How to distinguish real chocolate from a fake. How to choose real good chocolate: recommendations

Not every one of us probably knows that when buying in a store, he can buy a substitute for it. The main part of these products are simply chocolate confectionery bars, where substitutes or their equivalents are used instead of cocoa butter. And yet, how to distinguish real chocolate from a fake?

One of the most common fake chocolate, is the use of cocoa powder, which is anything but a low quality product. When processing cocoa beans, when the oil is pressed, cake remains, and so cocoa powder is made from this cake. It is used to give hydro fat a brown color.
If you notice the inscription “cocoa-wella” on foreign chocolates, then know that this is “cake”, in principle, this is how it is translated. This cocoa bean husk cannot be used to make chocolate, it is usually used as an additive in cocoa powder.
Other additives are used in the manufacture such as soy. In such cases, the manufacturer must indicate in the title "sweet tiles" or "soy chocolate", and if it is replaced partially, then "chocolate with soy additives". soy has a matte surface, and natural-shiny. They also differ in consistency, natural is hard and rather brittle, and soy is less hard and not brittle.

Prohibited additives are most often used by manufacturers from Turkey, Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe.
When buying, you should pay attention to the label and study the composition of the product. If the label contains such inscriptions as, "vegetable oils", "hydrogenated fats" or "vegetable fats", then know that you came across a sweet tile. Because, real chocolate should not contain food additives (emulsifiers, dyes, odor and taste enhancers, etc.).

Checking how to distinguish real chocolate from a fake

You should also know that, already at a temperature of plus 32 degrees, cocoa butter melts and this can be easily checked. If you, put a piece on the tongue and it began to melt instantly, then you bought real chocolate. But the chocolate mixture, which is based on palm or coconut oil, does not melt in the mouth and in the hands, crumble, just sticks to the teeth and mouth.

But, manufacturers still manage to deceive us. They came up with. And you know why, but because behind dried apricots, nougat, raisins, alcohol or other stuffing, it is easier to hide falsification. Of course, they are struggling with this, in the West, for example, there is a law that prohibits the replacement of more than 5% cocoa butter. But, it is there, but here, manufacturers who made good quality, alas, have moved into the category of second-rate ones.

Well, oh well, let's leave it on the conscience of our manufacturers, but we ourselves must know how to distinguish real chocolate from a fake and distinguish fakes that are offered to us.
Few people probably know that they call it bitter, which contains more than 50% cocoa, and black - which contains about 40% cocoa. And here milk chocolate, which by the way also contains about 35-40% cocoa, it is milky in color, due to milk powder and it is more high-calorie than dark, because it contains milk powder, butter, natural vanilla and powdered sugar.

You know, it seems to me that manufacturers think that we do not know how to distinguish real chocolate from a fake. What is your opinion or are you just reading for yourself? It’s just that if everyone is so silent, then indeed, we will eat everything that is prepared for us ...

In the age of the development of the food industry, which is closely related to the chemical industry, it is possible to replace, probably, any natural product with its artificial counterpart.

Unfortunately, even real chocolate now a rarity. But we can try to protect our consumer rights and find out how to tell real chocolate from a fake, that is, from a simple sweet tile.

Composition of real chocolate

• Real chocolate must necessarily contain cocoa butter. If the presence of cocoa butter is not indicated on the wrapper of the chocolate in the composition of the ingredients, then this is a simple sweet bar, not chocolate at all.
• Often cocoa butter (it is obtained from cocoa beans) in order to save on costs, manufacturers replace it with equivalents. Cocoa butter equivalents: palm oil (coconut oil is mixed with cocoa liquor) and a synthetic substitute based on lauric acid (chocolate substitute is mixed with cocoa powder) Palm oil melts at +30°C, real chocolate melts at +31°C, the lauric acid substitute melts even at +35°C.
• In the composition of real chocolate, you should not see such components as a substitute and an equivalent.
• Lecithin in chocolate is normal, it reduces the viscosity of the chocolate mass.

But not all chocolate manufacturers are honest and sometimes indicate “cocoa butter” in the composition of chocolate products when it is not there at all.

You can recognize a fake from real chocolate even by appearance. High-quality real chocolate has a glossy surface and without any bubbles. The matte surface of the chocolate bar indicates the replacement of cocoa butter with its equivalent. At the break point, real chocolate should have a matte color.

Fake chocolate, simply put, is a sweet bar, it does not melt in the hands, and when it (more precisely, it) is broken, it crumbles, but real chocolate makes a ringing sound like a crunch when broken. Real chocolate is dark and bitter. The melting point of cocoa butter is +32°C, so real chocolate immediately melts in your mouth. Poor-quality chocolate does not melt immediately and leaves a characteristic greasy aftertaste after it.

