Cocoa bean: Difference between revisions
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Usually, use of current inputs, such as chemical fertilizers and pesticides, by cocoa farmers is limited. For this reason most have only limited knowledge of the most appropriate ways of using such inputs. |
Usually, use of current inputs, such as chemical fertilizers and pesticides, by cocoa farmers is limited. For this reason most have only limited knowledge of the most appropriate ways of using such inputs. |
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==Cocoa trading== |
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Cocoa beans, Cocoa butter and cocoa powder are traded on two world exchanges: London and New York. The London market is based on West African cocoa and New York on cocoa predominantly from South East Asia. Cocoa is the world's smallest [[soft commodity]] market. |
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The futures price of cocoa butter and cocoa powder is determined by multiplying the bean price by a ratio. The combined butter and powder ratio has tended to be around 3.5. If the combined ratio falls below 3.2 or so, production ceases to be economically viable and some factories cease extraction of butter and powder and trade exclusively in cocoa liquor. |
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== See also == |
== See also == |
Revision as of 10:12, 15 May 2009
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/01/Cacao-pod-k4636-14.jpg/220px-Cacao-pod-k4636-14.jpg)
Cocoa is the dried and fully fermented fatty seed of the cacao tree, from which chocolate is made. (The word "cocoa" is simply a corruption of "cacao".) "Cocoa" can often also refer to the drink commonly known as hot chocolate;[1] to cocoa powder, the dry powder made by grinding cocoa seeds and removing the cocoa butter from the dark, bitter cocoa solids; or to a mixture of cocoa powder and cocoa butter.[2][3]
A cacao pod has a rough leathery rind about 3 cm thick (this varies with the origin and variety of pod). It is filled with sweet, mucilaginous pulp called 'baba de cacao' in South America, enclosing 30 to 50 large almond-like seeds (beans) that are fairly soft and pinkish or purplish in color.
Cocoa should not be confused with the coca plant which can be used to create cocaine.
History
The cacao tree is native to the Americas. It may have originated in the foothills of the Andes in the Amazon and Orinoco basins of South America where today, examples of wild cacao still can be found. However, it may have had a larger range in the past, evidence for which may be obscured because of its cultivation in these areas long before, as well as after, the Spanish arrived. It may have been introduced into Central America by the ancient Mayas, and cultivated in Mexico by the Olmecs, then by the Toltecs and later by the Aztecs. It was a common currency throughout Mesoamerica and the Caribbean before the Spanish conquest.
Cacao trees will grow in a limited geographical zone, of approximately 20 degrees to the north and south of the Equator. Nearly 70% of the world crop is grown in West Africa.
Cocoa was an important commodity in Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica. Spanish chroniclers of the conquest of Mexico by Hernán Cortés relate that when Montezuma II, emperor of the Aztecs, dined he took no other beverage than chocolate, served in a golden goblet and eaten with a golden spoon. Flavored with vanilla and spices, his chocolate was whipped into a froth that dissolved in the mouth. It is reported that Montezuma II may have consumed no fewer than 50 portions each day, and 200 more by the nobles of his court.
Chocolate was introduced to Europe by the Spaniards and became a popular beverage by the mid 1600s.[4] They also introduced the cacao tree into the West Indies and the Philippines.
The cacao plant was first given its botanical name by Swedish natural scientist Carolus Linnaeus in his original classification of the plant kingdom, who called it Theobroma ("food of the gods") cacao.
Production
World production
Top Cocoa producers | |
---|---|
in 2004 | |
Numbers in million tonnes | |
1. ![]() | 1.33 (36.94%) |
2. ![]() | 0.74 (20.56%) |
3. ![]() | 0.43 (11.94%) |
4. ![]() | 0.37 (10.28%) |
5. ![]() | 0.17 (4.72%) |
6. ![]() | 0.13 (3.61%) |
7. ![]() | 0.09 (2.5%) |
World total | 3.6 |
Source: UN Food and Agriculture Organization |
About 3,000,000 tonnes (3,000,000 long tons; 3,300,000 short tons) of cocoa is produced each year. The global production was
- 1,556,484 t (1,531,902 long tons; 1,715,730 short tons) in 1974,
- 1,810,611 t (1,782,015 long tons; 1,995,857 short tons) in 1984,
- 2,672,173 t (2,629,970 long tons; 2,945,567 short tons) in 1994,
- 3,607,052 t (3,550,084 long tons; 3,976,094 short tons) in 2004 (record).
This is an increase of 131.7% in 30 years, representing a cumulative average growth rate (CAGR) of 2.8%.
