Chocolate University Online Blog
Here is a dose of chocolate science. You know you need it from time to time!
Roasting cocoa beans serve two purposes. First, it dries the beans, and second, it develops flavor.
Driving off as much moisture in the bean is important from a food safety perspective. The lower the water content, the more difficult it is for bacteria to grow and pose a health threat.
Cocoa beans are typically roasted from 250 to 325 F for approximately 35 minutes.
Perhaps the most significant impact roasting has on cacao is unlocking the bean’s flavor potential.
Freshly harvested cocoa beans do not taste like chocolate. The bulk of chocolate flavor development happens during roasting, when a chemical reaction known as the Maillard reaction takes place. The Maillard (mä-yärd) reaction is a non-enzymatic reaction between sugars and proteins that occurs upon heating.
The reaction is named after the chemist Louis-Camille Maillard who investigated it in the 1910s.
The Maillard reaction is an important “browning” process. You will see this happen when you toast bread or fry meat or bake biscuits. The Maillard reaction is responsible for the flavor and color changes of many foods we eat. Proteins (amino acids) and sugars (reducing sugars) will brown while cooking. (The Maillard reaction is sometimes confused with caramelization but they are not the same thing.)
In addition to the browning activity, roasting also drives off many of the volatile or unpleasant aromas while at the same time enhancing the pleasant ones.
The chemical reactions during roasting are complex, but the Maillard reaction is key to bringing about the flavor we recognize as chocolate.
Categories: chocolate education
Tags: chocolate science, cocoa beans, Maillard reaction
Tannins are astringent, bitter compounds found in plants. Tannins cause your mouth to feel dry and pucker up. The manipulation of tannin concentration plays an important role in aging of wine and ripening fruit.
Tannins are also important to the flavor development and health benefits in chocolate…
Chocolate liquor contains about 6% tannins, significantly contributing to the bitterness of chocolate. “Bitter” as a flavor descriptor is not always a bad thing. It is true that sometimes bitter can refer to negative characteristic coming from improper fermenting or roasting. But normal amounts of tannins intensify chocolate flavor, especially at the finish.
Cocoa beans contain three compounds that stand out as beneficial to your health. They are flavonoids, polyphenols, and tannins. Flavonoids and polyphenols are strong anti-oxidants which may protect you against cancer and heart disease.
Tannins may guard against tooth decay. The tannins inhibit the growth of bacteria on teeth, stopping the process of cavity formation.
There is also a down side to these tannins. In high concentrations, they bind up and prevent the absorption of minerals in the digestive system.
I think the lesson here is to eat chocolate but don’t over do it (yes, I know the definition of “over do it” is pretty ambiguous but you get the spirit of the meaning).
Go tannin, go chocolate!
Categories: chocolate education
Tags: chocolate liquor, cocoa beans, flavonoids, polyphenols, tannins
One of the reasons we love chocolate so much is because of the way it melts in our mouth. The velvety, luxurious melting characteristics of chocolate come from the cocoa butter.
When cacao beans are ground and pressed, cocoa butter and cocoa powder are separated. While both cocoa butter and cocoa solids are essential to making chocolate, the cocoa butter is responsible for the smooth mouth-feel and chocolatey flavor release.
The two most unique qualities of cocoa butter are its melt point and its ability to contract.
Cocoa butter becomes a solid at room temperature but melts quickly at around 90°F – 95°F. This melt point is just below our body temperature of 98.6°F and is the reason for the delightful sensation of “melting in your mouth.”
During the process of solidifying chocolate, the liquid cocoa butter becomes solid and contracts. This is important when molding chocolate because it allows it to “pop” out of the mold and retain its shape at room temperature. Contraction means we can make chocolate into Easter Bunnies, candy bars, and valentine hearts.
While we call it cocoa butter, it is actually not butter at all. It is not an animal fat like butter, it is a fat derived from the plant, Thoebroma cacao. Because it comes from a plant, cocoa butter does not contain cholesterol.
Research shows that cocoa butter has a neutral effect on blood cholesterol levels. In my book, that makes cocoa butter a good fat! Plus, it is a naturally occurring fat, not man-made and hydrogenated like so many other fats in our diet. Oh, since we’re on the subject, cocoa butter does not contain any trans-fats either.
