that create flavor into the fat phase. Air flowing through the conche removes some unwanted acetic, propionic, and 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. 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 for milk chocolate to up to for dark chocolate. The elevated temperature leads to a partially caramelized flavor and in milk chocolate promotes the Maillard reaction. 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. 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 emulsifiers, depending on the intended use of the chocolate. While most conches are batch-process machines, continuous-flow conches separate the stages with weirs, over which the product travels through separate parts of the machine. A continuous conche can reduce the conching time for milk chocolate to as little as four hours. See also Melanger History of chocolate References External links Conching - ScienceDirect Refining and Conching - Grenada Chocolate Manufacturer's illustration of production-size conche and mixing shaft Chocolate Cooking techniques Articles containing video clips