Baking & Snack - August 2015 - 98

CHOCOLATE, COCOA

Sensory testing is
recommended at shelf
life limits to determine
the quality of the
stored ingredients.

Mondelez invests in the 'cocoa life'

excellent readouts that are easy to interpret."
Baked items that use chocolate as an inclusion are not
impacted as greatly by temper. Essentially, the temper of
the chocolate chip, chunk or drop is lost during baking.
"Because of this, a baker can, in some cases, get away
with using bloomed chips in a baked application," Ms.
Eno said. "That is why proper cooling is so critical to
prevent bloom after baking."

Troubleshooting tips
Regardless of preparation and monitoring, problems
are inevitable. A good plan for troubleshooting can help
pinpoint the cause and develop a solution.
"There are ways to resolve issues when problems occur
with chocolate, but it really depends on what the problem is
and determining the appropriate solution to be implemented," Ms. Eno said. "Once the true issue is assessed, corrective and revised handling protocols can be changed."
One example could be chocolate chip bloom within a
cookie, which is generally caused by improper cooling of
the cookies after baking. Adapting the cooling process
could solve the issue.
Ms. Kidd recommended a solid understanding of the
processing line as the foundation for troubleshooting.
After ensuring that the product is in good temper, a baker can begin investigating line conditions that impact
the product after the application of chocolate.
"Data loggers are great," Ms. Kidd said. "We recommend one that measures humidity as well as temperature. You can run them through your cooling tunnel to
check the cooling profile or even package them up with
the product to get a perspective on storage and distribution conditions. And always remember to check your
airflow and blowers in the cooling tunnel to ensure cool,
tempered air is pumping through."
It all adds up to better, more efficient ways to store
and use chocolate, and with cocoa supply questions flying around, it's never a bad time for bakers to be on top
of their game.

Find resources for chocolate by visiting
www.esourcebaking.com. Browse by category under
Ingredients, and click on Characterizing for listings.

98 Baking & Snack August 2015 / www.bakingandsnack.com

More than most crops, cocoa's future depends on sustainability programs today.
It's always been subject to uncertain cultivation practices, environmental dangers
and crop disease. Yet consumers around
the world demand ever more chocolate
products.
Knowing that local conditions - farming practices and community support
- are paramount to cocoa's future,
Mondelez International, Deerfield, IL,
launched Cocoa Life, a $400 million program to aid more than 100 communities
in Indonesia. This country ranks as the
world's third largest cocoa producer and
the largest in Asia.
Cocoa Life is now fully operational.
By the end of 2015, Cocoa Life will have
trained 8,000 farmers in agricultural and
business skills to help improve cocoa
yields, protect the environment and boost
farm incomes. By 2022, the program plans
to train 50,000 farmers, which will benefit about 200,000 people in local communities. Cocoa Life includes initiatives
promoting women's empowerment and
education for children through a partnership with Save the Children.
"Cocoa Life is taking root in Indonesia
because it's focused on farmers," said
Andi Sitti Asmayanti, director of Cocoa
Life for Southeast Asia.
The program is already seeing results in Indonesia. Two years ago, many
farmers had abandoned cocoa for other
cash crops as yields declined. Existing
cocoa trees were aging, and there wasn't
enough infrastructure to support new
plantings. Cocoa Life partnered with the
Indonesian Coffee and Cocoa Research
Institute, Cargill and Olam to offer farmer
training, supplies and a new nursery to
aid the continuing cultivation of cocoa and
significantly boost crop yields.
Mondelez International developed the
Cocoa Life program with the goal of sustainably sourcing all the company's cocoa
supply. Its partnerships involve farmers,
NGOs, suppliers and government institutions. The company charts the program's
progress at www.cocoalife.org.

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Baking & Snack - August 2015

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