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CULTURAL AND WILD PLANTS
Real cocoa (chocolate tree). Legends, myths, symbolism, description, cultivation, methods of application
Directory / Cultivated and wild plants Content
Real cocoa (chocolate tree), Theobroma cacao. Photos of the plant, basic scientific information, legends, myths, symbolism
Basic scientific information, legends, myths, symbolism Sort by: Theobroma Family: Rubiaceae (Malvaceae) Origin: Cocoa comes from the tropical forests of Central and South America, as well as western Africa. Area: It grows in the tropical zones of America, Africa and Asia, at an altitude of 0 to 1000 meters. Chemical composition: Cocoa contains many useful substances, such as flavonoids, theobromine, cadmium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, copper, potassium, manganese and others. Economic value: Cocoa is used mainly for the production of chocolate and other sweets. In addition, cocoa butter, cocoa powder and other products are produced from cocoa. Cocoa also has medicinal value and is used in the production of certain drugs. Legends, myths, symbolism: In Mayan mythology, cocoa was associated with the goddess of the earth, who gave people this valuable cultural product. Mayan priests also used cocoa in religious ceremonies, considering it a sacred and magical plant. In ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt, cocoa was used as a monetary unit, as well as for the production of a valuable drink. In Europe, cocoa became popular thanks to the Spanish conquerors who brought it from the New World in the XNUMXth century. In the XIX century, chocolate became available to the mass consumer due to the development of production technologies and mass production. The symbolic meaning of real cocoa is associated with its value and rarity. The plant symbolizes wealth, luxury, sophistication and romance. Cocoa can also be associated with sensuality and passion due to its rich and addictive taste.
Real cocoa (chocolate tree), Theobroma cacao. Description, illustrations of the plant Chocolate tree (cocoa), Theobroma cacao L. Botanical description, history of origin, nutritional value, cultivation, use in cooking, medicine, industry
Evergreen tree up to 15 m high. The leaves are large, entire. The flowers are small, pink, develop in bunches from the trunk and thick lower branches. The fruit is large, with an elongated top, with wide ribs, yellow, orange or red; the shell is thick, leathery; the pulp is sour-sweet, juicy. The seeds, called beans, are oval-flattened in shape, arranged in five rows in the fruit, tightly pressed to each other; the number of seeds is 25-50. Blooms throughout the year. The birthplace of the chocolate tree is tropical America. Not found in the wild. It was first introduced into culture by the ancient Indians - the Aztecs. The locals used cocoa for food. The roasted seeds were boiled, then ground, cornmeal, vanilla were added and the mixture was whipped into a foam. The frozen mass was eaten cold and called it "choco-latl". On an industrial scale, the chocolate tree began to be cultivated in the XNUMXth century in Brazil and other countries. At present, it occupies the largest areas in West Africa, around the Gulf of Guinea, as well as in Sri Lanka and Indonesia. The chocolate tree is propagated by seeds that remain viable for only 15 days. Trees begin to bear fruit in the third year of life, but they give the greatest harvest at the age of eight to ten. The plant is heat-loving, does not tolerate temperatures below 10 ° C. Fresh seeds are white, tart, bitter taste. They are freed from the pulp of the fruit. The pulp is used for food. The seeds are fermented, after which the kernels become purple-brown, oily; they acquire a delicate aroma, but remain bitter. Cocoa seeds contain a lot of fatty oil, starch, proteins, fiber, tannins and dyes, organic acids, etc. Theobromine and caffeine alkaloids (traces) were found in them, concentrated in the seed coat, which, after fermentation and drying, is removed and used to obtain valuable medicines (caffeine, theobromine). The aroma of cocoa is determined by a complex of volatile substances. The medicinal properties of cocoa seeds have been known for a long time. They have a diuretic, vasodilating, tonic and stimulating effect, stimulate cardiac activity. The main substance of cocoa beans is fatty oil. To obtain it, roasted seeds are ground between rollers and pressed. The hot oil is poured into molds where it solidifies quickly at room temperature. Cocoa butter is a light yellow substance with a pleasant, strong aroma. It is used mainly in the food industry, as well as in the medical industry for the manufacture of soft dosage forms (candles, balls, sticks). After extracting the oil, all the valuable substances contained in the seeds remain in the cake. The ground cake is the widespread cocoa powder, from which confectionery, creams and drinks are made in the food industry. Chocolate is made from cocoa powder. There are different types of chocolate. Depending on the variety, one or another amount of cocoa butter and sugar is added to the powder, sometimes milk, vanilla, nuts and other ingredients, then the mass is poured into special forms. Chocolate has a tonic property and is an indispensable food product not only for sick people, but also for healthy people. It is used to prevent physical and emotional overstrain, as well as to increase efficiency. It is recommended for astronauts, pilots, submariners, athletes, as well as those who need enhanced nutrition, recuperation after illness. Authors: Kretsu L.G., Domashenko L.G., Sokolov M.D.
Cocoa, Theobroma. Methods of application, origin of the plant, range, botanical description, cultivation
Cocoa: on the left - leaves and flowers; right - fruit and seeds The genus Theobroma L. belongs to the family Sterculiaceae and includes 22 species. Most species, with the exception of Theobroma cacao L. and Theobroma bicolor H. B., have a limited distribution. In 1828, a method for extracting fat from beans was invented in Holland, and they became more palatable and easily digestible. The extracted fat is used to make chocolate and sold as cocoa butter. Cocoa butter consists mainly of glycerides of palmitic, stearic and oleic acids. At room temperature, cocoa butter is solid, with a melting point of 28-36°C. It is used in cosmetic, pharmaceutical, confectionery and other industries. Bean shells (cocoa shells) are used to produce theobromine, a substitute for cocoa powder, and also for animal feed. Fruit shells containing about 60 kg N, 18,9 kg CaO, 26,3 kg MgO, 230 kg K2O and 21,1 kg P2O5 are used as fertilizer on cocoa plantations. Cocoa beans of the forastero group contain the following substances (in% of wet weight): water - 35, starch - 45, sugar - 6,0, caffeine - 0,8; polyphenols - 5,2; acids - 0,6; mineral salts - 2,6. World exports of cocoa beans in 1987 amounted to 1,52 million tons; cocoa powder - 270 thousand tons, cocoa butter - 257 thousand tons, cocoa paste - 144 thousand tons, chocolate and other products - 944 thousand tons. The average yield of a chocolate tree is 399 kg / ha. The center of origin of the genus Theobroma in South America, probably in the basin of the river. Amazons with a second center of speciation on the Pacific slopes of the Colombian Andes, where new species have recently been discovered. During the conquest of Mexico, the companions of Cortés became acquainted for the first time with the use of cocoa. The Aztecs prepared a drink called "chocoatl", that is, "bitter water" (hence the word "chocolate"); they drank it with pepper, corn and vanilla. Cocoa fruits were called "cacahuatl", hence, obviously, the name "cocoa". A slave was bought for 100 cocoa beans. The Aztec emperor collected tribute from farmers in the form of cocoa beans. A large mass of beans was discovered in the royal palace of Montezuma, when in 1519. he was captured by the soldiers of Cortes. Cocoa beans were brought by Columbus from Central America to Europe as a curiosity. The Spaniards did not know the Indian way of preparing the drink, but soon managed to unravel it. Therefore, the export of beans to Spain began, and the first factory chocolate was made here for the first time. The cocoa drink became popular in the early XNUMXth century. in Italy, France, and then in Holland, Germany and England. Along with "coffee" houses, "chocolate" houses were founded, which were used as clubs. Due to the high cost of cocoa, it was consumed only by representatives of the propertied classes. Cacao trees naturally occupy the understory and undergrowth of a tropical rain forest at altitudes ranging from sea level to 1000 m. The total area under cocoa plantations is gradually increasing. According to the FAO, in 1988 it amounted to 5,6 million hectares. If coffee from its homeland in East Africa "moved" to Brazil, then cocoa from Brazil - to West Africa. The leading cocoa producing countries are: Côte d'Ivoire (680 thousand tons), Brazil (347 thousand tons), Ghana (290 thousand tons) and Malaysia (220 thousand tons). Plants of the genus include trees of various heights - from 5 to 33 m, but usually low, with dimorphic branches. Chocolate tree, or cocoa tree (Theobroma cacao L.) - a small tree 3-8 m high, with a powerful trunk up to 30 cm in diameter, the branches are placed in whorls. Inflorescences are caulifloral, small, many-flowered. The fruits on the trunk are arranged in 5-8 rows. The fruit is elongated-oval, up to 30 cm long and 10 cm in diameter. The fruit shell is dense, the pulp is white or pinkish. Seeds in fruit 25-60 pcs. Seeds, called cocoa beans in practice, are the commercial part of the crop. They consist of 2 large cotyledons and an embryo surrounded by a seed coat - pulp. In the wild, this composite species is unknown. The species combines 2 subspecies: ssp. cacao and ssp. sphaerocarpum. Two-color cocoa (Theobroma bicolor H. B.) is cultivated from Mexico to Brazil. Seeds are used in the same manner as Th. cacao, - for making a drink; the edible pulp surrounding the seeds is consumed fresh. In Mexico and Costa Rica, the seeds of Th. angustifolium Mine. Sesse. (cocoa monkey) is often mixed with cocoa seeds. The pulp surrounding the seeds of large-flowered cocoa - Th. grandiflorum (Willd. Spreng.) K. Schum., is edible and consumed fresh, and is also used to make a drink, for example in Brazil. Subspecies Theobroma cacao Cuatr. differentiated into 4 forms: 1. F. cacao - the so-called "criollo" (criollo), common in Mexico and Honduras. Fruits of the highest quality, oblong-oval, tapering towards one end; the surface is warty, along the length of the fruit there are 5 deep narrow furrows. Unripe fruits are green or dark red, woody mesocarp thin; seeds are rounded with white cotyledons. 2. F. pentagonum (Bern.) Cuatr. (cocoa alligator). The fruits are oblong-oval, about 20 x 9 cm in size, 5-ribbed, the ribs are convex and extended; warty surface. Unripe fruits are reddish-yellow, the mesocarp is fragile; seeds are large, round, with white cotyledons, high quality. Initially, cocoa was cultivated in southern Mexico and Central America. 3. F. leiocarpum (Bern.) Ducke. Fruits are oblong-oval, almost smooth, with 5 small grooves; the peel is thin; seeds made, with white or pale purple cotyledons, of high quality. Cultivated mainly on the Atlantic coast of Guatemala. By origin, apparently, a mutant. This form includes the "graceful Javanese criollo" - Rogse-laine Java Criollo. 4. F. lacandonense Cuatr. - wild semi-climbing plant in the state of Chiapas (Mexico). Fruits are oblong-oval, 10-ribbed. Subspecies sphaerocarpum (Chev.) Cuatr. (according to Chesman - Amazonian Forastero). Amelonado (Amelonado) - the main form of the subspecies. The fruits are oblong-oval, with a flat surface, on which there are 10 small furrows, rounded at both ends; unripe fruits are green; pericarp very thick, mesocarp woody; the seeds are elongated, compressed, the cotyledons are dark purple. The quality varies but is inferior to the seeds of the cacao subspecies. The subspecies was found by chance in the Hilaea area (South America). Now it is widely cultivated throughout the tropical zone. The dark purple color of the cotyledons is a dominant trait. The classification of the famous English scientist Chesman turned out to be simpler and more practical, who divides the cultivated populations into 3 groups based on the Venezuelan trade names: Criollo, Amazonian Forastero and Trinitario. 1. Criollo - Criollo. Ripe fruits are yellow or red, with 10 deep grooves, often with a warty surface, one end of the fruit is pointed. The peel of the fruit is thin, divided into sections; the seeds are large, full and almost round, with pale or pale purple cotyledons. Cocoa drink has astringent properties. The beans ferment quickly. The yield is relatively low, but the quality is high. Only a small number of cocoa beans of this type enter the world market. In turn, kriollo is divided into the following subgroups: a) Central American criollo has predominantly green unripe fruits, and yellow ones when ripe. Cultivated in Central America and Mexico, apparently, over 2 thousand years. As a result of long-term selection, a recessive trait was isolated - white cotyledons that do not have astringent properties, the beans are fermented quickly; b) Venezuelan criollo - a large tree with varying color, size and shape of fruits, due to their habitat near the center of origin. Unripe fruits are usually red. Probably introduced to Venezuela from Central America. 2. Amazonian Forastero - Amazonian forastero. Unripe fruits are whitish or green, ripe ones are yellow, with a ribbed and furrowed skin; fruit surface is smooth. Fruits with a rough, warty skin are typical for cocoa fruits in the upper Amazon, with a smoother skin - for areas near the mouth of the river. The ends of the fruits are rounded or very blunt; the peel is thick and durable; seeds are flat; the flesh of the cotyledons is dark purple, deeply pigmented on the transverse section; has astringent properties. The trees are more hardy and powerful, the yield is higher than that of the Criollo type. It grows throughout the Amazon and its tributaries. The variability of traits decreases as one approaches the mouth of the river. A group of plants introduced to Brazil, where it is propagated and cultivated. Highlighted here is the form of Amelonado, which was introduced into West Africa, and there it formed a fairly uniform population. The quality is lower than other forms, however, Amelonado currently provides the bulk of the world's production of cocoa beans. Cocoa forastero with rounded seeds and pale cotyledons in the XNUMXth century. introduced to Ecuador, where it is cultivated under the name "National Cocoa" (Cacao National) and has the trade name "Fine Forastero" (Fine Forastero). 3. Trinitario - trinitario. This type of cocoa has developed from a wide range of hybrids between Criollo and Amazonian Forastero. Distributed on about. Trinidad. Very heterogeneous, has a wide range of morphological and physiological features. The color of unripe fruits is whitish, green, red or purple, mature - yellow, orange or red; varies in the thickness of the peel and the nature of its surface, the peel has numerous transitions from smooth to deeply sculpted, embossed; beans - from rounded to flat, pigmentation of cotyledons - from white to almost black. In 1825, the trinitario was introduced to Venezuela and then to most countries that cultivate the chocolate tree. Differs in unpretentiousness and higher productivity of plants in comparison with criollo. The best clones are vigorous, like Forastero, and produce excellent quality products, like Criollo, but regular clones are significantly inferior in quality. The trinitario type has a large proportion of the chocolate tree plantations in the world. It has the trade name "Beautiful Cocoa". The genus was named by Linnaeus Theobroma, which means "food of the gods". The center of origin of the chocolate tree is in the lower spurs of the equatorial eastern slopes of the Andes, where there is the greatest diversity of species. Cocoa, mainly criollo, is cultivated in Central America. The cocoa tree was probably introduced here from South America. After the arrival of the Spanish, cocoa culture quickly spread to the New World. In the 1670th century cocoa culture was mastered in Venezuela, and then in the West Indies. In the middle of the XVIII century. it began to be cultivated in Brazil, and for a long time the state of Bahia determined the country's economy by this, but at the beginning of the XNUMXth century. Gold Coast (Ghana) came out on top. Cocoa was introduced to Southeast Asia (Philippines) in XNUMX by the Spaniards and in the same century by the Dutch.
