Must Read! What is the point in paraffin wax?

garfoid
@garfoid
06/27/17 12:00:03
16 posts

Hey guys! 

I'm just curious as to what parafin wax does. Obviously being a wax, it helps the chocolate to set, well kinda 'forces' it to set around the wax molecules, giving it a higher melting point.

Is wax common in mass chocolate production? I can't find any manufacturer with an ingredient as 'wax' but there are so many claims, I just want to understand why. 

Any help is appreciated! 

Cheers!

Gareth 


updated by @garfoid: 06/29/17 04:21:57
Kerry
@kerry
06/28/17 05:55:34
288 posts

Paraffin was commonly used in home made chocolates when I was a kid to avoid tempering - it is not used in chocolate these days.




--
www.eztemper.com

www.thechocolatedoctor.ca
garfoid
@garfoid
06/28/17 06:15:03
16 posts

Kerry:

Paraffin was commonly used in home made chocolates when I was a kid to avoid tempering - it is not used in chocolate these days.

Thanks for the reply Kerry, what would you say to people who claim that it is in cheaper chocolate bars, especially in hotter climates? 

Clay Gordon
@clay
06/28/17 11:26:45
1,680 posts

garfoid -

In order to get chocolate to set properly (snap and sheen) it needs to be tempered to promote the formation of the right crystal structure.

Hand tempering is a skill that needs to be learned - a process that takes time and practice and not necessarily something that someone who is just making a few of something once a year (or lifetime) wants to master.

One option is to use a compound - a "chocolate" where cocoa butter is replaced by another fat, called a cocoa butter equivalent (or CBE) or cocoa butter replacement (CBR). These fats have higher melting points and are solid at room temperature and they don't need tempering. They are often sold as candy melts. 

However, if you are using real chocolate and don't have the patience or skill to temper, then adding some wax to the chocolate will force it to harden in an acceptable way when it cools.

I took a look through CFR 21. to see if there were any applications where paraffin could be used on a label without disclosing it and I don't see one. There are persistent claims that paraffin is added to cheap chocolates on a regular basis, and don't need to be disclosed because they can be listed as "other flavors" and I don't see that in the regulations regarding paraffin as a food additive.




--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
clay - http://www.thechocolatelife.com/clay/
garfoid
@garfoid
06/29/17 04:20:57
16 posts

- Clay

Thanks so much for that i've had a really hard look and read through it! I appreciate you keeping it simple for me too!

Thaanks alot!

Tags

Member Marketplace


Activity

kapil jain
 
kapil jain
 
kapil jain
 
@kapil-jain • 7 years ago

Chocolatevenue is an online chocolate store in India.We are specialized in customized chocolates  .Chocolates can be customized as chocolate message and chocolate bars.

You can get written your message on chocolates and can get customized your chocolate bars by selecting the desired ingredients.

for more details

 

colorchocolate
 
@colorchocolate • 7 years ago

FOR SALE / BARGAIN / FINE CACAO LIQUOR, COLOMBIA ORIGIN

Enjoy a delicious premium chocolate from the Boyacá region of Colombia, considered among the best in the world. We offer a 200 kilograms lot of pure origin cocoa liquor,  fair trade / ethically sourced. N o other ingredients added.

The price for this high quality product is as follows:

1 kg - US$ 13

100 kg - US$ 12 per kilo

200 kg - US$ 11 per kilo

Inquires: equalcolombia@gmail.com

- See more at: https://www.thechocolatelife.com/colorchocolate#sthash.JFDWYFuK.dpuf

- See more at: https://www.thechocolatelife.com/community/forums/my_posts/18453/fine-cacao-liquor-colombia-origin#sthash.2pUq4Eu3.dpuf

Clay Gordon
 
@clay • 7 years ago

FCIA Recognition of Excellence Nominations close in one week:

Clay Gordon
 
The 4 Chocolatiers
 
@the-4-chocolatiers • 7 years ago

Two changes we made with the chocolate is that this time we winnowed the chocolate. This time we didn't use a blow dryer to melt the chocolate. Two improvements with the chocolate is that the melanger didn't get clogged this time and everyone put in work.