On the packaging of a chocolate bar, the ingredients that make up the composition are strictly in descending order, so even without indicating the percentage of components, you can understand what is more in this chocolate - cocoa products or their substitutes and various additives.

Often, artificial, fake, fake chocolate is used in the production of chocolates or chocolates with various fillings: raisins, nuts, dried apricots, nougat, fruit fillings, etc.

The highest quality chocolate is bitter, without the addition of milk, oils and fats. Cocoa beans in such chocolate contain from 60 to 99 percent. This chocolate has very few calories.

Everyone loves good chocolate. It is difficult to find those who are indifferent to this product in the same way as real high-quality chocolate. In order for a treat to bring not only pleasure, but also benefit, you need to be able to choose the right product. How to do it? Read our article.

Useful properties of chocolate

Many people know that chocolate in reasonable quantities can have a beneficial effect on the entire body. Just what is its usefulness is already a big question for many. Indeed, good quality chocolate can not only give moments of enjoyment of taste, but also rejuvenate the body.

The most important advantage of chocolate is that it is included in the top three products with strong antioxidant properties, and this is not only long-term youth, but also life extension. This quality applies only to dark chocolate. The ability to cleanse the body of toxins and cholesterol appeared in this product due to the high content of flavonoids. If you eat dark chocolate every day, you can significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Many people say that after eating a piece of chocolate, their mood improves. This is due to the fact that this product contains a huge amount of tryptophan, which contributes to the release of serotonin, and this is a direct effect on endorphins (happiness hormones). Therefore, in order to distract from problems and save a large number of nerve cells, it is worth eating a slice of black delicacy at least once every couple of days.

Chocolate with milk - loss of antioxidant properties

Anyone who wants to cleanse the body of accumulated toxins with the help of chocolate should remember that only good dark chocolate is an antioxidant. Even the smallest amount of milk in the composition of this product will make it completely useless in this regard.

Also, do not drink tea or coffee with milk when you eat dark chocolate. Milk can be drunk only after a couple of hours to avoid mixing it with antioxidants.

The first criterion for choosing chocolate is the price

Don't skimp when buying treats. Good chocolate cannot be cheap, so always pay attention to the price tag first, and only then proceed to study the composition.

The high price of a product is the first indicator of the quality of the raw materials from which it was made. Cocoa beans and cocoa butter are not a cheap pleasure, and therefore the cost of the finished product is high. It is not necessary to choose only imported chocolate, guided by a large number of numbers on its price tag, unlike domestic products. Many Russian producers produce truly high-quality products, and the price for such chocolate will be much lower than for foreign-made goods.

Choosing the best chocolate by composition

In order to benefit from chocolate, and not harm the body, you need to carefully study what is written on the back of the package - the composition of the product. Which chocolate is better determines the order of writing the products used to make it.

1. In the first place should be chocolate mass, which includes grated cocoa, cocoa butter, cocoa powder, cocoa beans.
2. Not all manufacturers add soy lecithin; its presence in a small amount does not harm the quality of the product.
3. Sweeteners or sweeteners.
4. Cinnamon.
5. Vanilla.
6. Dried fruits or nuts.
7. Herbs and spices (cardamom, mint, chili and others).

This is an optional list, the composition can be limited to the first paragraph. But if you prefer good chocolate with additives, then writing the contents should be in that order.

If soy lecithin, sugar, milk powder, cocoa butter substitutes, vegetable and milk fats are in the first place, then this means that the product is not real chocolate, and you can’t buy it!

soy lecithin

If you are really interested in what kind of chocolate is the best, then you need to know about soy lecithin. This ingredient is not dangerous, but it does not bring benefits either. Some manufacturers add it only in order to reduce the cost of the produced chocolate, partially or completely replacing cocoa butter with it.

If soy lecithin is on the product composition list after cocoa butter, then its content is minimal. If this cheap substitute is in the forefront with cocoa powder, then you can safely leave it on the store shelf (if you choose high-quality elite chocolate).

Also, some manufacturers add soy lecithin to hide the presence of a large amount of powder added instead of grated cocoa. Cocoa powder is a production waste that does not have any useful properties, like lecithin.

For the budget line, a high content of cocoa powder and soy lecithin is considered the norm, but for elite varieties it is completely unacceptable.

What should not be in good chocolate?

It is not enough to know what should be in your favorite treat. It is also necessary to take into account the ingredients that are unacceptable for the composition of the product. This applies not only to expensive chocolates, but also to budget ones. The following content can be harmful to health:

• vegetable fat or margarine;
• palm or coconut oil (substitutes for cocoa butter and soy lecithin);
• baking powder, flour;
• syrup;
• non-natural dyes and flavors;
• water-retaining agents, stabilizers.