Categories: chocolate education, fun chocolate facts
Tags: cocoa beans, cocoa butter, cocoa powder
Chocolate and cocoa can be found in so many different U.S. industries. Such products are used in the confectionery, beverage, dairy, bakery, and personal care arenas, just to name a few.
New products are being introduced at a record pace in spite of the U.S. chocolate market being considered mature. It continues to be a market place that embraces creative and innovative products.
The current market supports such variety in chocolates that it can satisfy a diverse group of consumers while at the same time keeping prices affordable.
That may change. Prices are speculated to increase drastically in the near future due to a recent, astonishingly bold move by a British Company called Armajaro Holdings.
Armajaro Holdings is a commodities and financial services business based in London. Earlier this summer Armajaro purchased 240,000 tons of cocoa beans – which is about 7% of the annual global production of cacao!
At the time of Armajaro’s purchase, cocoa beans were already commanding a high price.
Currently however, cocoa bean prices are dipping slightly. But many large chocolate manufacturers are convinced they will see them rise overall.
The cocoa world is watching carefully.
Sources: Market Wire, Wall Street Journal
Categories: chocolate in the news
Tags: chocolate prices, cocoa beans
Did you know that one the most important steps in making chocolate taste like chocolate is cocoa bean fermentation?
Cocoa beans grow inside a thick-walled pod surrounded by a sugary pulp that provides nutrients to the beans (seeds). The pulp is made up of about 12% sucrose which gets broken down by microbes, mostly yeasts.
During the harvest, pods are cut down from the tree, opened, and the cocoa beans scooped out by hand. Large mounds or heaps of pulp and beans are built in order to start the fermentation process. To speed things along, big leaves (like banana) are used to cover the heaps in order to seal in the heat generated by the microbial action.
The temperature can reach 40C to 50C in the fermentation heap. Many chemical reactions take place, and it is here during fermentation that chocolate acquires its color and flavor.
While the yeasts break down the sugar, ethyl alcohol and heat is produced. Then, both the alcohol and the heat kills the yeast. The heap has to be stirred and turned in order to aerate it and eventually stop the fermentation. The whole process takes about 5 days. Fermenting any longer than 5 days and the microbes will begin to attack the beans instead of the pulp. Over-fermentation can result in creating off-flavors and odors in the cocoa beans.
The beans are dried thoroughly in the sun after fermentation to drive off all moisture and prevent further chemical and microbial activity. At this time, the flavors are locked in and ready for transporting to the manufacturer for roasting, grinding, and making into chocolate coatings and bars.
Categories: chocolate education
Tags: cocoa beans, fermentation
 Every now and again you will come across an article, a chocolate bar, or a chocolate company that will draw attention to Bean To Bar processing.
Bean to bar means quite literally that the product was manufactured from the roasting and grinding of the bean to the tempering and packaging of the chocolate.
What’s so special about claiming to be bean to bar?
Many chocolates are made by purchasing already made chocolate couvertures that get melted down and used for coating or molding into truffles, pralines, or chocolate bars. While there is certainly nothing wrong with buying pre-made chocolate, there are advantages to controlling each step of the process.
Bean selection is critical from a quality standpoint. Cocoa beans that are fermented properly will contain the best flavors to come out during roasting. Creating proprietary bean blends will provide a distinct flavor for the companies’ products.
Roasting beans in-house will ensure a consistent signature flavor profile, and mixing and refining to formula specifications will make smooth, sophisticated chocolates.
Boasting a bean to bar product is something not all chocolate makers can claim. These companies have the strong belief that the quality of their chocolate is the best it can be when they control the entire process from bean to finished product.
You be the judge. Here is a small list of bean to bar chocolate companies to get you started on your tasting journey.
Valrhona
Hachez
Amedei
Cadbury
Nestle
Lindt
Scharffen Berger
Divine
Equal Exchange
Green & Black’s
Categories: chocolate education
Tags: chocolate bars, chocolate lessons, chocolate manufacturing, cocoa beans
From Martha Stewert to Scharffen Berger to the Food Network, it appears that cooking with cocoa nibs is “in”!
And why not? Besides the great flavor and a nice crunch, nibs have nutritional benefits as well. Cacao contains antioxidants that are known to reduce blood clotting, improve circulation, and help regulate blood pressure. Antioxidants also protect us from environmental pollutants and help repair damage caused by free radicals.
