FOOD CHEMISTRY: CHOCOLATE AND COCOA
Diagram
From cacao bean to cocoa powder
Cacao
The tree Theobroma cacao and its raw, fermented and dried beans. Cacao is the raw starting material.
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Processing
Fermentation, drying, roasting, winnowing, grinding into cocoa liquor, then pressing out cocoa butter.
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Cocoa
The processed product: cocoa powder, made from cocoa liquor after much of the cocoa butter is pressed out, and cocoa butter itself.
Figure 1: Cacao is the raw bean and cocoa is the processed product. Drawn in our own style from the history and processing described in Coe and Coe, The True History of Chocolate, and the cocoa chapter of Coultate, Food: The Chemistry of Its Components.
Introduction
Cocoa and cacao are often used as if they were the same word, but they name different stages of one chain. Cacao is the raw material: the tree Theobroma cacao and its fermented and dried beans. Cocoa is the processed product made from those beans, most often cocoa powder and cocoa butter. The difference matters because the raw bean is bitter and inedible as it comes from the pod, while cocoa powder is the defatted, ground product used in drinks, baking and chocolate making.
Coe and Coe trace the change from the bitter seeds of Theobroma cacao, transformed by fermentation, drying and roasting, into chocolate. Coultate describes cocoa butter and chocolate as food components in their own right. This article follows those two books.
Quick comparison
Table 1: Cocoa compared with cacao
| Aspect | Cacao | Cocoa |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | The raw bean of the tree Theobroma cacao, fermented and dried | The processed product made from the bean, usually cocoa powder or cocoa butter |
| Stage in the chain | Starting material | Product after roasting, grinding and pressing |
| Fat content | The whole bean, with its cocoa butter still in it | Cocoa powder has much of the cocoa butter pressed out of it |
| Taste | Bitter seeds, not eaten raw | Bitter too, but a finished ingredient, usually sweetened in use |
| Processing | Fermentation and drying of the beans | Roasting, winnowing, grinding into cocoa liquor, then pressing |
| Form sold | Dried beans, nibs, or raw cacao powder from the whole bean | Cocoa powder, cocoa butter, and chocolate made from them |
| Main use | Raw material for chocolate and cocoa products | Drinks, baking, confectionery and chocolate |
| Heat treatment | Fermentation warms the beans, but no roasting yet | Roasted before grinding |
| Name origin | From the tree name Theobroma cacao | From the processed product, cocoa, as used in chocolate making |
| Label meaning | Signals the raw, less processed form | Signals the processed powder or butter |
Scientific explanation
Definition
Cacao is the bean of the tree Theobroma cacao after fermentation and drying, and it is the raw material of chocolate. Cocoa is the product made by roasting those beans, removing the shell, grinding the nibs into cocoa liquor, and pressing out much of the cocoa butter, leaving cocoa powder. The two words therefore describe the same crop at two different stages.
Working principle
Fermentation changes the bitter seeds: microbes and heat develop the flavour precursors inside the bean. Drying stops the fermentation and makes the beans storable. Roasting then develops the chocolate flavour, the shells are winnowed away, and the nibs are ground into cocoa liquor, a liquid because the cocoa butter melts on grinding. Pressing the liquor separates cocoa butter from cocoa powder. Cocoa powder is the solid left after pressing, and it is the form used in cocoa drinks and baking.
Apparatus
The books used here name no laboratory apparatus for telling the two apart, so no apparatus list is given.
Measurement procedure
The books used here name no single standard laboratory procedure for telling cacao from cocoa. The distinction is made from the stage of processing and the form of the product: whole fermented beans are cacao, and the defatted powder is cocoa.
Factors affecting readings
Fermentation time and drying change the flavour precursors in the bean. Roasting temperature and time change the flavour of the cocoa. How much cocoa butter is pressed out changes whether the product is a powder for drinks or a butter for chocolate. None of these is a reading to be measured: they are processing choices that decide what the product is called.
Formulas and calculations
The books used here give no formula for this comparison, so no formula or worked calculation is given.
Industrial applications
- Cacao beans are the raw material of all chocolate manufacture.
- Cocoa powder is used in hot cocoa drinks, baking, and confectionery.
- Cocoa butter is used in chocolate, where it gives the melt and the snap.
- Cacao nibs are used as a crunchy ingredient in confectionery and baking.
- Cocoa powder is used to colour and flavour cakes, biscuits and desserts.
Advantages and limitations
- Cacao: advantage: keeps the whole bean, with its full fat and flavour precursors. Limitation: bitter and unusable without processing.
- Cocoa powder: advantage: a stable, easy to store ingredient for drinks and baking. Limitation: much of the cocoa butter, and with it some richness, is removed.
- Cocoa butter: advantage: gives chocolate its melt in the mouth and its gloss. Limitation: it is only one part of the bean, so it cannot replace cocoa powder.
FAQ
Is cacao just raw cocoa?
Yes, in practice. Cacao is the raw fermented bean, and cocoa is the product after roasting, grinding and pressing.
Which one is used in hot chocolate?
Cocoa powder is used in hot chocolate drinks. Cacao beans must be processed first.
Does cocoa powder still contain fat?
Yes, a small amount of cocoa butter stays in the powder after pressing, but much of it has been removed.
Why do some labels say cacao and others say cocoa?
Cacao on a label signals the raw or less processed form, while cocoa signals the processed powder or butter.
References and further reading
- FTN Confectionery and Snack Foods notes, Units 14 and 15 (chocolate products and chocolate manufacturing).
- Sophie D. Coe and Michael D. Coe, The True History of Chocolate, 3rd ed., Thames and Hudson, 2013 (Google Books page read)
- Tom P. Coultate, Food: The Chemistry of Its Components, 5th ed., Royal Society of Chemistry, 2009 (Google Books page read)
