Chocolate modules – live online tutor-led training course (2 mornings)

Benefits of attending

Chocolate product trends are continuously evolving, influenced by changing consumer preferences, health consciousness, sustainability concerns, and innovation in flavours and formats.

In recent years, cocoa prices have experienced fluctuations, influenced by both increased production and rising demand. Long-term trends indicate increased investment in sustainable and ethical cocoa production practices.

The course is designed to provide an in-depth understanding of the key ingredients used in chocolate manufacture, including cocoa butter alternatives; the key processing steps that transform raw materials into finished products; chocolate applications across a range of food categories; chocolate food safety considerations; sensory and analytical approaches to quality assessment; and the management of product quality, shelf life and common manufacturing challenges.

Who should attend this course? 

Plant Managers, Line Workers, Engineering Teams, Quality Assurance/Control and NPD roles.

The course is delivered live online over the course of two morning (0930 - 1300 hours), participants will be sent log in details for a Microsoft Teams session.

Morning one  – Ingredient technology and first process steps

Understanding the ingredients used in your product and the impact they have on product quality is often the key to achieve reduced costs, resolving quality issues and developing new and innovative products. This ingredient technology module will cover:

• Introduction to chocolate (varieties, taste profiles) and regulatory framework 
• Cocoa butter and it’s alternatives – chemical composition, process, issues, impact on products 
• Cocoa powder  (alkalization, process) 
• Other ingredients: skimmed milk powder, whey protein, sugar, lecithin, PGPR – their role in processing and product quality 
• Chocolate Food Safety aspects
• Conching, refining (Bull mill) 

Morning two – Key processes and product quality parameters, applications, shelf life

Understanding and optimising your process is essential to prevent quality faults, reduce waste and ultimately reduce costs. Product quality faults are a common source of wastage and/or customer complaint when chocolate is used. Using a systematic approach to identify and effectively resolve faults can save time and offers an opportunity to build up in-house knowledge that can be utilised to respond to recurring issues this module will cover:

• Tempering and crystallisation – fats, crystal nucleation, polymorph, tempering; temper -meter/ index; fat crystal maturation and storage
• Applications – enrobing, moulding, panning, co-extrusion, etc 
• Chocolate Sensory Assessment
• Product quality parameters of chocolate - analytical measurements (DSC, texture, rheology) 
• Shelf life (fat bloom, sugar bloom, accelerated shelf, etc)
• Troubleshooting
• Quiz

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course delegates will be able to:

• Describe the key ingredients used in chocolate, including cocoa butter alternatives, and explain their impact on product quality, processing, and performance.
• Explain the fundamental processes in chocolate manufacture, including refining, conching, tempering and crystallisation, and their influence on final product characteristics.
• Recognise the principal food safety hazards associated with chocolate manufacture and understand the controls used to support safe production.
• Identify and assess chocolate quality using sensory evaluation techniques and analytical measurements, including DSC, texture analysis, and rheology.
• Evaluate chocolate applications across different product formats (e.g. bakery, snacks and confectionery) and understand how processing choices affect functionality and quality.
• Identify shelf-life challenges in chocolate and chocolate-containing products, including fat bloom and sugar bloom, and understand approaches used to minimise quality deterioration.
• Apply a systematic approach to troubleshooting chocolate production issues in order to improve quality, reduce waste and support efficient manufacturing practices.
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