out that HACCP isn't required for a typical chocolate-making facility but that being said, you need to understand the principles of food safety and be able to identify the critical control points in your production setup. We also discuss labeling requirements for both North America and Europe. The old trite saying is very true: "It's better to be safe than sorry". Just one bad chocolate can lose a customer as well as all their network of friends and family. Starting right is the first step.

Safety and Production

Topics: chocolate and ingredient science, recipe development and production techniques. There is a lesson on chocolate science for those of you who have never studied its chemistry as well as information on the common ingredients and their keeping limits. This Module will familiarize you with all the ingredients and help you to understand their limitations and advantages in any of the recipes you make. Dr. Dantzer also researched the common things that can go wrong with chocolate bonbon and confections in storage situations.

Shelf Life of Bonbons and Confections

Topics: shelf life issues, master recipes with study results and keeping-limit recommendations and the role of preservatives. This is where concepts meet reality. We discuss water activity and its importance in determining keeping limits. I found that this simple measure is easy to understand and definitely helps illustrate the reason "why" marshmallow keeps a heck of a lot longer than ganache. You have access to 11 different recipes and their "official" keeping limits to help you determine your own recipe's shelf life. We also look at preservatives – while I know most of you are adverse to using them, you do need to be aware of their advantages and disadvantages.

Ecole Chocolat Graduate Advantage

Regular registration fee for the program is $340.00 US. As a graduate of the Ecole Chocolat Professional Chocolatier Program, you receive a discounted registration fee for the Quality Assurance & Keeping Limits for Chocolatiers Program. There are a few overlapping lectures in the chocolate and ingredient chemistry sections of the curriculum so we felt it was appropriate to offer a discount. We schedule sessions of the program to start in January and September (we skip late Spring/Summer as temperatures can be problematic for the standing study).