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Post by Sebastian on Dec 15, 2006 12:52:18 GMT -5
Let's get back to discussing something more interesting - like chocolate
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Post by Brad on Dec 15, 2006 16:18:23 GMT -5
Guys/Gals;
From an "outsider's" perspective to this discussion thread, I would like to add a single observation, which was very briefly touched upon earlier, and that is the concept of "secret" as it applies to this industry.
In today's world of advanced chemistry, I'm sure anyone with a big enough chequebook can walk into a lab, hand them a piece of chocolate, and ask them for the exact percentages of each ingredient, then take the results and publish the ingredient list and percentages publicly such as here. What's so secret about that? Unless the manufacturer has a patent on the recipe (highly unlikely because of bean blending), it would be ridiculous to think that they are 'that' protective of their recipes. If so, then it would stand to reason that the manufacturer would have everybody who buys a chocolate bar from them sign an NDA.
When it comes to a commercial food/candy producer, the only secret that really matters is the one that is currently in development, or the marketing team creates in the eyes of the consumer! Eg: How does Cadbury get the soft caramel in their caramilk bars? Oooooooohhhhh! It's a big Secret!! KFC's 11 herbs and spices - Oooooohh! Another big secret. Chef Pierre's secret blend of european chocolate - Another big mystery! (chef pierre being a hypothetical and facetious character).
If a person/company has a true secret, then they don't talk about it publicly until the "secret" is safe from being copied when publicly released. You know what I'm talking about here, right John?
Those are just my two bits, for what it's worth. I gotta go make some chocolate.
Brad.
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Post by Sebastian on Dec 15, 2006 18:32:36 GMT -5
As marvelous as many of the modern analytical instruments are, they're certainly not a cure all. They can be helpful, but they're a tool, at best, and it's not quite as simple as having the right instruments or paying the right lab to get an exact formulation out of a bar. Does it help? Sure. But it only gets you part way there - i'm not sure it provides the answers some of you might think it does... Think, for example, of coke. The formula's a trade secret. People have tried for DECADES to match it, and haven't gotten there yet...I have an ICP, a GC-Mass-spec, multiple LC's, protein analyzer, dionex, etc - i can pretty much tell you to the ppb level what's in anything. Recreating the raw materials from the parts is a bit tougher, however...there are many, many ways for a manufacturer to obfuscate analytical results to provide confusing, or even misleading, data, if one knows what they're doing
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Post by Brad on Dec 15, 2006 22:58:13 GMT -5
You could always give the recipe to CSI. They can solve anything! '-)
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Post by Sebastian on Dec 16, 2006 7:21:52 GMT -5
I've seen McGuyver make chocolate out of a used pop can, a rubber band, and some metal shavings from a bike frame..
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Post by Brad on Dec 16, 2006 11:05:44 GMT -5
Hey, that's cheaper than the Santha! Anybody got his number? LOL
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Post by sugaralchemy on Dec 17, 2006 16:44:39 GMT -5
I'll just add - the tricky stuff sebastian is talking about really can be tricky - it is those pesky complex organic compounds that make taste and 'secret formulas' for flavors, etc. It's very true, just because you can identify something doesn't mean you can duplicate it in cost-effective production.
On the other hand, just breaking down the macro-composition (percentages of sugar, milk, cacao, etc.) is not going to be too hard in most cases. That is where I was going with my postings.
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