The most complete collections of cocoa are in Trinidad and Tobago, Ghana, Cameroon, Costa Rica (Turrialba) and the USA (Florida, Miami Beach). They are genetically diverse. Of the cultivated populations (criollos, forasteros, trinitarios), the forasteros type, cultivated in 30 countries, is the most widespread. Extensive selection work is being carried out in Trinidad and Tobago, Ghana, Ecuador, Brazil, etc. The main areas of selection include:
In the selection of the cocoa tree, 2 directions are of the greatest importance: the selection of bud mutations and intraspecific hybridization. The vegetatively propagated clones ICS-95, ICS-1 and IMC-67 have received the greatest distribution on the plantations of the chocolate tree, and the Amelonado variety in West Africa. Hybrids obtained by crossing clones SCA-6 and SCA-12 with clones ICS-1, ICS-6 and ICS-60 are very resistant to witch's broom disease and give high yields. One of the best hybrids, obtained by crossing ICS-6 x ICS-6, has become widespread in commercial plantations. It begins fruiting at the age of 2, and at the age of 4 it gives a yield of 1,1 t/ha, at the age of 7 - over 3,36 t/ha. Hybrid forms are characterized by large fruits and beans. Seed propagation has been central to cocoa for centuries, but the beginning of its commercial cultivation has been accompanied by an increase in the role of vegetative propagation. The easiest way to propagate cocoa is by seed. The parent trees, which are SCA clones or any other self-sterile clones, are planted in isolated blocks, with selected cross-compatible clones placed between the rows. All fruits of self-sterile clones are harvested for seed purposes. It is known that 1,6 hectares of queen cells yield about 1 million seeds annually during the period of full fruiting. The production of hybrid seedlings began in 1958 in Trinidad. The seed method of propagation by obtaining hybrid seedlings turned out to be much cheaper than the vegetative propagation of cocoa. Seeds can be planted in the garden in a permanent place, 3 seeds per planting hole next to the stake, as is done in West Africa; later, only one plant is left at each peg. Seedlings can also be grown in nursery beds, with shading to let in about 50% of the sunlight. The distance between seeds in the beds is 30 cm, sometimes much less. Seedlings can be grown in plastic bags (30 x 17 cm) or pots made of fibrous mesocarp of coconut, sugar cane or bamboo, 23 cm high, 23 cm wide at the top and 15 cm at the base. Seedlings are grown in the nursery for 4-6 months. For stuffing pots and bags, soil-organic compost (1: 1) is used, to which simple or double superphosphate and potassium sulfate are previously added - 1-1,5 and 0,5-1 kg / m3 of soil, respectively. Vegetative propagation of cocoa is becoming increasingly important, as it provides a complete reproduction of the properties of the clone and greater uniformity of plantings. Cuttings are the main method of vegetative propagation of the chocolate tree. Mother trees for harvesting cuttings must be perfectly healthy, fruitful, with good fruit quality, with no signs of mineral deficiency. These trees are planted at a distance of 1,5-1,8 m from one another, on well-drained, loamy, organic-rich soils with a pH of 5 to 6,5 and 50% shading. Cuttings begin to be harvested from mother trees at the age of 2-3 years, 20-30 cuttings per tree and from 4-8 years of age - 40-50 cuttings. Cuttings are taken from recently matured branches in the whorl of the last tier, when the leaf blades are fully developed, the wood is semi-lignified, brown on the upper surface of the stem, and green on the lower. When cutting the cuttings in the whorl, the bases of the branches with 2 buds are left so that they can grow, restoring the lost parts of the branches. The usual length of the cutting is 13-30 cm with 3-9 leaves; 1-3 bottom sheets are removed completely, the rest are shortened by half or a third of their length. The bases of the cuttings are treated with growth regulators to accelerate root formation and placed in a protected ground substrate with an artificial fog installation, where 100% air humidity and a temperature of no more than 30 ° C are maintained. Cuttings can also be rooted in pots, plastic bags and other containers. With a limited number of shoots for cuttings, rooting of green cuttings with 1 or 2 leaves is used, the cuttings are also treated with growth regulators. On average, 50 to 90% of cuttings take root. After 28 days of rooting, the cuttings are subjected to gradual hardening, reducing air humidity and increasing illumination. 6 months after the start of rooting, the cuttings are transplanted into the garden to a permanent place. In commercial farms cuttings loss is 20-30% during rooting, 3-10% during hardening and adaptation, and 10-30% after planting in a permanent place. Clones that give a low percentage of rooted cuttings are propagated by budding with a bark plate on seedling rootstocks. Cuttings for budding in favorable conditions can be stored up to 7 days. Rootstocks bud at the age of 6-12 months, when they reach 1-3 cm in diameter. The best place for budding on a rootstock is considered to be the hypocotyl knee, since in this case top shoots do not grow from the rootstock. Secondary methods of vegetative propagation of cocoa are propagation by layering and split grafting of seedlings. In parts of West Africa, site preparation for cocoa plantations is done by selective tree thinning during forest clearing. On each hectare, 5-8 powerful and 40-50 small trees are left, which are used as shaders. In other parts of the world, for example, on about. Trinidad, the preparation of plantations for planting cocoa is carried out by continuous uprooting and clearing the forest. Then they break up the site, dig holes and arrange a drainage system. Before planting cocoa trees, permanent or temporary shading of the plantation is arranged. Cocoa seedlings are planted with a clod of earth, and it is necessary to take measures to prevent shedding of earth from the roots; planting seedlings with bare roots usually results in their death. The feeding area of cocoa trees varies depending on the variety, agricultural practices and local conditions from 2,3 x 2,3 m (1890 trees per 1 ha) to 4,5 x 4,5 m (500 trees per 1 ha). A large number of trees on the plantation leads to large yields in the first years of fruiting, but later thinning of cocoa trees is carried out, since their close placement leads to strong self-shadowing and a decrease in yield. In many countries, cocoa is used as an intermediate or inter-row crop on plantations of banana, hevea, oil and coconut palms. Under favorable conditions, cocoa flowering occurs in the 2nd year of life, but the flowers are sterile. Cocoa trees enter fruiting in the 4-5th year and reach full fruiting at 6-10 years of age, it lasts up to 25-30 years of the tree's life. The shading of a cocoa plantation is in many ways similar