Unsweetened Chocolate

Unsweetened chocolate is made by grinding roasted cocoa beans into a paste. This paste, also called chocolate liquor or cocoa mass, is the purest form of chocolate. It contains both cocoa solids and cocoa butter, with no added sugar.

Manufacturers use unsweetened chocolate to provide a deep, intense chocolate flavor and rich color to various products. It serves as a base for making other types of chocolate, and is commonly found in baked goods like cakes, cookies, and brownies, as well as in some snack bars.

Unsweetened chocolate is a food ingredient, not a food additive, and is generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by the FDA. It is a source of antioxidants and contains naturally occurring compounds like caffeine and theobromine. As a food ingredient, it is not typically evaluated by bodies like JECFA or EFSA in the same way as food additives. There are no notable controversies regarding unsweetened chocolate itself at typical intake levels.