Cocoa Butter: Intolerance & Allergy

Cocoa butter is the light yellow fat obtained from cocoa curd or cocoa liquor by pressing and centrifuging after fermentation, drying and roasting. Cocoa butter is mainly used in the food industry for the production of chocolate and nougat, but also in the cosmetics industry as an additive in skin and body care products. It has a shelf life of up to two years when properly stored due to its high content of saturated fatty acids and low content of unsaturated fatty acids.

Here’s what you should know about cocoa butter

Cocoa butter is the light yellow fat obtained from cocoa curd or cocoa liquor by pressing and centrifuging after fermentation, drying and roasting. The light yellow cocoa butter is extracted from cocoa beans or from raw cocoa by pressing or centrifuging after a multi-step process that all cocoa beans undergo. The home of the cacao tree is most likely the rainforest of Brazil, and its use in Central America has been documented since at least 1,000 BC. In the meantime, the cacao tree, which tends to like it a little shady and is dependent on sufficient rainfall, is cultivated almost throughout the entire tropical regions close to the equator, up to 20 degrees north and south latitude, on small farms and in large plantations in a wide range of varieties. The large cocoa fruits, which weigh about 500 g and contain up to 50 seeds, the actual cocoa beans, are harvested throughout the year under favorable conditions, so that it is not possible to speak of a distinct harvest season. The fruits, which grow directly on the trunk, are carefully cut off and the shell is cracked open. The collected cracked fruit is usually collected in vats, and the white, sugary pulp (fruit pulp) goes into fermentation without any other ingredients. During this process, the mixture heats up to about 50 degrees Celsius, and during the fermentation process, which lasts about 7 to 10 days, the cocoa beans lose some of their bitter substances and acquire their typical chocolate flavor. The cocoa beans are then dried in the sun or in drying ovens and shrink to about half their original size. Further processing of the cocoa beans usually takes place in the consumer countries of Europe and North America. There, the cocoa beans are cleaned, thermally pretreated and roasted at 100 to 140 degrees Celsius. After the cocoa beans have been broken and shelled, the resulting so-called cocoa nib is refined and various undesirable flavor and odor substances are removed. The portion of the refined cocoa nib curd intended for the production of cocoa powder is again liquefied by heating to 80 to 90 degrees Celsius, and the liquid fat, the clear light yellow cocoa butter, is pressed out with hydraulic presses under high pressure. As it cools, the cocoa butter solidifies and already exudes its typical chocolate aroma. Depending on the intended use, the cocoa butter undergoes a further refining process.

Importance for health

Cocoa butter is made up of over 99 percent different fats, which may sound off-putting at first because many people associate eating fats with an increase in their cholesterol levels. However, this blanket assumption is not tenable. For example, it has been shown in recent years that saturated fatty acids, which make up about 61 percent of cocoa butter, have no detectable effect on serum cholesterol. Instead, there is a danger from so-called trans fats, which increase the low density lipoproteins (LDL) and lower the high density lipoproteins (HDL), so that the LDL to HDL ratio is negatively influenced. This results in a higher risk of developing arteriosclerosis. Unlike many industrially manufactured products, which are made using hydrogenated fats and have a high proportion of trans fats in their total fat content, cocoa butter contains only a very low proportion of trans fats. Cocoa butter has no detectable effect on cholesterol balance. Cocoa butter contains a great many flavor and aroma substances because most of these substances are fat-soluble and remain in the cocoa butter when it is pressed out. A certain health aspect is provided by its content of fat-soluble vitamin K and a noteworthy content of potassium. Vitamin K is essential for a number of metabolic processes.It plays an important role in the complex chain of blood clotting and in the mineralization of bones, thus it has an influence on bone density. Potassium is an important mineral, the deficiency of which leads, among other things, to heart rhythm problems.

Ingredients and nutritional values

Cocoa butter, unlike butter made from cow’s milk, contains virtually no water, so its fat content is about 99.5 percent. At the same time, this means that cocoa butter cannot contain other primary plant substances such as proteins, carbohydrates and fiber. Its nutritional value is correspondingly high at 884 kcal or 3,682 kJ per 100 g. The fat content is divided into saturated fats (61 %t), unsaturated fatty acids (31 %) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (3 %). The saturated fatty acids are mainly composed of palmitic acid (25 %) and stearic acid (35 %), while the monounsaturated fatty acid consists almost exclusively of oleic acid. Other ingredients include a small amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids (2.3%), vitamin K (15 µg/100 g) and the mineral potassium (1 mg/100 g).

Intolerances and allergies

Cocoa butter is usually not consumed pure, but almost always as an ingredient in chocolate or confectionery, or as an ingredient in special dishes and special pastries. Direct intolerances or allergies to cocoa butter are therefore not known. If an intolerance or allergy to foods containing cocoa butter occurs, it is usually the other ingredients that come into question as triggers. This also applies to chocolate, which normally always contains cocoa butter. It is often a histamine intolerance that causes symptoms after eating the food containing cocoa butter in rare cases. Cocoa butter itself is low in histamine and other biogenic amines, and also low in histamine-triggering substances that could lead to an allergic reaction with corresponding endogenous histamine release.

Shopping and kitchen tips

Cocoa butter is produced year-round and is therefore available year-round. Pure cocoa butter is not available in EVERY grocery or fruit and vegetable store, but it is available in well-stocked organic supermarkets and in all variations in online retailers. Cocoa butter is usually offered in the recommended organic quality, for example as a curd, as a block or in the form of small plates or chips, which facilitate a quantity dosage as an ingredient for dishes. Since cocoa butter is also a carrier of many aromas and flavors, it tastes and smells different depending on the cocoa variety from which it was obtained. In some cases, it is therefore also offered as a single variety. Cocoa butter has a shelf life of one to two years if stored in a cool place and protected from light.

Preparation tips

A special physical property of cocoa butter is that it is already very soft at room temperature and melts in the mouth at almost body temperature. From in each case about the same amount of cocoa powder, cocoa butter and sugar can be made by careful melting an excellent chocolate, which can be given a special touch with an addition of hot spices or fruits or various liqueurs in each case. There are no limits to imagination and experimentation. Cakes and other pastries are given particularly savory flavors by partially replacing butter with cocoa butter.