White chocolate
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Bar of white chocolate containing pieces of rose petals
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| Details | |
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| Type | Chocolate |
| Main ingredient(s) | Cocoa butter, sugar, milk solids |
White chocolate is a chocolate derivative. It commonly consists of cocoa butter, sugar and milk solids and is characterized by a pale yellow or ivory appearance. The melting point of cocoa butter, its primary cocoa bean component, is high enough to keep white chocolate solid at room temperature.
Composition
White chocolate is not chocolate in the strict sense as it does not contain cocoa solids, the primary nutritional constituent of chocolate liquor.[1] During the manufacturing process, the dark-colored solids of the cocoa bean are separated from its fatty content (as with milk, semi-sweet, and dark chocolate) but, unlike conventional chocolates, the cocoa solids are not later recombined. As a result, white chocolate contains only trace amounts of the stimulants theobromine and caffeine,[2] while lacking the antioxidant properties or many characterizing ingredients of chocolate, such as thiamine, riboflavin, and phenylethylamine.[3] Often, the cocoa butter is deodorized to remove its strong flavor.[4] If prime pressed cocoa butter is used, it has natural anti-oxidant (vitamin E), but if deodorized it has none, as the deodorizing is a steam stripping step, often at 180 °C (356 °F).[citation needed]
White chocolate may include additional flavorings. Vanilla is a common additive.[5]
Some preparations known as confectioner's coating or summer coating may be confused with white chocolate, but are made from inexpensive solid or hydrogenated vegetable and animal fats, and are not at all derived from cocoa. These preparations may actually be white (in contrast to white chocolate's ivory shade[4]) and will lack cocoa butter's flavor.
Regulations
Regulations govern what may be marketed as "white chocolate": In the United States, since 2004, white chocolate must be (by weight) at least 20% cocoa butter, 14% total milk solids, and 3.5% milk fat, and no more than 55% sugar or other sweeteners.[6] Before this date, American firms required temporary marketing permits to sell white chocolate. The European Union has adopted the same standards, except that there is no limit on sugar or sweeteners.[7]
History
In the 1930s, the white chocolate Milkybar was launched in Europe by Swiss company Nestlé.[8]
In North America, Kuno Baedeker developed a white chocolate while working for the Merckens Chocolate Company in 1945.[9]
See also
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to White chocolate. |
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