to the shading of a coffee tree plantation. Shading of young chocolate tree plantations is a must. Fruit-bearing plantations are also cultivated in conditions of constant shading. However, in areas with especially favorable soil and climatic conditions, as on about. Trinidad in West Africa and other areas, as well as under intensive cultivation, shading can be gradually removed. Closed crowns of cocoa trees form a solid tent, and in conditions of self-shading, plants give high yields. Soil care includes weed control by hoeing and weeding, the use of herbicides, or heavy soil shading. Mechanized inter-row cultivation on plantations is not used due to the risk of damage to the surface roots of cocoa trees. Drops of cocoa trees and shaders should be eliminated urgently by planting new plants. On young plantations, shading should block about 50% of the sunlight. Temporary shade plants are gradually removed in the 4th year of plantation life. In the main commercial plantations, young cocoa trees are pruned to form inverted cone crowns (reverse cone shape) to form a common canopy after the crowns are closed. Pruning of young trees should be kept to a minimum, as heavy pruning results in reduced early yields. Seedling trees usually form 3 or 4 branches in each tier. Pruning in the first or second tier limits the growth of the tree in height; tops that are unnecessary for the formation of the tree are removed. In West Africa, tall trees are formed, so tops of the upper part of the crown are allowed to grow in height to make it easier to care for the trees. The removed branches are used for cutting cuttings and rooting them in the nursery. Plants obtained from rooted cuttings are formed with 3-4 branches of the first tier or on a growing top with a whorl of branches of the second tier, and the branches of the first tier are removed. Pruning fruit-bearing trees (seedlings or vegetatively propagated) consists in removing dead or diseased branches, such as those affected by "witch's brooms" or mistletoe; remove all unwanted tops and create a crown of any shape. Aging trees can be restored by tops in the lower part of the crown and soil hilling of its base, which leads to the formation of adventitious roots of this top. Pruning of cocoa trees is carried out after harvesting the fruit. Cocoa fruits ripen throughout the year, but the main crop is formed by the end of the rainy season, it is harvested within 3 months. For example, in areas of West Africa, the main harvest falls on the period from October to January, on about. Trinidad - from November to February. A smaller harvest of fruits is noted at the beginning of the rainy season. Ripe fruits acquire a typical color for the variety, and the seeds, when the fruit is shaken, make characteristic sounds from hitting each other and on the skin of the box. The optimal harvesting time is 2-3 weeks after fruit ripening. The quality of the beans decreases when the fruit is overripe due to their germination inside the box; beans from unripe fruits are poorly fermented. Ripe fruits are cut carefully with a sharp knife, avoiding damage to flowers and unripe fruits, and put in a container covered with a soft cloth inside. Before the beans begin to ferment, the fruits can be stored for up to one week. However, the collected fruits are opened as soon as possible with a sharp machete, by hitting a wooden hammer or two fruits against each other. Harvest processing. Raw seeds are fermented (fermented) in heaps, baskets or boxes covered with banana leaves or burlap. Fermentation lasts from 3 to 7 days. During the first 36 hours of fermentation, the temperature of the bean mass rises to approximately 35°C and then to 50°C. The death of seed embryos occurs due to the penetration of alcohol and acetic acid into them. The mucus around the seeds is destroyed, the violet pigment diffuses through the tissues of the cotyledons, further causing a chocolate smell; proteins are hydrolyzed to amino acids. Cotyledons in the process of fermentation shrink and separate from the skin, astringency gradually disappears, aroma and taste appear. After fermentation, the beans are scattered on dry soil or mats and dried in the sun for about 7 days. The moisture content of the beans decreases from 56 to 6%; the mass loss of beans during fermentation and drying is 55-64%. After drying, the beans are polished using special machines or with the soles of their feet. The polishing of the soles of the feet in Trinidad and Tobago is called the "cocoa dance". Then, during sorting, performed manually or with the help of machines, the unpeeled beans, as well as damaged and various impurities, are removed. In the mill, the beans are ground into a powder, from which the fat, called cocoa butter, is extracted by pressing, and cocoa powder is obtained, which is used to make drinks, chocolate and other products. Authors: Baranov V.D., Ustimenko G.V.
Real cocoa (chocolate tree). Botanical description of the plant, areas of growth and ecology, economic importance, applications
A tree 3-8 m high of the Sterculia family. Unknown in the wild. Industrial plantations are concentrated in the countries of the tropical zone. The fruits are elongated oval bare wrinkled berries, pointed at the ends, up to 30 cm long and 10-12 cm in diameter. Inside the fruit in white or pink pulp (pulp) in five longitudinal rows there are 30-50 reddish or brown seeds, called in production cocoa beans (this is the commercial part of the crop). The first Europeans to get acquainted with cocoa culture were the conquistadors in 1519 during the conquest of Mexico. The Aztecs used the drink chocoatl ("bitter water"), prepared from cocoa powder, pepper and vanilla. In the second half of the XIX century. cocoa fruits in Mexico served as banknotes. In Europe, cocoa was first used only as a medicine for rheumatism, diseases of the throat and stomach. Much later, the modern cocoa drink, chocolate creams and bar chocolate appeared. Cocoa fruits are a valuable food raw material. They contain only 4-6% water, up to 55% fat, proteins (12-15%), starch (6-10%), tannins (3-6%), theobromine (1-2%), caffeine ( 0,05-0,3%), fiber (3-3,5%), organic acids, minerals (potassium and phosphorus salts). Cocoa butter is obtained from seeds, which is used in cosmetic, pharmaceutical, confectionery and other industries. Fruit shells (cocoa shells) are used to obtain theobromine and cocoa powder surrogates, as well as to make a drink. In the pharmaceutical industry, cocoa butter is the best base for the preparation of suppositories and pills. In folk medicine, it was used as an antitussive and emollient. Theobromine, extracted from seed husks, has a stimulating effect on cardiac activity, dilates the coronary vessels of the heart and bronchial muscles, and increases urination. It is mainly used for spasms of the vessels of the heart and brain. Based on theobromine, a number of drugs are produced. Authors: Dudnichenko L.G., Krivenko V.V.