There are three main varieties of cacao: Forastero, Criollo, and Trinitario. The first comprises 95% of the world production of cacao, and is the most widely used. Overall, the highest quality cocoa beans come from the Criollo variety, which is considered a delicacy [1]. Criollo plantations have lower yields than those of Forastero, and also tend to be less resistant to several diseases that attack the cocoa plant, hence very few countries still produce it. One of the largest producers of Criollo beans is Venezuela (Chuao and Porcelana). Hacienda San José, located in Paria/Venezuela, cultivates Criollo beans. The total area is of this hacienda is 320 hectares, of which 185 hectares are devoted to cacao with a density of 1.000 plants per hectare. Trinitario is a hybrid between Criollo and Forastero varieties. It is considered of much higher quality than the latter, but has higher yields and is more resistant to disease than the former [2].
The Netherlands is the leading cocoa processing country, followed by the U.S..
Cocoa and its products (including chocolate) are used worldwide. Per Capita consumption is poorly understood with numerous countries claiming the highest: various reports state that Switzerland, Belgium, and the UK have the highest consumption, but because there is no clear mechanism to determine how much of a country's production is consumed by residents and how much by visitors, this is all speculative.
The world's largest cocoa bean producing countries are as follows. The figure gives the production estimates for the 2006–2007 season from the International Cocoa Organization. The percentage is the proportion of the world's total of 3.5 million tonnes for the relevant period.
Country | Amount produced | Percentage of world production |
---|---|---|
Côte d’Ivoire | 1.3 million tonnes | 37.4% |
Ghana | 720 thousand tonnes | 20.7% |
Indonesia | 440 thousand tonnes | 12.7% |
Cameroon | 175 thousand tonnes | 5.0% |
Nigeria | 160 thousand tonnes | 4.6% |
Brazil | 155 thousand tonnes | 4.5% |
Ecuador | 118 thousand tonnes | 3.4% |
Dominican Republic | 47 thousand tonnes | 1.4% |
Malaysia | 30 thousand tonnes | 0.9% |
Harvesting
When the pods ripen, they are harvested from the trunks and branches of the Cocoa tree with a curved knife on a long pole. The pod itself is green when ready to harvest, rather than red or orange. Normally, red or orange pods are considered of a lesser quality because their flavors and aromas are poorer; these are used for industrial chocolate. The pods are either opened on the field and the seeds extracted and carried to the fermentation area on the plantation, or the whole pods are taken to the fermentation area.
Processing
The harvested pods are opened—typically with a machete—the pulp and cocoa seeds are removed and the rind is discarded. The pulp and seeds are then piled in heaps, placed in bins, or laid out on grates for several days. During this time, the seeds and pulp undergo "sweating", where the thick pulp liquefies as it ferments. The fermented pulp trickles away, leaving cocoa seeds behind to be collected. Sweating is important for the quality of the beans, which originally have a strong bitter taste. If sweating is interrupted, the resulting cocoa may be ruined; if underdone the cocoa seed maintains a flavor similar to raw potatoes and becomes susceptible to mildew.
Some cocoa producing countries distill alcoholic spirits using the liquefied pulp.
The fermented beans are dried by spreading them out over a large surface and constantly raking them. In large plantations, this is done on huge trays under the sun or by using artificial heat. Small plantations may dry their harvest on little trays or on cowhides. Finally, the beans are trodden and shuffled about (often using bare human feet) and sometimes, during this process, red clay mixed with water is sprinkled over the beans to obtain a finer color, polish, and protection against molds during shipment to factories in the United States, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, and other countries. Drying in the sun is preferable to drying by artificial means, as no extraneous flavors such as smoke or oil are introduced which might otherwise taint the flavor.
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Boy collecting cacao
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Cacao drying square in front of church, Chuao, Venezuela.
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Woman drying cacao
Chocolate production
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/34/Chocolate02.jpg/220px-Chocolate02.jpg)
To make 1 kg (2.2 pounds) of chocolate, about 300 to 600 beans are processed, depending on the desired cocoa content. In a factory, the beans are roasted. Next they are cracked and then de-shelled by a "winnower". The resulting pieces of beans are called nibs, and are ground, using various methods, into a thick creamy paste, known as chocolate liquor or cocoa paste. This "liquor" is then further processed into chocolate by mixing in (more) cocoa butter and sugar (and sometimes vanilla and lecithin as an emulsifier), and then refined, conched and tempered. Alternatively, it can be separated into cocoa powder and cocoa butter using a hydraulic press or the Broma process. This process produces around 50% cocoa butter and 50% cocoa powder. Standard cocoa powder has a fat content of approximately 10–12 percent. Cocoa butter is used in chocolate bar manufacture, other confectionery, soaps, and cosmetics.
Adding an alkali produces Dutch process cocoa powder, which is less acidic, darker and more mellow in flavor than what is generally available in most of the world. Regular (nonalkalized) cocoa is acidic, so when cocoa is treated with an alkaline ingredient, generally potassium carbonate, the pH increases. This process can be done at various stages during manufacturing, including during nib treatment, liquor treatment or press cake treatment.
