Types of chocolate
There are several types of chocolate, classified primarily according to the proportion of cocoa and fat content used in a particular formulation.
Dark chocolate can be eaten as is, or used in cooking, for which thicker baking bars, usually with high cocoa percentages ranging from 70% to 100%, are sold.
[2] "Semi-sweet chocolate" includes more sugar, resulting in a somewhat sweeter confection, but the two are largely interchangeable in baking.
As of 2017[update], there is no high-quality evidence that dark chocolate affects blood pressure significantly or provides other health benefits.
It is pale ivory colored, and lacks many of the compounds found in milk and dark chocolates.
[8] As a bar, gianduja resembles regular chocolate, excepting the fact that it is significantly softer due to the presence of hazelnut oil.
Couverture chocolate is used by professionals for dipping, coating, molding and garnishing ('couverture' means 'covering' in French).
Popular brands of couverture chocolate used by pastry chefs include: Valrhona, Lindt & Sprüngli, Scharffen Berger, Callebaut, and Guittard.
[18] Belgian chocolate, according to academic Kristy Leissle, does not denote flavor or texture, but refers to bonbons.
[20] The only sweetening agents permitted in chocolate in Canada are listed in Division 18 of the Food and Drug Regulations.
[21] Artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, sucralose, acesulfame potassium, and sugar alcohols (sorbitol, maltitol, etc.)
[20] There has been disagreement in the EU about the definition of chocolate; this dispute covers several issues, including the types of fat and the quantity of cocoa used.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates the naming and ingredients of cocoa products:[24][25] Semisweet and bittersweet are terms traditionally used in the United States to indicate the amount of added sugar in dark chocolate.
[27] In March 2007, the Chocolate Manufacturers Association, whose members include Hershey's, Nestlé, and Archer Daniels Midland, began lobbying the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to change the legal definition of chocolate to allow the substitution of "safe and suitable vegetable fats and oils" (including partially hydrogenated vegetable oils) for cocoa butter in addition to using "any sweetening agent" (including artificial sweeteners) and milk substitutes.
[29] To work around this restriction, products with cocoa substitutes are often branded or labeled as "chocolatey" or "made with chocolate".
