Baking & Snack - May 2018 - 64

CHOCOLATE

What real chocolate
offers in decadence,
compounds make up
for in flexibility
and creativity.
Cargill

to undergo a
process of tempering to ensure a
nice shine and snap,"
said Jessica Blondeel,
product manager for chocolate, Puratos Corp. "Tempering
requires special labor or specific equipment, which is
why real chocolate is not suited for every company to
use. Since compound chocolate contains vegetable fats
instead of cocoa butter, it does not need any tempering
and can simply be melted and applied."
Chocolate and compounds are processed differently,
and this can impact sensory attributes.
"Real chocolate should be processed on a high-end,
five-roll refiner to reduce the particle size and eliminate
any grittiness," Ms. Blondeel said.
In general, compounds are much more adaptable to
baked goods and snack foods. That's because there's less
limitation on added ingredients, and they can be designed for better compatibility with the product's composition. This includes delivering a more intense flavor.
The standards of identity, for example, limit the flavoring ingredients that can be added to real chocolate.
Allowed ingredients include spices, natural and artificial flavorings, ground whole nut meats, ground coffee,
dried malted cereal extract and salt. Also included are
other seasonings that do not either singly, or in combination, impart a flavor that imitates the flavor of chocolate, milk or butter.
"Unlike chocolate, compounds may also contain flavors to enhance the chocolate or dairy flavor," Mr. Freed
said. "Such flavors are not allowed in real chocolate."

New tastes and functions
Beyond chocolate and compounds, there's a non-regulated category of ingredients generically referred to as
fabricated particulates. Within this category, there are fatbased ingredients designed to resemble compounds without the required cocoa or chocolate liquor content. These

64 Baking & Snack May 2018 / www.bakingandsnack.com

ingredients provide the most flexibility in terms of innovation.
"Our lipid-based inclusions
go beyond chocolate," said Andrew Hart, technical sales manager for encapsulates and inclusions,
SensoryEffects, a Balchem company. "They are designed
to add a burst of flavor and visual appeal into any bakery
item, whether it be a chocolate hazelnut-flavored inclusion
in a muffin or a caramel chocolate piece for snack bars."
Unlike chocolate, compounds and inclusions may be
colored. This not only helps convey the added flavor, but
also creates the opportunity for seasonal and limitededition innovations, such as red and green chips for
Christmas or blue ones for Hanukkah.
"Inclusions allow for drop-in versatility when developing new products," Mr. Hart said. "They are ideal
for limited-time offerings and short development turnarounds. They can be custom designed to fit your flavor,
color and ingredient statement needs, something that
chocolate cannot do."

Making the choice
When choosing between real or compound ingredients, bakers need to consider many factors. In general, compounds are less expensive than real chocolate because cocoa butter is a premium-priced fat.
However, with gourmet and artisan products, price
may not be a factor.
"The main criteria to focus on when deciding between compound and pure chocolate are application,
flavor, brand focus, supply chain/region and price," Mr.
Freed said. "There are certain applications in which a
compound will outperform a chocolate and vice versa.
A cookie with a chocolatey filling that is stringy when
pulled apart, for example, will be more successful with
a softer compound filling. For flavor, compounds tend
to be sweet and may take away from the flavor balance
of the finished product. In this case, a bitter semi-sweet
chocolate would be more successful."
Fatemeh Khadem, cocoa and chocolate, senior technical services manager at Cargill, said bakers need to
identify the type of experience they want to create. If
it is a unique flavor or color, compounds may be the
best choice for creative flexibility. If it is a decadent,

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