Another process that helps develop the flavor is roasting. Roasting can be done on the whole bean before shelling or on the nib after shelling. The time and temperature of the roast affect the result: A "low roast" produces a more acid, aromatic flavor, while a high roast gives a more intense, bitter flavor lacking complex flavor notes.[5]
Health benefits of cocoa consumption
Chocolate and cocoa contain a high level of flavonoids, specifically epicatechin, which may have beneficial cardiovascular effects on health.[6][7][8] The ingestion of flavonol-rich cocoa is associated with acute elevation of circulating nitric oxide, enhanced flow-mediated vasodilation, and augmented microcirculation.[9]
Prolonged intake of flavonol-rich cocoa has been linked to cardiovascular health benefits,[6][7][8] though it should be noted that this refers to raw cocoa and to a lesser extent, dark chocolate, since flavonoids degrade during cooking and alkalizing processes. Milk chocolate's addition of whole milk reduces the overall cocoa content per ounce while increasing saturated fat levels, possibly negating some of cocoa's heart-healthy potential benefits. Nevertheless, studies have still found short term benefits in LDL cholesterol levels from dark chocolate consumption.[10]
Hollenberg and colleagues of Harvard Medical School studied the effects of cocoa and flavanols on Panama's Kuna Indian population, who are heavy consumers of cocoa. The researchers found that the Kuna Indians living on the islands had significantly lower rates of heart disease and cancer compared to those on the mainland who do not drink cocoa as on the islands. It is believed that the improved blood flow after consumption of flavonol-rich cocoa may help to achieve health benefits in hearts and other organs. In particular, the benefits may extend to the brain and have important implications for learning and memory.[11][12]
Cocoa also contains large amounts of antioxidants such as epicatechins and polyphenols. According to research at Cornell University, cocoa powder has nearly twice the antioxidants of red wine, and up to three times the antioxidants found in green tea. [13] Cocoa also contains magnesium, iron, chromium, vitamin C, zinc and others.
Foods rich in cocoa appear to reduce blood pressure but drinking green and black tea may not, according to an analysis of previously published research in the April 9, 2007 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine[7], one of the JAMA/Archives journals.[14]
A 15-year study of elderly men[15] published in the Archives of Internal Medicine in 2006 found a 50 percent reduction in cardiovascular mortality and a 47 percent reduction in all-cause mortality for the men regularly consuming the most cocoa, compared to those consuming the least cocoa from all sources.
Non-human animal consumption
Chocolate is a food product with appeal not only to the human population, but to many different animals as well. However, chocolate and cocoa contain a high level of xanthines, specifically theobromine and to a much lesser extent caffeine, that are detrimental to the health of many animals, including dogs and cats. While these compounds have desirable effects in humans, they cannot be efficiently metabolized in many animals and can lead to cardiac and nervous system problems, and if consumed in high quantities, even lead to death. However, since the beginning of the 21st century, some cocoa derivatives with a low concentration of xanthines, have been designed by specialized industry to be suitable for pet consumption, enabling the pet food industry to offer animal safe chocolate and cocoa flavored products.[16][17] It results in products with a high concentration of fiber and proteins, while maintaining low concentrations of sugar and other carbohydrates, thus enabling it to be used to create healthy functional cocoa pet products.
Sustainable Cocoa
In the industrialized world, changing attitudes to cocoa products may cause a reduced demand for them in the future. Obesity, particularly among children, has become a major health problem and chocolate—a food product with a high calorie content—is considered to be part of the problem. Additionally, consumers are becoming increasingly interested in the environmental impact of the production of cocoa, as well as what they perceive as the negative social impact of its production.
Price instability makes it difficult for small-scale farmers to predict income levels from year to year. Efforts to diversify cropping patterns and improve production and marketing efficiencies can help to address this.[citation needed]
Roundtable for a Sustainable Cocoa Economy (RSCE)
The initiative, called the Roundtable for a Sustainable Cocoa Economy (RSCE), has developed from the growing requirement to face the challenges posed by sustainability. It was launched in 2007 by the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) and is steered by an independent working group with representation of major stakeholders. The mission of the Roundtable is to establish a participatory and transparent process towards economic, environmental and social sustainability in the global cocoa economy. The 1st Roundtable in 2007 brought together more than 200 stakeholders representing 25 countries, including cocoa farmers, government officials from cocoa producing and consuming countries, traders, chocolate manufacturers, donor organizations and national and international NGOs.
Child labour in the cocoa production industry
- Children work in the cocoa production industry. According to an International Labor Organization report, in 2002 more than 109,000 children were working on cocoa farms in Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), some of them in 'the worst forms of child labor'.[18] The International Labor Organization later reported that 200,000 children were working in the cocoa industry in Ivory Coast in 2005.[3]
- The first allegations that child slavery is used in cocoa production appeared in 1998. The 2005 International Labor Organization report failed to fully characterize this problem, but estimated that up to 6% of the 200,000 children involved in cocoa production could be the victims of human trafficking or slavery[4]. (See Economics of cocoa).
