Process for manufacture of reduced fat chocolate

A process for the manufacture of a chocolate composition having a total fat content of 18 to 24.9 wt %, comprising the steps of:

• (1) intimately mixing (a) particles of solid chocolate-making ingredients comprising (i) at least one solid chocolate-making ingredient selected from the group consisting of nutritive carbohydrate sweeteners, sugar substitutes, bulking agents and intense sweeteners, and (ii) at least one other solid chocolate-making ingredient selected from the group consisting of non-fat cocoa solids, cocoa powder, cocoa liquor, milk solids and emulsifier, with (b) at least one fat selected from the group consisting of cocoa butter, cocoa butter equivalents, butterfat, milk fat and non-metabolisable fat;
• (2) reducing the size of said particles so that said particles have a particle size distribution, as measured by a Malvern Mastersizer, such that (a) not more than 1 wt % of said particles exceed 60 μm, and (b) at least one of (i) some but not more than 15 wt % of the particles are less than 2 μm and (ii) some but not more than 20 wt % of the particles are less than 3 μm, without the addition of water to dissolve ultrafine particles;
• (3) subjecting said mixture of solid chocolate-making ingredients and said at least one fat to a flavour development step to produce a flavour developed mixture;
• and
• (4) further processing said flavour-developed mixture to produce a final chocolate composition having a total fat content of 18 to 24.9 wt %.