Cocoa solids

In the US standard for sweet chocolate, the cacao-bean content comes from chocolate liquor, the ground mass made from processed cacao beans. The regulation describes sweet chocolate as a solid or semiplastic food prepared by intimately mixing and grinding chocolate liquor with sweetening ingredients. It must contain at least 15% chocolate liquor by weight, while semisweet or bittersweet chocolate must contain at least 35%.

The cacao fat in the liquor is measured by a prescribed method, and it is subtracted when the liquor percentage is calculated if extra cacao fat is added. The same standard allows optional ingredients including emulsifying agents, used singly or in combination, with a combined total not exceeding 1.0% by weight. The more cocoa solids a chocolate has, the more of the bar comes from the bean instead of from sugar and milk.