Editing Conching (section)

== Process ==
[[File:Hershey Conche.jpg|thumb|A [[The Hershey Company|Hershey]] conche from the early 1900s, on display as part of the [[The Hershey Story|Hershey Story]] collection]]

Conching redistributes the substances from the [[cocoa solids|dry cocoa]] that create flavor into the [[fat]] [[Phase (matter)|phase]]. Air flowing through the conche removes some unwanted [[acetic acid|acetic]], [[propionic acid|propionic]], and [[butyric acid|butyric]] acids from the chocolate and reduces moisture. Even a small amount of moisture greatly increases the [[viscosity]] of the finished chocolate, so machinery is cleaned with cocoa butter instead of water.<ref name=RKB97>Ranken, M. D.; Kill, R. C.; Baker, C. G. J. (ed.), ''Food Industries Manual (24th Edition)'', Springer-Verlag, 1997, {{ISBN|978-0-7514-0404-3}}, pages 438–439.</ref> Some of the substances produced in the roasting of cocoa beans are [[oxidized]] in the conche, mellowing the flavor of the product.

The temperature of the conche is controlled and varies for different types of chocolate. Generally, higher temperature leads to a shorter required processing time. Temperature varies from around {{convert|49|C}} for milk chocolate to up to {{convert|82|C}} for dark chocolate. The elevated temperature leads to a partially [[Caramelization|caramelized]] flavor and in milk chocolate promotes the [[Maillard reaction]].<ref name=Afoakwa10>Emmanuel Ohene Afoakwa, ''Chocolate Science and Technology'', John Wiley and Sons, 2010, {{ISBN|1-4051-9906-7}}, pages 43, 65–66.</ref>

The chocolate passes through three phases during conching. In the dry phase the material is in powdery form, and the mixing coats the particles with fat. Air movement through the conche removes some moisture and volatile substances, which may give an acidic note to the flavor. Moisture balance affects the flavor and texture of the finished product because, after the particles are coated with fat, moisture and volatile chemicals are less likely to escape.<ref name=Talbot09/>

In the pasty phase more of the particles are coated with the fats from the cocoa. The power required to turn the conche shafts increases at this step.

The final liquid phase allows minor adjustment to the viscosity of the finished product by addition of fats and [[emulsifier]]s, depending on the intended use of the chocolate.

While most conches are batch-process machines, continuous-flow conches separate the stages with [[wiktionary:weir|weirs]], over which the product travels through separate parts of the machine.<ref name=Talbot09/> A continuous conche can reduce the conching time for milk chocolate to as little as four hours.<ref name=RKB97/>

After conching is completed, the flavor continues to change as it tastes increasingly acidic.{{Sfnp|Giller|2015}}