Cocoa or Cacao Nibs are roasted cocoa beans that have been separated from their shells/husks. You can buy them in health food stores, or online.
Scharffen Berger is a chocolate company that sells nibs online. They also have a great collection of recipes, and some of them are listed under the Savory category. One unique recipe is the nib rub for steak on the grill.
Rather than repeating the recipe here, just follow the link below. Then be sure to browse the home baking section of their online store and pick up the nibs too.
==> SCHARFFEN BERGER CACAO NIB RUB ON TRI TIP ROAST
Categories: chocolate recipes
Tags: antioxidants, cocoa beans, nibs
The chocolate world divides cocoa beans into two general categories: Flavor Beans (varieties Criollo or Trinitario) and Bulk Beans (variety Forestero).
 There are some exceptions to this system, but general speaking this is how the cocoa market categorizes cocoa beans.
The percentage of flavor beans in the total world production of cocoa beans is only around 5% per year. Virtually all the cocoa harvested is classified as bulk cocoa.
A pure Criollo variety is rare these days but was the major variety in the 18th century.
Trinitario variety is considered to be a cross between Criollo and Forastero. Trinitario planting started in the country of Trinidad and then spread to Venezuela, Ecuador, Cameroon, Samoa, Sri Lanka, Java and Papua New Guinea.
Some companies are dedicated to restore more Criollo and Trinitario growing farms. Xoco Fine Cocoa Company of Nicaragua is one such entity.
Xoxo’s mission is produce a high quality flavor, consistent flavor bean, bringing back a genotype from superior Criollo/Trinitario varieties.
Categories: chocolate education, fun chocolate facts
Tags: cacao farms, cocoa beans
I was recently asked about the spread of Cocoa or Cacao trees around the world.
 Cacao is believed to have originated in South America. There is a lot of evidence suggesting that the ancient Maya in Central America were the first to domesticate Theobroma cacao as a crop.
The Aztecs ground cacao into Xocoatl, a chocolate drink used mostly for spiritual and ceremonial rituals.
Hernan Cortés is credited with bringing cacao to Spain where it spread throughout Europe in the 1500’s and 1600’s.
Spanish friars began to grow cacao in Ecuador around 1635. The French introduced cacao to Martinique and St Lucia, the Dominican Republic, and Brazil in the mid to late 1600’s. England started growing it in Jamaica and the Dutch in Curaçao. All of this effort just to meet the ever growing demand for the affluent in Europe.
When demand exploded again in the 1800’s even more had to be cultivated. Cacao from Brazil was taken to Principe and Sao Tomé, islands off the coast of West Africa around 1830. From there, it spread to Nigeria and Ghana.
Today, the largest cacao producing country is Ivory Coast, Africa.
Categories: chocolate education, fun chocolate facts
Tags: cacao tree, chocolate history, cocoa beans, world chocolate
I love the smell of my flower bed after it rains. Ahhhh, it smells so chocolatey!
Yep, that’s right, an aroma like brownies baking in an oven. I use cocoa bean shells for mulch and it is true that when it gets wet, it smells delightfully like chocolate.
As the name indicates, cocoa shell mulch is made from the shell of the cocoa bean. These shells come off the bean either during or just prior to the roasting process. The shells are cleaned and packaged for sale as mulch.
Cocoa mulch retains moisture very well and is an excellent protector and insulator for the root systems of plants and shrubs. It lasts longer than regular mulch, smells great and darkens with age.
When shell mulch breaks down, it becomes nutrient rich humus. It is particularly suited for acid-loving plants. My beautiful lavender-pink Rhododendron thanks me every year.
Possibly the only down side is that its not dog-friendly. I don’t own a dog, so I don’t have any direct experience with this, but I have read that dogs are attracted to the chocolate smell and may try to eat the cocoa shells.
Chocolate is dangerous to dogs if they eat it, but there is not enough of the chemical (theobromine) in the shell to cause as serious an injury as a piece of chocolate. If the shells are eaten, the dog may get an upset stomach or an increase in the heart rate. Still, something to think about if you have dog-owning neighbors you want to keep happy!
If there are no dog concerns then pour on the cocoa bean shells. You’ll have the best smelling landscape in your neighborhood.
Categories: fun chocolate facts
Tags: chocolate smell, cocoa beans
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