Also, do not choose chocolate with fillers. Good chocolate will never be filled with jelly, jam and other fillings. Some manufacturers add cognac to the composition, which may (not necessarily) indicate a low quality product. The taste and smell of alcohol is able to interrupt and mask the unpleasant aftertaste of chemical additives. When buying a chocolate bar with cognac, choose only expensive brands.

Visual quality assessment

Many people, having found a white coating on a purchased chocolate bar, rush to throw it away or take it back to the store in order to return the money for the damaged product. This should not be done, since "gray hair" appears only on high-quality chocolate.

When breaking the tile, pay attention to the sound. Good chocolate should crunch, and when the slices are tapped against each other, there should be a pleasant ringing, not a thud. After the tile is broken, take a look at the cut: there should be no chipping or obvious irregularities.

Real chocolate will begin to melt quickly in your hands, as this happens already at 32 degrees. And this temperature is lower than that of the human body. The slice should melt slowly in your mouth. If the aftertaste has a slightly chilling note, and in the mouth there is a sensation not of a thick mixture, but of a liquid one, then the chocolate contains palm or other harmful oils, and not from cocoa. A quality product will be viscous when dissolved in the mouth, pleasant and warm.

To determine the presence of vegetable fats in the composition, you need to lower a piece of chocolate into milk. If there are no such components, the slice will sink, and if there are, then it will float on the surface.

Chocolate for those on a diet

It is generally accepted that losing weight should not eat sweets. This is true, but real dark chocolate will not harm the figure if it is consumed in the right quantities.

The best dark chocolate contains at least 56% cocoa. This product should not contain sugar. To enjoy the product and protect the waist from unwanted centimeters, you can eat up to 25 grams of such a product per day. If the composition contains even a small amount of sugar, then you will have to limit yourself to fifteen grams.

It is also worth eating chocolate at the right time so as not to harm the figure. It is advisable to eat it before four in the afternoon, and preferably before lunch.

How long should real chocolate be stored?

Real chocolate should be stored in a refrigerator or a cool dark place, because only with proper storage standards can we talk about the timing. If all requirements are met, then the tile is considered good from the date of production for a period of three to eighteen months. This period must be written on the packaging by the manufacturer, and in no case should you eat the product after the expiration date.

If the manufacturer wrote that within 24 months from the date of manufacture, you can use this product, then you should not be skeptical about this period, and suspect the manufacturer of adding preservatives. Stable cocoa butter crystals can extend the life of a chocolate bar without the addition of harmful chemicals.

Russian chocolate: good quality

Choosing from several products, it is difficult to stop looking at any particular one. Many, in order not to waste time and rack their brains, remove the most expensive imported product from the shelf, which is not worth doing. The fact is that foreign goods, which are more expensive than Russian ones, may be worse in quality. We reviewed the compositions of chocolate from well-known Russian manufacturers, read a lot of reviews about their products. Focusing on the information received, we compiled a list of reliable manufacturers of a delicacy loved by many. So, the best Russian chocolate is represented by:

• "Loyalty to quality".
• "Russia".
• "Victory of Taste"
• "Babaevsky".
• "Bogatyr".
• "Odintsovo confectionery factory".
• "Russian chocolate".
• "Red October".

All these manufacturers produce truly high-quality chocolate products.

When buying chocolate, do not look at the bright packaging, it was created only to attract the eye. When choosing, use the tips prescribed in this article, and get a quality product that will bring a lot of pleasure and benefit!

WHAT SHOULD GOOD CHOCOLATE LOOK LIKE? How to find out if the ingredients in its composition are natural?
How to understand what chocolate icing is made of? For example glazed curds. One manufacturer puts in a good oil, while another adds a substitute. How not to overpay for chocolate, but choose high-quality and tasty? What distinguishes quality chocolate from a fake.

Our pleasure when we taste this product is influenced by the excellent quality of the product, at the moment a chocolate bar. You take a bar of chocolate in your hands, hold it in your hand for a while and begin to slowly unfold it. You inhale the smell and already mentally taste its slightly bitter taste. After a cup of coffee with such a delicious piece of chocolate melting on the tongue, the mood rises, positive flows into the body.

We choose chocolate. Usually chocolate bars are properly packaged in manufacturer's branded wrappers. Having unfolded the tile, we carefully examine the tile. In high-quality chocolate, the surface of the bar is smooth, pleasing to the eye.

Spots, cracks, discoloration, turbidity on the surface of the tile will tell about improper storage of the product (conditions, fluctuations in air temperature, humidity).
A grayish coating (turned gray) speaks of the "old" age of chocolate - the expiration date has passed.

Let's try to break off a piece of chocolate from a bar. High-quality chocolate breaks with a sharp clicking sound and will not crumble or bend, indicating poor quality and overexposed shelf life.