Cocoa. The history of growing a plant, economic importance, cultivation, use in cooking
If suddenly you find yourself on a desert island where there is only a cocoa tree, then you don’t have to worry - death from exhaustion does not threaten you. Its seeds contain everything necessary for a person, namely proteins, fats, sugars, trace elements, vitamins and antioxidants. Carl Linnaeus in his classification of plants called this tree Theobroma cacao - translated from Greek theobroma means "food of the gods". Cocoa has been known for more than 3500 years as a drink used by the Olmecs, Mayans and Aztecs. The Aztecs called the cocoa drink "chocolatl", and the tree on which the cocoa fruit grew - "cacahuatl". The fruits were collected, seeds were taken out of them - cocoa beans, dried in the sun, crushed and diluted with water, adding agave juice, ground corn, pepper, and spices to drown out the bitterness. The Aztecs considered chocolatl to be an aphrodisiac and served it at wedding ceremonies. Emperor Montezuma always had a cup of chocolate before leaving for the harem. The Aztecs valued cocoa so highly that they used it as money: 500 cocoa seeds could buy a slave. The fruits of this tree were first brought to Spain in 1528 by Cortes. The Spanish nobility liked the drink. His recipe was kept secret from other European countries for a long time, and more than a dozen people paid for it with their heads. Only 150 years later they began to drink cocoa in France, England, Holland and other countries. Cocoa is obtained from seeds - each fruit contains 30-50 pieces. This is only raw materials, which must first be placed in special boxes for fermentation (this takes about a week). After that, the reddish seeds become chocolate-colored. From the peeled seeds, cocoa liquor is obtained and the oil is pressed on hydraulic presses under a pressure of 400 atm. Then cocoa powder is made from the cake. Cocoa seeds have a very bitter taste, so only gourmets consume it in its pure form. Everyone's favorite chocolate consists of cocoa powder, cocoa butter, sugar, vanilla. Today there are a huge number of types of chocolate: milk, white, with nuts, fruits and others. Dark bitter chocolate, which has become especially popular recently, contains 70, 80 or 100% cocoa and cocoa butter. White chocolate contains milk, cocoa butter, and no cocoa bean powder. Unfortunately, in many countries cocoa butter is allowed to be replaced with cheaper palm oil, so there is a "food of the gods" that does not melt in the mouth (as expected), but is smeared across the palate. Such a replacement is not possible only in Belgium - in this country, all chocolate manufacturers are prohibited from using palm oil. More than 3,6 million tons of cocoa powder are produced annually in the world. Cocoa is produced not only in its homeland - in Latin America, but also in Africa, Asia, and Oceania. The largest consumers of cocoa are Europe (42,7%), America (23,7%), Asia and Oceania (19,4%), Africa (14,2%). Most chocolate is eaten in Switzerland - up to 10 kg per person per year, in Austria 9 kg, Germany 8,1 kg, and in Russia 45 kg per year. In Europe and America, cocoa is also drunk in the form of hot chocolate. So why is it the food of the gods? Cocoa is one of the most nutritionally balanced products. Fermented cocoa beans are 50% fat, 15% protein and 10% carbohydrate. In addition, cocoa is rich in vitamins, trace elements and antioxidants. The aroma of cocoa is at least 500 compounds belonging to 16 different classes. They are determined by gas chromatography - mass spectrometry (GC - MS). The unique aroma of cocoa is given by pyrazines (94 substances), esters (58 compounds), acids (51 of them identified), amines and nitrogen-containing compounds, and many others. Cocoa and chocolate have been used as medicine since ancient times. But in recent decades, extensive research has been carried out on the medicinal properties of this product. In the scientific literature, one can find reviews on the history of the use of chocolate in medicine, the role of cocoa in the treatment of diabetes and lowering high blood pressure, the prevention of cardiovascular disease with regular consumption of chocolate, and even articles on the anticarcinogenic properties of cocoa. So what exactly makes cocoa a medicine? Antioxidants - chocolate contains a lot of them, and in addition they are very well absorbed. For example, after a person eats 1-2 g of dark chocolate, 300-700 nmol/l of epicatechin can be detected in his blood plasma using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) (Fig. 1). This substance belongs to the group of flavonoids.
If we compare cocoa with the usefulness leaders red wine and green tea, then according to foreign data, single servings of cocoa (7 g) have one and a half times more antioxidants than two grams of green tea and 150 ml of wine. The composition of nutrients is also very important, and here cocoa also has no equal. This is one of the few products that contains all the antioxidants necessary for humans: water-soluble, fat-soluble, as well as anthocyanins (approximately 4% anthocyanins and 58% proanthocyanidins, see Fig. 2).
The main flavonoid in chocolate (also found in red wine) is epicatechin. However, the similarity with red wine is not limited to flavonoids only. Cocoa also contains the strongest antioxidant trans-resveratrol (Fig. 3). It has anti-carcinogenic and anti-sclerotic effects, and at one time the "French paradox" was attributed to him. In France, there are significantly fewer deaths from cardiovascular diseases and this is associated with a large consumption of red wine containing trans-resveratrol.
In recent years, the composition of cocoa has been studied by all modern methods: high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and HPLC with mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS). Hundreds of papers published. These methods were able to detect quercetin, luteolin, isoorientin, orientin, vitexin, isovitexin, naringenin, apigenin, etc. in cocoa. All these are flavonols. flavones, flavonones have high antioxidant activity. Cocoa and chocolate are convenient to use in everyday life. In the mornings, a mug of cocoa with milk, in the evenings - green tea with 40-50 g of dark chocolate (recommendations from foreign authors), and, perhaps, you have already received the daily allowance. After all, to protect against disease, you need to consume 360 mg of antioxidants daily, and in this regard, chocolate and cocoa are rich sources. Author: Yashin Ya.I.
Cocoa. reference Information
In the rainforests of Brazil grows a small beautiful branchy tree with shiny leaves. All year round this tree blooms with yellow flowers and bears fruit. But in vain we will look for flowers on the branches of a tree: they sit right on the bark of the trunk. Orange-yellow oblong fruits, similar to ribbed cucumbers, also hang from the trunk. This is typical for many trees growing in the shade of the rainforest. Under the woody shell of the fruit - up to 50 seeds, incorrectly called "beans" of cocoa. On one tree, there are from 50 to 120 fruits. The Chocolate Tree was discovered by Europeans in 1516 in Mexico. The conquerors of Mexico noticed that the natives greatly value some kind of seeds that replace money for them. From these seeds they prepared a drink called "chocoatl", that is, bitter water. It was cocoa bean chocolate. Only the natives drank chocolate with pepper and vanilla, without honey and, of course, without sugar. Despite the bitter taste, chocolate made a big impression on the Spaniards. Their leader Fernando Cortes wrote to the Spanish king: "One cup of this valuable drink is enough to keep a person perfectly alert for a whole day on a campaign." Cocoa seeds began to be exported to Spain, where the first factories for the manufacture of chocolate and cocoa were founded. The seeds of the "chocolate tree" are very nutritious: they are 52 percent fat, 20 percent protein, 10 percent starch, 1,5 percent sugar and 1,5 percent of a special, invigorating substance - theobromine. The botanist Linnaeus gave the "chocolate tree" a scientific name: "theobroma cacao", that is, the divine drink of cocoa. The fruits of the "chocolate tree" the Aztecs called "cacahuatl"; from this word the name of cocoa arose. Of particular importance in the composition of chocolate is chocolate butter. It solidifies at room temperature, but melts in the hands and in the mouth. More delicate varieties of chocolate contain more butter. Chocolate is very nutritious, which is why travelers and pilots take it with them. Author: Verzilin N.
