Milk Cocoa Beverages
Dairy based products with additions of coca or chocolate are the most widely known and accepted milk drinks.
Cocoa or chocolate milk drinks are dairy based products, which are manufactured from heat treated milk with the addition of cocoa powder and sugar and eventually stabilizers. After adding the powder, the product is heat treated with and accepted process, cooled and filled.
Standard products are made from whole milk (3.5% fat content), fat reduced milk (1.5-1,.8% fat) or skim milk and are labeled in accordance with heat treatment process and the powder quality (e.g., asterisked cocoa milk, UHT chocolate milk, sterilized chocolate milk).
Additives
Additives are the different kinds of cocoa or chocolate powder which are used in the manufacturer of the milk drinks.
These powders are obtained from the press cake of the cocoa beans, where the fat or cocoa butter has been extracted by using to different degrees.
A product can be obtained which has a high to a low fat level with a fat content <10%.
The particle size of the powder is in range of 10 – 30 mm, and the pH is in the range of 5- 7.
Sugar (sacchrose) can be added to cocoa powder to a level of up to 65%. Other additives can be used such as vanilla, lecithin or other natural ingredients.
This powder is directly soluble in milk to a level of 20- 30%, Cocoa milk is therefore a more or less stable suspension; a part of the powder slowly settles on the bottom of the pack (due to the higher specific gravity) and is redistributed by shaking,
Homogenous distribution of the additive is a prerequisite for good taste.
By adding 1-2% of a stabilizer (=0.02-0.03 % on the finished product), the viscosity of the cocoa milk is slightly increased and the cocoa particles remain suspended.
The choice of the stabilizer depends on the selected heat treatment.
For pasteurized cocoa milk, starch, gelatin or alginates are used; for UHT products mainly carrageenan is used, and for sterilized products cellulose products, e.g., carboxymethyl cellulose (about 0.2%) is used.
For taste enhancement, additional natural or artificial flavors can be added.
Formulas
Per liter of milk about 12-15 g of cocoa powder and 30-45 g of sugar (saccharose) is added. The formulas are made according to powder quality, taste of the product and economies.
When calculating the quantities, the different densities of milk and cocoa powder as well as the different quantities (volumes in liters for milk and mass in kg for powders) must be considered.
When adding 50 kg of sweetened cocoa powder to 1000 L of milk, we obtain 1019 liters of finished products.
Milk Cocoa Beverages
