Continuing our Chocolate quest…
Lecithin
Chemically, lecithin is phospholipids that act as an emulsifier. It is a chemical that can make a mixture of water and oil mix evenly in the long term. Commercial lecithin used in the manufacture of food products is derived from soybeans. When viewed from the original source, the halal status of lecithin is undisputed. However, there are various types of lecithin or lecithin derivatives that are processed further. In the manufacture of derived products of lecithin, some manufacturers do a chemical reaction to change the chemical structure of lecithin by organic synthesis. In addition, some are using the enzyme phospholipase A from pig pancreas to alter the chemical structure of lecithin, well this kind should not be used for Muslims because it is clear that in the process of making, contact with a material derived from pigs. Unfortunately, market does not differentiate between the original lecithin in the form of crude extract, and lecithin which is further modified (derived lecithin), all just called lecithin even often called as soya lecithin.
Other process of making lecithin derivatives, by way of further extraction of lecithin crude extract using alcohol (ethanol) to obtain lecithin fraction soluble in alcohol. This type of lecithin should be avoided due its high alcohol content. Another type of lecithin is mixed with lecithin emulsifiers for the purpose of getting better emulsifying properties than if just using lecithin alone. Actually other types of emulsifiers can be and sometimes is used in the manufacture of chocolate products. However, as described above that generally the status of emulsifier is doubtful if there is no guarantee against the halal status of emulsifiers or the product itself. It should be emphasized once again that the status is valid for emulsifiers or products that are not halal certified because it is common knowledge that there are halal and haram types of emulsifiers. In the market it is not clear which one is halal and which one is haram if there is no guarantee (such as halal label or halal certificate).
Flavor
Chocolate itself is actually one of a kind of flavor, giving the flavor (taste) of chocolate. But just the chocolate flavor does not seem enough; it is frequently added with other flavors. One of the favourite used is vanillin flavor. In general, halal status of flavor is doubtful. In the market there is also a synthetic chocolate flavor that is commonly used for cheaper chocolate products. Types of synthetic chocolate flavor is prone halal status because in its manufacture often involves the addition of fatty acids wherein the fatty acids can be obtained from vegetables (plant) or animals (including pork).
There are many other materials used in the manufacture of chocolate products, but ingredients that are described above are the main ingredient that is often used and considered sufficiently representative to conclude that chocolate products are vulnerable in terms of halal status.