Cocoa. Interesting plant facts
One day in 1657, an honorable resident of London - Sir Pepys, very pleased, wrote in his diary: "I went to a coffee shop to drink jocolatt, very tasty." It must be assumed that Sir Pepys was a wealthy man, because otherwise the newfangled then in Europe "jocolatt" would not have been affordable for him. Sir Pepys, of course, did not know that a century and a half before him, the conqueror of Mexico, the cruel Ferdinando Cortes, was the first European to taste the favorite drink of the Mexican Indians - "chocoatl", which in Aztec meant "bitter water". The warlike Spaniard immediately wrote to his king: "One cup of this valuable drink is enough to keep a person perfectly alert for a whole day on a campaign." The Indians prepared "bitter water" from some tree fruits, which they called "cacahuatl". The hard-to-pronounce words "chocoatl" and "cacahuatl" brought to Europe turned into "chocolate" and "cocoa" respectively, and the objects they denoted quickly fell to everyone's taste. They turned out... However, why should I tell you, my sophisticated companion, how good cocoa and chocolate are - you know this from your own experience as well as I do and, of course, much better than Mr. Pepys. However, it is unlikely that you know that chocolate, before becoming a hard chocolate bar in an elegant wrapper, was cocoa powder, and this powder itself was obtained by grinding the seeds of a tropical chocolate tree. In science, this tree bears the solemn name "theobroma cocoa", which in translation from the language of the Indians means "the divine drink of cocoa." Theobroma is the daughter of the Amazon rainforest. This small tree, no higher than 8 meters, is adapted in its own way to life in the realm of constant twilight. It is a shade-lover and has won the struggle for existence here precisely by losing the struggle for light. The chocolatier spreads its beautiful small crown in the lower, heavily shaded tiers of gils. There is little sun, but with the greatest constancy, high temperature and abundant humidity are preserved. Large chocolate leaves are able to capture enough sunlight here, and release excess water through their pores-stomata. With sparkling beads, moisture easily rolls off their glossy surface also thanks to a special pointed tray at the end of the sheet. But this tree has a curious feature that is inherent in only a few tropical plants: its fruits do not grow at the ends of branches, such as apples, pears or oranges, but sit directly on a gray rough trunk. As if someone had nailed these orange-yellow ribbed "cucumbers" to the tree with carnations. In "cucumbers" under the protection of the fleshy shell, flat reddish or brown seeds lie in even rows. They are the so-called "beans" of cocoa - your future chocolate bar... Since there were a great many lovers of cocoa and chocolate in the world, the chocolate maker is now specially bred on huge plantations almost throughout the entire tropical zone of the Earth, but most of all in West Africa. A few cocoa fruits can be grown under a glass roof, in greenhouses. Author: Margolin Ya.A.
Cocoa on asphalt Featured article
If you believe the connoisseurs, then there is no better place for drying cocoa than street asphalt. And if not in all countries it is customary to pour bags of chocolate beans directly onto the street, then in Ecuador this has been practiced since asphalt appeared there. City transport had to make room, yielding half of the roadway to the divine product (as Linnaeus called it!). And, stirring the aromatic drink of the tropics with a spoon in a glass, we do not always imagine that he has been where cars rush, dragging a trail of dust and soot behind him, and where horses leave their "calling cards". However, there is nothing special here. After all, even ordinary grain is processed directly on the ground on currents. And there are horses too. And we eat bread, and nothing ... You can’t not dry the beans. In the tropics, and even in humid ones, the kingdom of molds. They act quickly. A day or two gape - and throw the product. But the cocoa tree itself feels good in the bath-humid heat. Moreover, it climbs into the lowest floor of the rainforest, where the air is motionless and constant stuffiness. Cocoa is unusual. It's not like other trees. Leaves do not appear all at once, as in our greenhouses, and not one after another, but as if in explosions, in large numbers at once. And then a break. Then another explosion and another break, for three or four weeks. Even more strange is the behavior of the flowers. They do not stick around the branches, but the trunk itself. Scientists believe that this is a savings mode. If you transport juices to them along the branches, then there will be an overexpenditure of energy. However, others argue more simply. Melon-like fruits are too heavy to grow on branches. If so, all the branches would break off. Flowers smell like manure. This is necessary to attract flies. It is they who are entrusted with pollination. True, the sense from them is not too big. One flower out of two hundred is pollinated. But in general, fifty pieces of fruit grow on one tree. They are ribbed, like small melons or overripe brown cucumbers. The most nutritious fruit is the seeds. They look like grains of regular beans. Therefore, no one calls them seeds, but everyone calls them beans. Chocolate, which is obtained from beans, maintains strength in the most critical situations. But by a strange coincidence, the beast was divided into two camps. Some like the sour pulp of the fruit. And they eat it out, and the most nutritious - beans - are thrown around. This is what monkeys and squirrels do. Of course, this is very beneficial for a tree. Maybe the monkeys would not have acted so recklessly if the beans were not bitter like wormwood. Bitterness is the calculation of nature in order to save the seed fund from squandering. If only this whole company knew what a delicious product will come out of bitter seeds when they are manipulated a little! People didn't know, of course. And how they came up with chocolate is still a mystery. The mystery of the chocolate smell is also not yet deciphered. Raw beans don't smell like chocolate. They don't smell of anything. They only grumble. To get a fragrant masterpiece, they do this: long before drying on the asphalt, the beans removed from the tree are threshed. The fruit is hit on the table. It breaks in two. The bean clip falls on the table. They have a part of the adhering pulp. The beans are raked into large piles like compost. Cover with banana leaves. And leave for a while. The pile soon warms up like a pile of damp hay. It goes through the process of fermentation. But the cocoa flavor does not appear here yet. There is only preparation for it. From the piles, the beans go to the asphalt, to dry. And before drying, they did another operation, which was called the Dance of Cocoa. Red clay was poured on the ground, and beans were on it. From above they were sprinkled with water. Then they took off their shoes and began to trample barefoot, holding hands, in time with the rhythm. This is where the song came from. Thus, swaying from side to side, the dance group thoroughly kneaded the richness of chocolate with bare feet, after which the beans took on a delightful color of pure gold. For what? For the chocolate itself, this ritual is absolutely useless, if not harmful. But outwardly, the beans became more attractive, and they were more willing to buy. Commerce! But back to asphalt. The dried beans are harvested and roasted. This is where, finally, that aroma arises that attracts half of humanity to itself. Both children and adults. It remains only to grind the fried, squeeze out the oil and grind the remaining cake into flour. And the cocoa powder is ready. Of course, you need to be an experienced master in order to observe all the subtleties of the procedures. It happens that planters will collect slightly unripe fruits. Seeds in heaps will not warm up properly. And at the finish, the chocolate will smell... like ham! If overripe fruits are harvested, the aroma will be even worse. As soon as the beans are not dried, the mold fungus Aspergillus gray will settle - and the chocolate will smell ... of soap! If, instead of gray, yellow, aspergillus settles, then it’s quite a disaster. Yellow emits a poison - aflatoxin. Therefore, good cocoa powder has always been valued dearly. And there were many fans to mix something, to add weight. Moscow merchants used to mix wheat flour. Then the powder became whitish. But back to the native land of cocoa - the island of Trinidad. And here the precious product could not be left without attention. Immediately there were many hunters for free pleasure. The fruits from the trees were stolen without a twinge of conscience, but they could not catch the thief. He operated at night. It wasn't that there were so many disappearing fruits, but the very mystery of the kidnappings infuriated the farmers. Finally the culprit was caught. It turned out to be a small rodent - a tree rat. In fact, the thief was far from being a rat in size, he was no larger than an ordinary vole mouse and generally looked like one. And he was great at climbing trees. However, after catching the thief, they did not learn much. It was necessary to find out where the base of the kidnapper, his nest, was located. Farmers gathered for a general council. One believed that the thief lives in an earthen hole, like many ordinary mice. Another suspected - not in the stems of a banana? Because the violator was also caught stealing these heavenly fruits. The third one reminded me of tree hollows. But they were all wrong. There was no wood rat anywhere. Then they decided to glue the trunks of several trees with white paper. The calculation is this: the thief will descend from the tree and leave prints of his paws. Morning has come. The marks were left on the trunks of the erythrina bean tree, which is planted to protect the delicate cocoa from the sun. True, the crown of erythrin is light and airy, like tulle curtains, but settlers, relatives of pineapple bromeliads, are attached to it. They grow in dense masses, and it is in these air thickets that the thieves of cocoa fruits make their shelters. Farmers began to search the trunks of erythrin, and on every third tree they found a thief. He rested calmly after the night's work. Nearby lay only the remaining husk. There were no signs of other family members. Apparently, the crowns served as a temporary shelter, a transshipment base, from where the looted products could be transported to a more remote and safe place. However, if only rodents were in charge of the plantation, then this would not particularly worry the farmers. Even the ubiquitous parrots that take part of the crop do not cause much annoyance. The other enemy is much more dangerous. All over the world it is called briefly, like the crack of a whip: "Give-back!", That is, "dying." No one has yet determined the main reason why cocoa dies prematurely. Dy-back showed itself for the first time a hundred years ago. Many scientists undertook to solve a difficult problem, and each found his own reason. In Africa, the harmattan north wind was blamed. It swoops in when the dry season and New Year holidays come. A little earlier or a little later. It dries out the broad cocoa leaves, and they curl up like a fire. And they fall. In the 20s, when forests were cut down on the Gold Coast, the harmattan completely dispersed and destroyed many plantations. They try to protect cocoa from the wind with resistant trees. The already mentioned erythrina is planted. The wind subsides a little, but now, in the lull, another, more dangerous pest appears - late blight palm, a close relative of the potato fungus, which destroyed potatoes in Europe in the last century. Phytophthora turns bronze cocoa melons into black, smearing rot. "Black bean", Africans are annoyed and dump the future chocolate in the trash. True, in the world so far this mushroom takes one tenth of the crop, but in Cameroon - 9/10! Farmers sadly sneer: "The best remedy against the "black bean" is not to plant cocoa at all!" And replace the chocolate tree with a banana. Other experts blame the soil for everything. Look - and they are right in their own way. Closer to the huts, where various household garbage is dumped under the trees, the chocolate maker gets sick less and lives longer. Garbage quickly turns into compost and fertilizes the plantation. Still others remember geography. Cocoa lives differently in different countries. In Indonesia, lives up to seventy years. At home, in Brazil, up to eighty. And on the island of Trinidad - up to two hundred! True, old trunks give a smaller harvest, but it is a pity for farmers to uproot such patriarchs. They are used to it. They are like family. Like family members. But they are less affected by diseases. Author: Smirnov A.
