which time the pulp surrounding the seeds is
decomposed and removed and flavor precur-
sors develop in the seeds. The dried beans,
now called raw cocoa containing about 6–8%
moisture, are roasted to produce the required
flavor, aroma, and color and to facilitate the
removal of the seed coat (shell); temperatures
vary from 100 to 150C, depending on the
types of beans and the products to be made.
Beans for manufacturing cocoa butter or
chocolate are roasted at lower temperatures,
while those for cocoa powder production are
roasted at higher temperatures. After roasting,
the shell and hypocotyl are separated from the
cotyledons (called nibs).
The nib, containing about 55% cocoa but-
ter, is ground while hot to a liquid mass called
cocoa or chocolate liquor, from which variable
amounts of the cocoa butter is removed by
hydraulic pressing. The cocoa cake left on the
filter is cooled and then ground to a fine
powder under controlled cool temperatures to
yield cocoa powder that has cocoa fat contents
of up to 22% or more.
Currently, most cocoa powders are pro-
duced by the so-called Dutch or alkalized
process, in which the nib is treated with a
warm aqueous solution of up to three parts of
anhydrous potassium carbonate to 100 parts of
nib (or equivalent amounts of other alkalis
such as potassium bicarbonate and hydroxide;
carbonates, bicarbonates, and hydroxides of
sodium, magnesium, and ammonium; or their
combinations). After the alkali is completely
absorbed, the nib is processed as in the above
method to yield alkalized cocoa powder.
Alkalized cocoa is considered to have im-
proved dispersibility, color, and flavor over
unalkalized cocoa.
Cacao nibs, cocoa powder, and certain
other cocoa products (e.g., chocolates) are
governed by standards of identity set forth in
the Code of Federal Regulations (21 CFR
§§163.110–163.155).For example, cacao nibs
used for cocoa manufacture are required to
have no more than 1.75% cacao shell. Break-
fast cocoa (or high-fat cocoa) must have at
least 22% cacao fat (cocoa butter), cocoa
(or medium-fat cocoa) must contain less than
22% but not less than 10%, and low-fat cocoa
must contain less than 10% cacao fat. Alka-
lized cocoa must be labeled ‘‘processed with
alkali,’’ and so on.
Cocoa butter (also called cacao butter and
theobroma oil) is produced commonly by
three methods: hydraulic pressing, extrusion
or expeller pressing, and solvent extraction.
Cocoa butter produced by the first two meth-
ods has a faint chocolate flavor and aroma that
can be removed by steam distillation under
vacuum; it is brittle at temperatures below
25 C and melts at 34–35C.1,2
Cocoa extracts are generally prepared by
extraction of the roasted seeds (nibs) with
hydroalcoholic solvents; an essential oil is
also produced by steam distillation.CHEMICAL COMPOSITIONCocoa contains more than 300 volatile com-
pounds, including hydrocarbons, monocarbo-
nyls, pyrroles, pyrazines, esters, lactones, and
others.
The important flavor components are re-
ported to be aliphatic esters, polyphenols,
unsaturated aromatic carbonyls, pyrazines,
diketopiperazines, and theobromine.3–5Co-
coa also contains about 18% proteins (ca.
8% digestible);2,6,7fats (cocoa butter); amines
and alkaloids, including theobromine
(0.5–2.7%), caffeine (ca. 0.25% in cocoa;
0.07–1.70% in fat-free beans, with forasteros
containingless than0.1% and criollos contain-
ing 1.43–1.70%),8–10 tyramine, dopamine,
salsolinol,11,12trigonelline, nicotinic acid, and
free amino acids;^9 tannins; phospholipids;^13
starch and sugars;^2 minerals (particularly high
in sodium or potassium in alkalized cocoa);
and others (MARTINDALE;MORTON3;WATT AND
MERRILL).^14
The characteristic bitter taste of cocoa is
reported to be due to the diketopiperazines
(especially those containing phenylalanine)
reacting with the theobromine present during
roasting.^5
Cocoa butter contains mainly triglycerides
of fatty acids that consist primarily of oleicCocoa (cacao) 217