Colorcom Cocoa powder serves as the foundational ingredient in chocolate milk and ready-to-drink (RTD) chocolate beverages, delivering the essential chocolate flavor and color while allowing manufacturers to manage formulation costs and nutritional profiles. In RTD applications, natural or alkalized (Dutch-processed) cocoa powders are selected based on desired sensory characteristics: natural cocoa provides a brighter, fruity acidity, while alkalized cocoa offers a milder, smoother taste with darker color and improved solubility—critical for achieving visual appeal and consistent flavor in bottled or powdered products 49. To overcome cocoa's inherent instability in liquid systems, stabilizers like microcrystalline cellulose (MCC, 0.3%), carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC, 0.03%), and xanthan gum (0.01%) are often incorporated to prevent sedimentation and enhance mouthfeel 10. For cost and flavor optimization, cocoa enhancers may partially replace cocoa powder (up to 30–50%), amplifying chocolate notes, masking bitterness, and improving synergy with dairy or plant-based proteins—particularly useful in reducing sugar formulations or plant-based milks where off-notes require masking 1. Fat content significantly influences richness; "breakfast cocoa" variants with ≥22% cocoa butter (e.g., Ricoa) impart a creamier texture in hot chocolate compared to low-fat (10–12%) alternatives, though high-fat powders necessitate emulsifiers like sucrose fatty acid esters (HLB 5, 0.1%) for uniform dispersion 310. Nutritionally, non-alkalized (raw) cacao powder retains higher levels of flavanols (up to 3.6× more than alkalized cocoa), enabling health claims related to blood flow enhancement when delivering ≥200mg flavanols per serving 79, though formulation thermal processing must be controlled to preserve these heat-sensitive compounds.