Cocoa. Useful information
Now no one can say with certainty who, when and where first tasted chocolate. It is only known for certain that the Olmec people, who inhabited the American continent about 3000 years ago, drank a drink from the fruits of the cocoa tree. Not much has come down from their culture, but some linguists believe that the word "cocoa" (kakawa) owes its birth to this people. Came over 1000 BC. e. to replace the Olmecs, the Maya adopted many of the achievements of their civilization. Among them, apparently, were the knowledge that a drink obtained from cocoa fruits gives a person wisdom and strength. Being the children of their time, they certainly considered this another gift from the gods. Of course, the divine drink could not be available to mere mortals, and the Mayan rulers for a long time limited its use, because otherwise it would have lost its sacred essence and material value, which was so high that cocoa seeds themselves became money. The Maya knew several ways to make a chocolate drink. Fried seeds were most often ground, mixed with water, hot spices were added and consumed cold. Cocoa seeds are very bitter, so it's not hard to guess what the drink of the gods tasted like. Despite this, the opportunity to drink it symbolized belonging to high society. The Mayans were replaced by the Aztecs, who founded a powerful empire on the territory of modern Mexico in the XNUMXth century, whose rulers inherited from their predecessors the use of cocoa seeds both as a currency and for making a drink. The Maya called it xocolatl, and the Aztecs called it cacahuatl. These words formed the basis of the modern names of products - "chocolate" and "cocoa". Chocolate remained popular among the upper classes of Aztec society, as only the very wealthy could afford to drink "money". The leaders and leaders of the tribes had a tradition to finish the meal with a drink, which was served in a special bowl of pumpkin fruits, decorated with ornaments and gold. At the same time, despite the high cost of this drink, the Aztecs introduced it and peculiar cakes from flattened cocoa seeds into the diet of warriors who were on a campaign or preparing for battle. The recipe for making chocolate from cocoa seeds has not undergone any significant changes for a long time. The bitter taste of a strange dark liquid, which the leaders of the Aztec tribes treated to the Spaniards who arrived on the continent, did not arouse the delight of the conquistadors. Nevertheless, they paid tribute to its specific aroma and appreciated the tonic effect. But much more they liked the chocolate drink, which was prepared for the Aztec ruler Montezuma from roasted cocoa seeds, milk corn grains, honey, vanilla and sweet agave juice - it already remotely resembled the taste of modern liquid chocolate. Apparently, the first European who brought the "beans" of the chocolate tree with him to Spain was Columbus. Twenty years later Hernán Cortes, the conqueror of the Aztec empire, appreciated the taste of xocolatl. With a businesslike streak, he was quick to appreciate the economic potential of chocolate. When Cortes returned from another expedition to Spain in 1528, the holds of his galleons were loaded with bags of cocoa beans and utensils needed to make a drink. Having sold the contents of the holds, Cortes literally got rich. The King of Spain and his entire family have become loyal fans of the invigorating drink. From them, the fashion for chocolate spread very quickly among the Spanish aristocrats. Curiously, today the Spaniards are the most inactive chocolate consumers in Europe. There is no trace left of the old traditions. In the next 100 years, chocolate from Spain, despite all the measures taken to prevent its distribution, penetrated all European capitals, eclipsing other overseas products in price and popularity. Who, when and from where brought chocolate to the Russian borders, the history of Russian cuisine is silent. However, the head of the court orchestra, founded in 1882, Colonel Baron K. K. Shtakelberg, wrote in his memoirs: "... at the Imperial Court, after a meal, besides coffee, a cup of chocolate was served - a custom that has been preserved since the time of Empress Catherine II." There is no doubt that Sophia Frederick Augusta (1729-1796), a German princess who ascended the Russian throne by the will of fate, became addicted to chocolate in her homeland and, becoming empress, did not change her habit. Therefore, the reign of Catherine II can be taken as a starting point for the appearance of chocolate within the Russian Empire. Whether Peter I, to whom it is customary to attribute all the innovations in the Russian state, is involved in this, is unknown. But in the book "Russian antiquity. A pocket book for lovers of the domestic, for 1825", published by A. Kornilovich in 1824 in St. Petersburg, in the printing house of the Department of Education, it is stated that at the assemblies introduced in 1719 by decree of Peter I, Among other things, they were treated to chocolate.