Chocolate has the ability to absorb odors. Therefore, some "small entrepreneurs" with a hidden conscience put the expired product in a closed container (bag) along with a bag of coffee beans and vanilla. When shopping for chocolate, make sure it doesn't give off strong coffee, vanilla, cinnamon, flavored tea smells, even when wrapped. Although, usually for such "procedures" chocolate is taken out of the package.

A large assortment of chocolate is influenced by the food industry itself, which produces many varieties of chocolate.

In dark chocolate (bitter) there are only two main components: cocoa mass and cocoa butter.
Plus three additional components: emulsifier, flavor, sugar.

There are three main components in milk chocolate: cocoa mass, cocoa butter and milk powder.
Plus three additional components: sugar, emulsifier, flavoring.

If vegetable fat is introduced into the chocolate recipe, then our wonderful product is transferred to the category
"sweet tile".

White chocolate does not contain cocoa liquor.

If the recipe contains vegetable fat, cocoa powder, which is a waste product after the processing of cocoa beans, and in addition with an overestimated percentage, for example, over 4%. Naturally, such chocolate will not apply to natural ones.

Real chocolate hides in the hand, fake - no.
Throw a piece of chocolate into a cup of milk. High-quality, real chocolate will sink, fake will float.
Let's cool the chocolate bar. Then hold in a warm place (above the stove). There will be a sharp temperature drop. Real chocolate will be covered with sivin - small drops of cocoa butter.

Between the quality of chocolate and the price there is a large "amplitude of fluctuation". High-quality chocolate, which has cocoa butter and cocoa liquor in its recipe, is much more expensive than chocolate with all sorts of additives and replacing cocoa butter with other fats.

Glazed curds are a separate and big issue. I will say one thing: I have never bought industrial products from cottage cheese for my children. All tasty treats were prepared at home from natural products.

www.foodtest.ru

Dairy products must always be accompanied by a certificate
indicating the ingredients used for the manufacture of products and the manufacturer. As for chocolate. The composition of the recipe is indicated on the wrapping design of the chocolate, and the release date and expiration date are also indicated there.

Chocolate is one of the most common and beloved desserts. Now there are quite a few varieties of chocolate (dark, bitter, white, milk, with or without filling ...), but the most valuable is real dark chocolate, which has found the widest application in cooking. That delicious tart taste that delicious tiles are endowed with is what pairs perfectly with many desserts and more. It is because of its unique taste that it is often used in the kitchen. However, chocolate can be an ideal addition to anything only on one condition if it is natural. What kind of chocolate is real? We learn about it from the article.

Be sure to pay attention to the following signs of real chocolate:

• Ingredients on the package. Read carefully what is written about the content. The composition of a natural product should not contain such components as:

Oil: soybean, sunflower, palm, cottonseed,

cocoa butter substitute,

Cocoa powder, which is made from the pomace of cocoa beans (that is, from beans without oil, since it is already pressed),

Vegetable fats,

Flavorings.

In real chocolate, the first thing that is included in its composition is cocoa butter, which should be written on its beautiful, high-quality and attractive packaging.

• Shelf life. Chocolate, which is natural, can be stored for about six months, but no more than eight months. A longer expiration date on the package indicates that you have an unnatural product that contains preservatives and antioxidants.
• Taste. Even when the composition of the product is not in doubt, it is still worth checking the natural taste of chocolate, since not all manufacturers conscientiously declare the contents. Real chocolate is different from its not-so-natural counterparts, you can tell by its taste and the way it melts on your tongue. Real tiles melt nicely in your mouth, you don’t have to chew them or chew them for hours, which indicates the content of additives and substitutes in the product.
• The sound of breaking tiles. If you break a bar of bitter natural chocolate, then you should hear a corresponding crunch, which is not created by a confectionery bar, which is less hard in consistency.
• Ability and speed of melting. If you want to make real hot chocolate, then you can easily determine what kind of product is in front of you. Confectionery tiles will not be able to melt in the "bath" as you would like. You will not be able to get a real hot drink from non-natural tiles, since such “chocolate” does not melt properly: it curls up, sticks to the surface of the dish and does not become a uniform thick consistency.
• Tile surface. If you buy chocolate by weight, without knowing for sure about its composition, pay attention to its surface, which should be smooth, shiny and even, without any deposits and suspicious color. For fakes that contain protein or soy products, the surface of the tile will be lighter and matte, as if it had been sanded before wrapping.
• Price. If the chocolate is suspiciously inexpensive, then the likelihood of its authenticity is unlikely (with the exception of pre-holiday promotions or advertising). You must understand that the composition of real chocolate cannot reduce its cost, since natural ingredients have a corresponding price.

That's all the main features of real chocolate, knowing about which you can enjoy this delicious product and its unique property to cheer you up.

We wish you never to be mistaken, choosing everything only the best!