Differentiating with 'micro' chocolate

 ASIAN demand for chocolate is expected to hold a 20% share of the $98.3-bn global market in 2016. The market is expected to have a high CAGR of 4.7% due to lower penetration, and sales in the Asian region has been forecast by MarketsandMarkets (M&M) to reach $19.7 billion by 2016 from $15 billion in 2010. Japan leads the Asian market with a 39.7% market share.
Some of the major drivers of the industry identified by M&M are health benefits, large variety of applications, and seasonal and festive sales. The major restraints identified in this report are raw material prices and the dependency of the industry on unstable economies for cocoa supply.
Miniature chocolate pieces
There can be no doubt that chocolate is very popular with consumers – but differentiation is very often key to gaining market share. Micro-sized chocolate pieces provide one way to specialise, according to Herza Schokolade, one of the few manufacturers to supply process stable miniature chocolate pieces without additives.
These small shapes cannot be made with standard technical equipment, so Herza has developed special cutting techniques in order to produce them. The tiny pieces are widely dispersed and give the end product a "chocolaty" appearance although less material has been used. By way of comparison: a kilogram of the classic chocolate ingredients contains about 10,000 pieces; a kilogram of micro-drops contains over 500,000 pieces.
Carsten Braumann, Herza Schokolade sales director, said there has been increasing interest in these ultra-small chocolate pieces. "Industrial manufacturers are showing tremendous interest in micro-size pieces, because they are always on the lookout for ideas for new products that will entice consumers to buy," he said.
"A further factor is the cost: chocolate is very expensive at the moment. The micro-size pieces enable manufacturers to offer products containing chocolate without unduly increasing the production costs," Mr Braumann added, reflecting the insights from the M&M report1.
Customers can choose between little square micro-slivers and micro-drops that are no bigger than the head of a pin. Then there is "chocolate semolina", a powdery product that creates a 'stracciatella' effect in muffins, for example. The finished cake is brownish in colour with visible chocolate dots.
 The micro-pieces are available as white, milk or dark chocolate, as a three-colour mix of all the variants, and complemented by compounds like caramel. There is also a coated version, which makes it possible to use the slivers as taste carriers by adding special flavouring components like coffee or fruit to the coating. For the micro-range, as for all its other chocolate pieces, Herza uses only conched chocolate made by the company itself.

Wide spectrum of applications
The miniature chocolate pieces are bake-stable, abrasion-resistant and capable of deep-freezing. So they are ideal for bakery products, bakery mixes and ready-made, frozen doughs. In spite of their small size they keep their original shape after baking. Drops and slivers are also popular as decorations for gateaux, ice cream and pastries, and they find their way into muesli bars and fillings for cakes and tarts, too.
There are many other applications, such as in beverage and, of course, confectionery. "Amongst other things, we are noticing an increasing demand from manufacturers of instant beverage powders like cappuccino," Braumann noted.
"For chocolate confectionery, the slivers are very effective as an outer shell," he added. With the aid of the micro-pieces, for example, bars of white chocolate can be given a 'stracciatella' effect.

Technical advantages in processing
Traditionally, the processing of small chocolate pieces can quickly result in choadidas