Cocoa: Applications, Treatments, Health Benefits

Cocoa is usually referred to as cocoa powder, made from the dried and fatty bean of the cocoa plant. Apart from cocoa powder, cocoa butter is the essential product from the plant. These substances are the basis for chocolate and many Mesoamerican foods.

Occurrence and cultivation of cacao

By far the largest producer of cacao is the Ivory Coast, followed by Indonesia and Ghana. The cacao fruit has a hard shell about three inches thick. This varies depending on the species. It is filled with a sweetish, thick pulp, distributed in 30 to 50 soft seeds with a purple color. However, they reach this color only after drying. The exception is the rarer white cocoa beans. By far the largest producer of cocoa is the Ivory Coast, followed by Indonesia and Ghana. Thus, the centers of extraction of cocoa are located on the northwest coast of South America, the west coast of Africa and in southern Asia.

Application and use

Cocoa is mainly used in the production of chocolate. For one kilogram of chocolate, 300 to 600 cocoa beans are processed. The beans are roasted and seeded. The resulting curd is already partially sold, as it finds its use in the preparation of dishes. Since this curd, called “nibs,” comes directly from the tree, it has a high content of theobromine, a caffeine-like active ingredient. In a further processing step, the nibs are ground to produce a thick solution, also called cocoa paste. This paste is then mixed with sugar and more cocoa butter to make chocolate. Alternatively, the paste can be separated into cocoa powder and cocoa butter by a hydraulic press. The powder has a lower fat content, of about 10%. The butter is used in the production of chocolate bars, chocolates, soaps or cosmetics. Taste and texture of chocolate depends on the processing. The more expensive, delicate and tasty the chocolate, the longer and more elaborate the processing and the more select the added ingredients. Different producers around the world develop their own unique flavor, through manufacturing processes and additions. The finest, pure dark chocolate contains a cocoa content of at least 70%, milk chocolate about 50% and white chocolate around 35%. Many classic producers complain that due to mass production, more and more bad products come onto the market. Thus, there are many chocolate products whose cocoa content is less than 7%.

Importance for health, treatment and prevention

Cocoa and chocolates contains a high amount of flavonoids, especially epicatechin, which is said to have a positive effect on the cardiovascular system. Thus, longer-term consumption of cocoa has been associated with a healthier cardiovascular system. However, the more unprocessed the cocoa, the greater the benefits. This is because processing and heating reduces the positive active ingredients of cocoa. But dark chocolate (min. 70%) also has a positive effect on the cholesterol balance. The processing of cocoa in milk chocolate, on the other hand, reduces the positive effects immensely. Due to the high sugar and fat content, the effect here tends to turn into the opposite. The Kuna tribe in Panama lives isolated on an island and is known to consume high amounts of cocoa. Their consumption is significantly higher than that of the surrounding tribes on the mainland. The Kuna have been found to have a significantly reduced incidence of heart attacks and cancer. It is believed that improved blood flow after ingestion of cocoa is responsible for this. Researchers from the magazine Archive International Medicine have found evidence that the positive effects of cocoa on high blood pressure are more pronounced than those of green or black tea. The same magazine also contains the results of a 15-year study of older men who were interviewed and examined for their cocoa consumption. The result: the men with the highest consumption of cocoa were up to 50% less likely to develop fatal heart disease. Other fatal diseases were reduced by up to 47%. In the horizon of these results, however, it should be remembered that chocolate in particular is very rich in calories. High consumption can lead to obesity and thus also to negative health consequences.