What Are the Ingredients in Hershey's Chocolate?

Hershey's is perhaps the most popular brand of chocolate in the country. However, many people may not realize all of the ingredients that go into a standard bar of Hershey's Chocolate.

Sugar is the number one ingredient in a Hershey's chocolate bar. It is what gives chocolate its sweet, satisfying taste. There are 23 grams of sugar in one 43 gram Hershey's bar.

Contrary to its name, chocolate liquor does not contain alcohol. It is the substance produced when cacao beans are allowed to ferment, then roasted and cracked to reveal the cacao nibs inside. The cacao nibs are then ground to produce chocolate liquor. Milk chocolate must contain at least 10 percent chocolate liquor.

Cocoa butter is the vegetable fat extracted from the cacao bean. It gives chocolate its smooth, creamy texture. In addition, cocoa processed with alkali is also added to Hershey's bars. The alkali makes the chocolate less bitter and gives it a darker color, however it also removes antioxidants found in raw cocoa.

For chocolate to be considered milk chocolate, it must contain at least 12 percent milk ingredients. The milk ingredients in a Hershey's bar include milk fat and lactose. Milk fat, as its name suggests, is the fat content in milk, while lactose is the sugar found in milk. In addition to the ingredients, Hershey's Bars also contain regular milk.

Hershey's chocolate bars contain several additives. Soy lecithin is made from soybean oil and added to Hershey's chocolate to keep the cocoa and cocoa butter from separating. PGPR, or polyglycerol polyricinoleate, is made from castor bean oil and added to chocolate to improve its viscosity. Vanillin is the main chemical component of vanilla bean extract. It is also a flavoring added to chocolate. These additives along with artificial flavors are what give Hershey's its signature sweet taste and smooth, creamy texture.