Cocoa solids - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Cocoa solids
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cocoa solids are a mixture of many substances remaining after cocoa butter is extracted from cacao beans. When sold as an end product, it may
also be called cocoa powder, cocoa, and cacao. In contrast, the fatty component of chocolate is cocoa butter. Cocoa butter is 50% to 57% of the
weight of cocoa beans and gives chocolate its characteristic melting properties.[1] Cocoa liquor or cocoa mass is a paste of roasted cocoa beans with
cocoa butter and solids in their natural proportions. Chocolate requires the addition of extra cocoa butter to cocoa liquor, and the excess cocoa solids
resulting from the chocolate industry dictate the relatively cheap supply of cocoa powder. This contrasts with the earliest European usage of cocoa
where, before chocolate was popularized, cocoa powder was the primary product and cocoa butter was little more than a waste product.
Cocoa solids are one of the richest sources of flavanol antioxidants.[2] They are a key ingredient of chocolate, chocolate syrup, and chocolate
confections.

Physical properties
Natural cocoa powder has a light brown color and a pH level of 5.1 to 5.4. The processed (alkalized) cocoa powder is darker in color, ranging from
brownish red to nearly black, with a pH from 6.8 to 8.1. The alkalization process reduces bitterness and improves solubility, which is important for
beverage product applications. All of these pH values are considered safe for food use.[3]

Nutrition
Cocoa powder contains several minerals including calcium, copper, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium and zinc. All of these minerals are
found in greater quantities in cocoa powder than either cocoa butter or cocoa liquor.[1] Cocoa solids also contain 230 mg of caffeine and 2057 mg of
theobromine per 100g, which are mostly absent from the other components of the cocoa bean.[4]

Flavonoids
Cocoa powder is rich in flavonoids, a type of phenolic acid. The amount of flavonoids depends on the amount of processing and manufacturing the
cocoa powder undergoes, but cocoa powder can contain up to 10% its weight in flavonoids.[1] However, its alkalization, also known as Dutch
processing, causes its content of flavanoids to be substantially reduced.[2][5][6]

Safety
Cocoa and cacao powders may contain cadmium, a toxic heavy metal and probable carcinogen. The European Union has proposed a limit for
cadmium in cocoa powders of 0.6 g per gram.[7] In Canada, a daily serving of a natural health product must contain no more than 6 g of cadmium
for an individual weighing 150 pounds (68 kg) and 3 g for a 75 lb (34 kg) individual.[8] While the U.S. government has not set a limit for cadmium in
foods or health products, the state of California has established a maximum allowable daily level of oral cadmium exposure of 4.1 g, and requires
products containing more than this amount per daily serving to bear a warning on the label.[9] One investigation by an independent consumer testing
laboratory found that seven of nine commercially available cocoa powders and nibs selected for testing contained more than 0.3 g of cadmium per
serving gram; five of these products exceeded the proposed EU limit of 0.6 g per gram.[5][10][11]

See also
Baking chocolate
Chocolate
Cocoa butter

References
1. Steinberg, F.M.; Bearden, M.N.; Keen, C.L. (February 2003). "Cocoa and chocolate flavonoids: Implications for cardiovascular health". Journal of the
American Dietetic Association 103 (2): 215223. doi:10.1053/jada.2003.50028. Retrieved November 9, 2011.
2. Miller, Kenneth B.; Jeffery Hurst, William; Payne, Mark J.; Stuart, David A.; Apgar, Joan; Sweigart, Daniel S.; Ou, Boxin (2008). "Impact of Alkalization on
the Antioxidant and Flavanol Content of Commercial Cocoa Powders". J. Agric. Food Chem 56 (18): 85278533. doi:10.1021/jf801670p.
3. Materials Handled Cocoa Powder: Overview (http://www.flexicon.com/Materials-Handled/Cocoa-Powder.html). Retrieved: 2 April 2014.
4. "USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 24, (2011)".
5. "Product Review: Cocoa Powders, Dark Chocolate, Extracts, Nibs, & Supplements". ConsumerLab.com. ConsumerLab.com LLC. 17 May 2014. Retrieved
10 February 2015.
6. "Chocolate Terms". Thenibble.com. Retrieved 2013-05-27.
7. "Amending Regulation (EC) No 1881/2006 as regards maximum levels of cadmium in foodstuff". http://eur-lex.europa.eu/. European Commission (EU).
2014. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
8. "Quality of natural health products guide". http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/. Health Canada. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
9. "Proposition 65 Maximum Allowable Daily Level (MADL) for Reproductive Toxicity for Cadmium (Oral Route)" (PDF). http://www.oehha.org/. State of
California: Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) Reproductive and Cancer Hazard Assessment Section. Retrieved 10 February
2015.
10. David Schardt (1 July 2014). "What to Eat: Are Cocoa and Chocolate a Reliable Source of Flavanols?". NutritionAction.com. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
11. Markham Heid (August 2014). "Cocoa Powders Found To Contain A Toxic Metal". http://www.prevention.com/. Prevention. Retrieved 10 February 2015.

External links
Hamel, PJ (10 January 2014). "The A-B-C's of cocoa". Flourish. King Arthur Flour. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
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Categories: Components of chocolate Dutch inventions

12/30/2015 8:24 AM