Chocolate will keep in its original condition for years, when protected from atmospheric influence. It is therefore generally, and especially where the finer qualities are concerned, packed up immediately after it leaves the last process, and ornamented chocolates are previously varnished with an alcoholic solution of benzoin and shellac (see page 250).
The inferior qualities are usually packed in paper and wooden boxes, but the superior first in tin-foil and subsequently in paper. Cocoa powder arrives packed in parchment boxes as a rule, and also in cardboard or tin boxes.
Although packing in parchment or waxed paper is hygienically and economically more advantageous than tin-foil packing, the latter is nevertheless to be preferred, not only because it is a better preservative of the aroma evident in the spices added, but also because it prevents an evil which also in the end leaves its mark on cacao, when stored a very long time, to wit, the development of rancidity. This is explained by the fact that the tin-foil sticks to the chocolate, and so hinders the penetration of air.
According to an act dating from June 25th. 1897, and in force in Germany (Reichsgesetzblatt No. 22), metal-foil containing more than one percent of lead may not be used in the packing of snuff, chewing tobacco and cheese. What holds good for other articles of consumption must also apply to cacao preparations, when they are so packed that they come first of all into contact with metal-foil, and not with paper. Tin-plating also, containing in its coating more than 1 % of lead and in the soldering more than 10 % is also inadmissible in the chocolate industry. Although it is said that the whole of the tin-plate fittings made in Germany are constructed according to an imperial standard, yet it may occasionally so happen that cheap packing material does not correspond and answer to the legal requirements.
The manufacturer can only protect himself against possible prosecution for contravening or neglecting the articles of this act by obtaining a written guarantee as to the quality of the tin-plate supplied.
The rooms where chocolate wares are stored should not be too warm, and it is indispensable that they be kept dry, for heat accelerates the volatilisation of their aroma and also the rancidity to which cacao is liable, whilst moisture spoils the general appearance of the chocolate and promotes the growth of mould. This development of mould, which is first noticeable after long storage in damp, dark warehouses, is principally due to the growth of a fungus which Royer has named “Cacao-oïdium134
As the numerous wrappings (in tin-foil, paper, etc.) are at present only effected by hand labour, they mean an appreciable increase in the price of the goods. This is of less moment for the chocolate tablets as the small napolitains and the like. Therefore attempts have often been made to effect this wrapping by means of machines135, and I have seen among others two models for napolitains, one on a large and the other on a small scale, the property of a Hamburg chocolate factory, and constructed by the firm of A. Savy & Co., Paris, which same machines were said to effect the wrapping in tin-foil, folding and additional packing in paper, as also the final closing, automatically and well; but just as I requested to be shown the machines, I was told that they were for the time being not in working order. Since then I have heard no more of the matter, and regret that the firm of Savy & Co., who have a branch in Dresden, have not been able to answer several letters which I sent them inquiring for further particulars. It must be that the machines have failed to answer their purpose, for otherwise they would have been assured of a hearty reception, no matter how dear they might have been. So for the nonce our chocolate packing must depend on hand labour.
Quite a different arrangement obtains in respect to cocoa powder, which was also originally packed up in paper bags by hand. This operation is to-day despatched in machines, as also in the case of other powder substances, like tooth-powder, dyes, patent foods, soap powder, etc., and this even in the smallest of factories. It is true that the machine built a decade ago by L. Wagner in Heilbronn and at that time described by Zipperer in our second edition, which was to wrap up a dozen packets simultaneously, seems to have failed, for it is no longer constructed; yet its place has been taken by a succession of other machines which have stood the tests of many years. The principle has been altered, many packets at one time not being filled, but always one only, and the advantage lies in the fact that the machine fills more exactly and with a higher degree of uniformity as regards the weights of the several packets.
Apart from the “Machines for packing en masse” Co., Ltd. Berlin, who put out several automatic fillers, special mention may here be made of the firm of Fritz Kilian, whose automatic filler and packer “Ideal” (fig. 92) for quantities of from 25-2500 grammes, and “Triumph” (fig. 93), for quantities of from 1-100 grammes, have both long established their right to a place in every factory, their excellence being predominant.