The Cocoa Protocol is an effort to end these practices. It has however been criticized by some groups including the International Labor Rights Fund as an industry initiative which falls short.
Organizations that directly support sustainable cocoa
- Cocoa farmers in many countries lack information on production and marketing practices to help them improve their livelihoods. Organizations such as the World Cocoa Foundation helps to support sustainable cocoa efforts through public-private partnerships such as IITA's sustainable tree crops program (STCP) in cocoa growing regions. World Cocoa Foundation's regional programs in West Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia have reach over 300,000 small scale cocoa farmers and their families. Graduates of WCF-supported farmer field schools report income improvements of 22–55 percent or more, through improved cultivation and marketing practices.
Environmental impact
The poverty of many cocoa farmers means that they can't afford to take the best care of the environment in their activities.
For decades, these farmers have encroached on forest, most of the time after the best trees had been cut down by logging companies. This has happened less in recent times, as there is less forest left and because many governments and communities take better care of the remaining forests.
Usually, use of current inputs, such as chemical fertilizers and pesticides, by cocoa farmers is limited. For this reason most have only limited knowledge of the most appropriate ways of using such inputs.
See also
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Cacao
- Caffeine
- Cash crop
- Chocolate
- Theobromine, an alkaloid present in cocoa
- Epicatechin, a flavonoid present in cocoa
- Labor exploitation in the chocolate industry
- International Labor Rights Fund - child labor in the cocoa industry
References
- ^ "Chocolate Facts". 2005-06-11. Retrieved 2007-11-12.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ Sorting Out Chocolate - Fine Cooking Article
- ^ "Cacao Vs. Cocoa: Updating Your Chocolate Vocabulary". Retrieved 2007-11-12.
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(help) - ^ "Chocolate History Time Line". Retrieved 2007-11-08.
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(help) - ^ “Cocoa: From Bean to Bar,” Urbanski, John, Food Product Design, May 2008
- ^ a b 1743-7075-3-2.fm
- ^ a b c Taubert D, Roesen R, Schömig E (2007). "Effect of cocoa and tea intake on blood pressure: a meta-analysis". Arch. Intern. Med. 167 (7): 626–34. doi:10.1001/archinte.167.7.626. PMID 17420419.
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ignored (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b Schroeter H, Heiss C, Balzer J; et al. (2006). "(-)-Epicatechin mediates beneficial effects of flavanol-rich cocoa on vascular function in humans". Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 103 (4): 1024–9. doi:10.1073/pnas.0510168103. PMC 1327732. PMID 16418281.
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ignored (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Cocoa: The Next Health Drink?
- ^ BBC NEWS | Health | Cocoa nutrient for 'lethal ills'
- ^ Flavanols in cocoa may offer benefits to the brain
- ^ Bayard V, Chamorro F, Motta J, Hollenberg NK (2007). "Does flavanol intake influence mortality from nitric oxide-dependent processes? Ischemic heart disease, stroke, diabetes mellitus, and cancer in Panama". Int J Med Sci. 4 (1): 53–8. PMC 1796954. PMID 17299579.
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Lee KW, Kim YJ, Lee HJ, Lee CY (2003). "Cocoa has more phenolic phytochemicals and a higher antioxidant capacity than teas and red wine". J. Agric. Food Chem. 51 (25): 7292–5. doi:10.1021/jf0344385. PMID 14640573.
{{cite journal}}
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ignored (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Cocoa, But Not Tea, May Lower Blood Pressure
- ^ Buijsse B, Feskens EJ, Kok FJ, Kromhout D (2006). "Cocoa intake, blood pressure, and cardiovascular mortality: the Zutphen Elderly Study". Arch. Intern. Med. 166 (4): 411–7. doi:10.1001/.411. PMID 16505260.
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ignored (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Dogs and Chocolate: Gourmet Treats". Retrieved 2007-11-12.
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(help) - ^ "Chocolicks, a brand of Chocolate Treats for Dogs". Retrieved 2007-11-12.
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(help) - ^ U.S. Department of State Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, 2005 Human Rights Report on Côte d'Ivoire
External links
- International Cocoa Organization (ICCO)
- Roundtable for a Sustainable Cocoa Economy (RSCE) - working with all stakeholders from the cocoa economy towards a world cocoa economy that is economically viable, ecologically sound and socially acceptable
- World Cocoa Foundation - supporting sustainable cocoa farming
- Harvard Study on Medical Aspects of Cocoa
- Cocoa Producers' Alliance (COPAL)
- Upcocoa project in Cameroon- A multi-stakeholder initiative on upgrading the capacities of cocoa farmers and their organisations.