The Ingredients of Chocolate, Explained
In its purest form, chocolate is made from just two ingredients: processed cacao beans (in the form of cocoa mass and cocoa butter) and sugar. Yet most commercial chocolate products include a much longer list of added ingredients. Why are these additions made,and should we be concerned?
What are additives used for?
Additives in industrial chocolate are often introduced for reasons of texture, shelf life, fluidity, or cost-efficiency. The most common include:
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Lecithin (usually from soy or sunflower): used as an emulsifier, it reduces the viscosity of melted chocolate, making it easier to mold and process in machines. It also allows manufacturers to cut down on expensive cocoa butter.
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Artificial flavors or synthetic vanillin: used to mask defects in low-quality cocoa beans or to standardize flavor across production batches.
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Added vegetable or animal fats: sometimes used to alter texture or reduce production costs, though they change both the structure and taste of the final chocolate.
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Preservatives, sweeteners, anti-caking agents: less common in dark chocolate but present in many processed chocolate-based products, especially confectionery items.
An industrial,not artisanal,practice
In high-quality artisanal chocolate, such additives are either completely absent or kept to an absolute minimum. Flavor, texture, and shine are achieved through attention to every step of production: bean selection, fermentation, roasting, grinding, conching, tempering… not through additives.
Orfève’s Approach
At Orfève, we reject all additives.
No lecithin, no artificial flavoring, no added fats.
Our bars are made solely from carefully selected cacao beans, cocoa butter, and unrefined cane sugar.
Our commitment is absolute: to showcase the natural richness of cacao,without shortcuts, without compromise.