We all love chocolate, this is a universal truth. Knowing how gluten free chocolate is made simply extends the range of enjoyment. The reason for this is that if you are allergic to gluten, every bit of chocolate that you eat could trigger some unpleasant symptoms for you. If, however, you know how the chocolate that you are eating gets made, you will be able to breathe easy whilst you enjoy it.
It is wise to keep in mind that most of the time chocolate is not gluten-free. Most cocoa beans get harvested and processed in factories that also process wheat products, meaning that there is likely to be a cross contamination of gluten. This, of course, makes the chocolate unsafe for coeliac to eat. Chocolate is made from cocoa beans that have been roasted and blended down to a pulp. After that, lecithin and cocoa butter, as well as sugar, are added. The problem with this process is that there is usually wheat present in the additives, given the fact that these other additives are processed alongside wheat products.
So, gluten-free chocolate can be considered as just being made up of the roasted beans that are blended together. This does not taste as good, but it is definitely the safest option!
How to identify the right type of chocolate for you
One of the first things that you should do is to look for the gluten-free sections in any candy store. This will help you to find what you are looking for. Believe it or not, there are chocolate processing plants that are dedicated to making chocolate that is entirely gluten-free, right down to the conditions in which the cocoa beans get harvested.
The way that a chocolate gets deemed gluten-free is according to how many parts per million it has when it comes to gluten. There are testing processes that determine this, as well as strict regulations that govern the food industry when it comes to the manufacture of these products. The great thing about the regulations is the fact that no food plant is allowed to put gluten-free on its label unless the test results have shown that there is no gluten present in the product. In conclusion, you can trust what you get on the shelves if it says that it is gluten-free.
Chocolate always makes a great addition to any type of sweet food. Whether it be cake or cookies, or even a simple decoration, you can have a lot of fun with chocolate, as it is a very malleable substance.
