Why Choose Food Research Lab's FRL as Your Food Product Development (FPD) Consultant and Partner?

There are several options in almost every product area in today’s market, and the difficulty is in coming up with unique items that stand out and connect with customers. Food Research Lab's Food Research Lab (FRL) takes a holistic approach to creating food and beverage products. We define, demographically target, and build effective goods through a sequential process for category selection and comprehension. The client can visit the lab to learn the process. We offer unlimited rounds of revisions to ensure customer satisfaction. The final product prototype, along with the documentation process, including the video (through email), will be shipped to the client, and in case the client is not satisfied with the video, a food technology consultant will visit the place for the product demo at the client’s costs.

What are the different forms that you deliver the Food Product Formulations?

The food industry is witnessing a new form of consumption. Keeping that in mind, we can formulate the products in the form of ready-to-eat, ready-to-drink, ready-to-mix, ready-to-serve, and ready-to-cook food products. We use ingredients that offer an added value to the development and improve its indulgence and sustainability in terms of its functional ingredients, plant-based food dyes, and natural preservatives with a clean label.

What are the sectors Food Research Lab cover?

We cover a wide range of sectors such as soups, sauces and dips, chips, tortillas, dry beverage powder, plant-based products, masalas, puddings, instant mixes and many more.

How is sensory testing been carried out?

Our sensory examination leads to the precise formulation and recipe recommendations. We develop data-driven design models based on sensory research and customer insights. The fact-based design methodology used by Food Research Lab reduces risk and gives our clients market confidence while cutting development time in half. With our dedicated sensory lab facility, our team takes satisfaction in creating and optimizing successful products in the marketplace, generating a favourable return on investment, and developing brand advocates.

How to make Chocolate - Cacao Bean to Chocolate

08 Aug

How to make Chocolate: from Cacao Bean to Chocolate

by Food Research Lab

in What Science Can Do

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1. Cleaning

The method of manufacturing chocolate begins with passing cocoa beans through a machine that eliminates dried cocoa pulp, bits of the pod, and other foreign matter. The beans are weighed and mixed according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

2. Roasting

The beans are roasted in substantial rotating cylinders to bring out the distinctive chocolate fragrance. Depending on the bean type and desired final result, roasting takes 30 minutes to two hours at 250 degrees Fahrenheit or more. The beans’ moisture level decreases as they are turned over and over, their colour changes to a rich brown, and the distinctive scent of chocolate emerges.

3. Shell removal

The cocoa beans are immediately chilled, and their thin shells are removed, which have grown brittle due to roasting. A massive winnowing machine that cracks rather than crushes the beans by passing them between serrated cones. A succession of mechanical sieves separates the shattered pieces into big and tiny grains, while fans blast away the thin, light shell from the flesh, called “nibs,” during the process.

4. Grinding

The nibs contain around 53% cocoa butter, are then milled and crushed into a cocoa paste between huge grinding stones or heavy steel discs. After applying hydraulic pressure to the paste, the cocoa butter that emerges is pure and precious fat with a distinct scent; after filtering and purifying, it resembles regular butter.

5. Separation

To produce cocoa powder, follow these steps. When chocolate liquid is pushed into hydraulic presses weighing up to 25 tonnes, 80 per cent of the cocoa butter is extracted. The fat drains as a yellow liquid through metallic screens and is collected for use in chocolate production. Unique among vegetable fats, cocoa butter, is a solid at room temperature and melts at 89 to 93 degrees Fahrenheit, Slightly below body temperature. Cocoa butter may be stored for years without deteriorating if stored properly.

6. Final process

Heat, Cool, and Reheat is used to temper chocolate. This thickens the chocolate while also providing the necessary flow characteristics for filling the moulds. This complex process is carried out at the tempering plant and is required to give the final chocolate product a delicate composition, a consistent structure, and a well-rounded flavour. In this approach, the storage life is also extended.