The victorious march of chocolate around the world in the XNUMXth century could not bypass Russia, where Russian craftsmen began to make numerous chocolate products, diversifying their taste with liqueurs, cognac, nuts, raisins and candied fruits. The first "confectionery establishments", in which chocolate was made practically by hand, were opened in Moscow at about the same time as in other European cities - in the middle of the XNUMXth century. But already at the end of that century, Russian entrepreneurs were actively involved in the competitive struggle with chocolate enterprises, among which the German factory "Einem" (in the future - "Red October") and the French family company "A. Sioux and Co" dominated (which later became the factory " Bolshevik"). The greatest contribution to the chocolate business in Russia was made in Moscow by the Abrikosov family enterprise, formerly known as the "A.I. , who founded the Lenov Trading House (later - the Rot Front confectionery plant). In St. Petersburg in 1862, a merchant of the 2nd guild, G. N. Borman, opened a store on Nevsky Prospekt, where a "manual machine for making chocolate" was installed. Within a few years, the store turned into the Georges Bormann Chocolate Factory in St. Petersburg. In 1922, the company was named after the revolutionary Concordia Samoilova. Cocoa "beans" are not beans at all. The fame of chocolate in the medical and culinary circles of the XVII-XVIII centuries was so great that when Carl Linnaeus came up with the time to give a name to a tree with such precious seeds, he called it Theobroma cacao L. The first word in ancient Greek means "food of the gods", and the second is the name of the seeds, distorted beyond recognition, taken from the language of the Mayan Indians. An evergreen chocolate tree from the Sterculiaceae family (Sterculiaceae), up to 10-15 m high, forms an undergrowth in tropical rainforests of South America and the Gulf of Mexico Islands. It is curious that small pink flowers develop directly on the trunk and thick lower branches. This phenomenon, called caulifloria, is just a biological adaptation to pollination by butterflies. Ripe fruits with juicy pulp, appearing all year round on a tree trunk, contain 25-30 seeds, incorrectly called beans. Nevertheless, the trade name "beans" of cocoa has become generally accepted throughout the world. The main components of the dry matter of the seeds are fats (cocoa butter - up to 50%), in small quantities alkaloids - theobromine (from 0,3 to 2%), caffeine (from 0,05 to 0,8%), and proteins (20 %), carbohydrates (up to 30%), polyphenolic compounds (up to 5%), amino acids, vitamin and mineral complex. Even on the plantation, the seeds are extracted from the fruits and subjected to fermentation, as a result of which the kernels acquire a purple-brown color, a delicate sweetish-oily taste and a delicate aroma. In the production process, the kernels are fried, then cooled and sent to a perpetual machine, where the fragile shell (cocoa shell) is easily removed from them, and they themselves are crushed into cocoa nibs. Roasted and peeled cocoa nibs are carefully crushed. The resulting cocoa liquor contains 54% cocoa butter. To separate this oil, cocoa liquor is heated to a certain temperature and pressed when hot. The remaining partially defatted cake is ground and the familiar cocoa powder is obtained. For the manufacture of chocolate mass, cocoa liquor, sugar, cocoa butter, the necessary aromatic and flavoring additives are mixed, crushed and kneaded at high temperature. Introduced into the composition of chocolate and lecithin (emulsifier E322) - a natural substance belonging to the group of phospholipids. It is found in all vegetable oils and gives the mass a homogeneous consistency. By itself, lecithin is involved in the metabolism of animals and humans. It is produced by processing soybean oil, which, in turn, can be either genetically modified or natural. According to existing rules, information on the use of food substances derived from genetically modified organisms (GMOs) is required only if they contain at least 0,9%. Lecithin in chocolate is 0,3-0,4%, so the manufacturer has the right not to indicate that lecithin is obtained from genetically modified sources. The key step in chocolate production is tempering. To do this, hot chocolate is first cooled and then heated again to certain temperatures and for a certain time. Any violation of the tempering technology affects the appearance and structure of the product. For example, after a while, a characteristic white coating may appear on the surface of the tile, consisting of tiny droplets of fat. The defect is purely external, but unpleasant. After tempering, chocolate is poured into heated molds, and then sent to cold storage. Chocolate is different. Real chocolate is a confectionery product, in the manufacture of which only cocoa butter and finely ground cocoa powder, obtained, in turn, from cocoa "beans" are used. The higher the content of cocoa products, the more expensive the chocolate. According to the content of cocoa products, chocolate is ordinary, or classic, bitter and white. In classic chocolate, there are from 35 to 55-60% of cocoa products, in bitter - more than 55%. White chocolate is prepared according to a special recipe without the addition of cocoa powder or cocoa liquor. There is not much less cocoa butter in it than in ordinary dark chocolate - it becomes white due to the presence of milk powder. Chocolate containing dairy products is called milk chocolate. Cocoa products in it no more than 25-35%. Porous chocolate is similar in composition to ordinary chocolate, but has a porous structure, which gives it a special taste. Chocolate with additions contains coarsely ground nuts, candied fruits, raisins, wafer crumbs, caramel, cognac, coffee, etc. Filled chocolate - regular chocolate with filling inside. The filling makes up no more than 50% of the product in it. The sometimes encountered name "black chocolate" seems to have been invented by manufacturers and sellers for a product containing more cocoa products than milk chocolate, and even more so white. When buying chocolate, read the label carefully. If it says "confectionery bar", then this product has nothing to do with chocolate, since it is made from substitutes for cocoa products. High-quality bittersweet chocolate is expensive and is often made using cocoa butter alone, with no other fats added. In the mouth, such chocolate should melt, since the melting point of cocoa butter is close to the temperature of the human body. If the chocolate has a sour taste, then it is a fake and low-grade cocoa powder was used in its manufacture. Small domestic chocolate producers seek to replace expensive cocoa butter with cheaper palm oil or even with hydrogenated vegetable oil, the presence of which is guessed by the fact that such chocolate does not melt in the mouth and leaves a "fatty" aftertaste. Dark chocolate, which contains cocoa butter, can be stored much longer than milk or white chocolate - up to two years: natural butter contains antioxidants that prevent fat oxidation. Chocolate, which undergoes a large temperature difference during improper storage, is sometimes covered with a white coating of tiny sugar crystals. What is useful chocolate. In all products made from the seeds of the chocolate tree, there are biologically active substances of various composition, but small in quantity, which, on the one hand, does not allow them to be attributed medicinal properties, and on the other hand, to deny a number of medically useful properties. Daily consumption of a small amount of dark chocolate improves the functioning of the brain vessels, has a beneficial effect on the gastrointestinal system of the body, stimulates its adaptive and protective function, and thereby reduces the incidence of adults and children. Unlike tea and coffee, which are mainly stimulating, chocolate and cocoa powder drinks are nutritious, have a mild effect that tones the central nervous system. So, in a cup of cocoa, brewed from 15 g of powder and 150 ml of water, contains 0,4 g of protein, 0,5 g of fat, 0,7 g of carbohydrates, 0,02 g of minerals, 0,1 g of other substances (fiber and others), 0,01 g of alkaloids, including 0,006 g of theobromine and 0,004 g of caffeine. For comparison, a cup of coffee or tea contains about 0,1 g of caffeine and traces of theobromine, that is, 25 times more caffeine than a cup of cocoa. The therapeutic dose of caffeine per reception is 0,1 g, theobromine - 0,25 g; therefore, in a cup of cocoa there is 1/25 of the dose of caffeine and 1/40 of the dose of theobromine. In order to replace this therapeutic dose, you will have to eat at least a couple of dark chocolate bars. But this amount of it contributes to a fairly rapid weight gain. No special craving for chocolate, independent of human consciousness, has been scientifically identified. There is only a habit of nutritious, healthy and at the same time tasty delicacy. Author: Sokolsky I
Real cocoa (chocolate tree), Theobroma cacao. Recipes for use in traditional medicine and cosmetology
Ethnoscience:
Cosmetology:
Attention! Before use, consult with a specialist!
Real cocoa (chocolate tree), Theobroma cacao. Tips for growing, harvesting and storing
The real cacao, also known as the chocolate tree, produces the fruit that is used to make cocoa powder and chocolate. Tips for growing, harvesting and storing real cocoa: Cultivation:
Workpiece:
Storage:
Real cocoa is a tasty and nutritious plant that can be grown in tropical conditions and used to make cocoa powder and chocolate.
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