Cocoa powder is the cocoa beans (seeds) taken from the bean pods (fruits) produced by the cocoa tree, and the cocoa bean fragments (commonly known as cocoa cakes) obtained through fermentation, coarse crushing, and peeling. The powder is cocoa powder.

Cocoa powder is divided into high, medium and low-fat cocoa powder according to its fat content; it is divided into natural powder and alkalized powder according to different processing methods, and it is divided into West African cocoa powder and Indonesian cocoa powder according to the place of origin.

At present, the production of cocoa powder in Ivory Coast accounts for 40% of the world, and the production of cocoa powder in neighboring Ghana accounts for 30%.

Cocoa powder has a strong cocoa aroma and can be used in high-grade chocolate, ice cream, candy, cakes and other cocoa-containing foods.

The efficacy and role of cocoa powder

The alkaloids in natural cocoa powder can invigorate the stomach, stimulate the secretion of gastric juice, promote protein digestion, and reduce nutritional diarrhea that cannot be resolved by antibiotics.

Scientists said that more and more research results show that the chemical components in cocoa powder can effectively treat heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and vascular diseases. The bodily benefits of cocoa are phytochemicals called flavanols, which are also found in red wine and black tea.

Nutritional value of cocoa powder

1. During the extrusion process of cocoa paste, part of the fat is removed, and the remaining solid raw material is called cocoa oil cake, and these oil cakes are milled to form cocoa powder. Cocoa butter, the natural fat in cocoa beans, does not raise blood cholesterol. Studies have shown that cocoa butter, despite its high saturated fat content, does not raise blood cholesterol like other saturated fats. This is because of its high stearic acid content. Stearic acid is one of the main fatty acids in cocoa butter, which can lower blood cholesterol.

2. Cocoa powder contains vitamin B2, potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron and other elements, which can promote the reflex system of muscles and the body, clear away heat and detoxify, strengthen fat burning, and stimulate blood circulation to achieve the effect of weight loss.

3. The results of two studies on cocoa powder and chocolate currently conducted by the American Medical Association in Germany show that flavanols in cocoa powder and chocolate products have beneficial effects on vascular health.

How to tell the difference between good and bad cocoa powder

Look at the color to distinguish

The color of natural cocoa powder should be light brown, brown or even dark brown natural cocoa powder must be added with food coloring; the color of alkalized cocoa powder should be brown red, if it is dark brown or brown black, it must be It is caused by excessive alkalization and excessive ash content.

Smell Discrimination

The smell of natural cocoa powder is the natural cocoa fragrance, which is a light fragrance. Those that smell strong or burnt are of poor quality; The powder is thicker, but it doesn't have a burnt taste.

fineness discrimination

The fineness of cocoa powder is very important for the production of chocolate. The chocolate produced by cocoa powder with substandard fineness has a poor taste and rough feeling. Take a small amount of cocoa powder and put it on the white paper, fold it gently with your hands and wipe it, the powder with a fineness of more than 99 will be evenly distributed on the paper, while the powder with a fineness of less than 99 will have a sense of drop and uneven distribution.

Fat content identification

You can rub cocoa powder in the palm of your hand. If the palm is dry, it means that the fat content is low. If there is obvious greasy feeling, it means that the fat content is high.

How to use cocoa powder

Since natural cocoa powder is an acidic substance, if the formula is relatively large, you can use a small amount of soda powder to neutralize its acidity, so that the cake will not have a sour taste, and the color of the chocolate will be more beautiful.

❶In general desserts that need to be loosened, such as chiffon, sponge and other cocoa cakes, it is best to use natural cocoa powder + baking soda, so that the alkalinity of baking soda and the acidity of natural cocoa powder are neutralized, and its foaming effect makes The cake is fluffy.

❷ Baking soda is not necessarily added when making snacks that do not require foaming, such as truffles, biscuits, dipping sauce, desserts, pie crust, etc. Some hot chocolate mixes contain alkalized cocoa powder.

❸When there is baking soda in the recipe, do not use alkalized cocoa powder, otherwise too much alkali will be produced in the batter, which will not only affect the swelling of the cake, but also have a soap-like smell.

https://www.arshinefood.com/detail/Industry-Information/identification-of-cocoa-powder.html