Why Emulsify?

Have you ever noticed that many chocolate bars contain an emulsifier? 

Emulsifiers are used to bring two liquids together that wouldn’t normally combine.  For example, an evenly-mixed balsamic vinaigrette.  You can easily discern if a balsamic vinaigrette underwent emulsification if the oil and vinegar separate in the bottle.  Other common ‘emulsions’ in food are milk (mixture of milkfat and water), and mayonaise, (mixture of egg white, oil, and lemon or vinegar).

In chocolate, emulsifiers are used to add more milkfat or cocoa butter to the cocoa.  Emulsification in chocolate can also prolong the time it takes a bar to bloom, (a process in which the cocoa butter or fat separates from the chocolate and forms a wax-like film on the outside of the bar).  Although fats such as cocoa butter can adhere to cocoa particles, an added emulsifier is more efficient and increases smoothness and shelf life.



What are the most common emulsifiers used in chocolate?

Soy lecithin

Lecithin is an emulsifier that can be extracted from soy beans, eggs, milk, marine sources, rapeseed, cottonseed, and sunflower.  According to the FDA, it is “generally recognized as safe” and is approved for consumption. The most common lecithin used in making chocolate comes from soy.



PGPR (Polyglycerol polyricinoleate)

PGPR, which is produced from castor bean oil, is a newer addition to the emulsifier bunch. In 2006, Hershey and Nestlé chose to use PGPR as an emulsifier in many of their chocolate products. As PGPR can also substitute cocoa butter itself, it can be a cost-reducer and is thus popular by chocolate makers.  PGPR is approved by the FDA and a study found in 1998 that it did not “constitute a human health hazard.”  Strangely enough, harvesting castor beans, which occurs primarily in Brazil, China, and India, is often harmful to farmers as the plant produces ricin, an allergenic compound that can cause nerve damage in those who come in to contact with it.  However, all toxins are eliminated during the oil extraction process.

So that’s emulsification, just another step towards understanding what goes into that bar.