Introduction

Here we would like to pursue the topic of how healthy cocoa actually is. You will learn about the cocoa history, the manufacture, as well as the valuable ingredients and their effects. You will also get an idea of ​​how healing cocoa can work if you prepare it healthy. In addition, of course, we also give you a recipe for the healthy preparation of cocoa powder.

Contents

1. Cocoa history
2. Cocoa production
   1. Cocoa harvest - the healthiest cocoa
   2. Collection and opening of the fruits
   3. Fermentation
   4. Drying and transport
   5. Cleaning and roasting
   6. Break and grind
      1. Variant 1 - cocoa beans litterbreaker
      2. Variant 2 - cocoa beans processing by roller
      3. Grind
3. Healthy cocoa ingredients
   
   1. Nutritional values
   2. Healthy cocoa active ingredients
4. Cocoa effect
   1. Cocoa histamine
5. Is cocoa healthy?
   1. Is cocoa powder healthy?
6. Prepare cocoa healthy
7. Conclusion

1. cocoa history

The origin of our trip, the traces of the cocoa, begins in South America. Although cocoa has also been growing in Africa and Asia for several centuries, researchers have found theobromine traces on an approximately 5,500 year old sound vessel on the basis of excavations. Theobromine is the main component or active ingredient of cocoa beans.

This suggests that the residents of South America knew about the processing of cocoa and the healthy and healing effect. So we know the cocoa plant under the name "Theobroma Cacao", which means "food of the gods". This find is the oldest to date.

2. cocoa production

The cocoa production is a very careful process that takes several days. In the following sections you can find out more about the individual steps before we come to the ingredients, the effect and the healthy advantages of cocoa::

2.1 cocoa harvest - the healthiest cocoa

First of all, the cocoa fruits are picked from the tree using a long knife. In most cultivation areas, for a long time, more precisely, it is picked for several months, since not all fruits are ripe at the same time.

The farmers often eat this fresh cocoa directly raw. However, not the cocoa beans themselves, but often only the white, very sweet pulp, which is also healthy.

2.2 Collection and opening of the fruits

After the harvest, the fruits are collected and opened with machetes. Now the cocoa beans, together with the pulp, are taken from the hard fruit bowl. The shell of the cocoa bean is as Further uses or as in our Guayusa-Wald gardens, in which cocoa also grows, just left directly under the tree.

2.3 Fermentation

The most common method The cocoa fermentation is storage in wooden boxes. Otherwise, the cocoa beans can also be on large leaves such as B. fermenting banana leaves.

However, the wooden boxes have the advantage that the cocoa beans cannot be easily affected by pests. The process takes between 2 and 7 days, depending on the size of the cocoa beans.

During these days, the temperature in the boxes rises to 40 ° C to 45 ° C and various biological processes, a fermentation or fermentation process arises. The heat allows the water to evaporate in the pulp and a thin, fine cover remains, which encloses the cocoa bean.

In addition, after the initial germination and the subsequent death of the beans, the cell walls burst so that liquid within the beans can freely circulate. This is a decision -making process in the aroma formation.

2.4 Drying and transport

Now the cocoa is dried. This is necessary because the water content of the individual bean is 60%. Due to the drying, the value drops to 7% and the cocoa bean is durable and storable for further processing.

The drying usually happens on rollable trays or on roofs, where they are strongly exposed to the sun. They have to be turned regularly so that they dry evenly.

For further sea transport, the dried cocoa beans are often filled in 50 to 70kg of bags. The weight of the sacks can vary between the growing countries, but rarely takes into account the workers.

Therefore, there are individually projects that stand up for 10kg sacks, so that work is also possible for women.

2.5 Cleaning and roasting

After transportation by ship, cleaning the cocoa beans is pending. With the help of air flows, seven and magnets, contamination are removed.

This is followed by roasting the cocoa. The roasting temperatures amount to 100 ° C to 140 ° C. The right temperature plays an important role in later processing to chocolate or powder.

During roasting, the aroma is complete, the shell loosens from the bean, further moisture deprivation is created and the brown color develops.

Due to the high temperatures, similar to the coffee roar, many ingredients, mainly antioxidants, are destroyed by the cocoa due to the high temperatures. For an authentic taste and a healthy Cocoa experience There is therefore raw cocoa powder or raw chocolate.

2.6 Break and grind

The cocoa beans must now be broken up to separate the bean from the thin shell. There are two different variants for this.

Variant 1 - cocoa beans litterbreaker

At a throwing breaker, the cocoa beans are shot against a steel plate at high speed. Due to the impact, beans of all size break open.

Variant 2 - cocoa beans processing by roller

At the roller, the beans are broken out by pressing a metal roller. However, these rollers are static and set to a uniform bean size. Smaller beans are therefore not recorded.

An air flow in both variants separates the fine shell from the fragments.

Grind

The next and therefore second step is to grind the fragments. This happens with another roller or through a ball mill. The meal process creates heat and let the cocoa butter be released. The slowly emerging mass is already liquid and resembles the end product.

3. Healthy cocoa ingredients

We understand the term cocoa after the full drying and fermentation process. The cocoa fruit consists of the hard shell, the white and very sweet inner pulp, into which the hard cocoa bean is embedded.

The bean consists of over 50 % cocoa butter. Other ingredients are fiber, minerals such as magnesium, copper, potassium and iron as well as vitamin E.

By the way: For the production of chocolate you only need the combination of cocoa mass with cocoa butter. The proportion of the cocoa mass decides how dark the chocolate ultimately becomes. If it is to become milk chocolate, it is made with the addition of condensed milk or milk powder. Milk chocolate contains between 10 % and 12 % cocoa mass, whereby the (tender) bitter chocolate must have at least 35 % cocoa mass.

3.1 nutritional values

The following nutritional values ​​are to be assumed 100g in a chocolate board:

Whole milk chocolate

• 540g Kcal
• 51g carbohydrates
• 7g protein
• 33g fat

White chocolate

• 540kcal
• 61g carbohydrates
• 5G protein
• 30g fat

Dairy chocolate with 70% cocoa

• 420kcal
• 49g carbohydrates
• 12g protein
• 15g fat

Back cocoa, unsweetened

• 357kcal
• 8g carbohydrates
• 19g protein
• 20g fat

3.2 Healthy cocoa active ingredients

Cocoa is a super fruit because it receives numerous healthy active ingredients that have a positive effect on the body.

1. Antioxidants
   1. Polyphenols particularly flavonoids
2. Theobromine
3. Theophyllin
4. caffeine 

Unfortunately, many of the healthy antioxidants are lost to chocolate in intensive cocoa. In addition, the pH value is often helped alkaline solutions Or change calcium carbonate to reduce the natural bitter and acidic taste. Disappointingly, go up to 60 % of antioxidants lost.

4. cocoa effect

One of the most important healthy ingredients from cocoa are the antioxidants. The body needs this to bind the so-called free radicals in the body.

There are mainly flavonoids in the cocoa bean, the enzymes inhibit and the antioxidant defenses of the bodyregulate. You can find more about the important task of antioxidants in our article “What are antioxidants“.

Furthermore, cocoa has a positive heart and vessels and is anti -inflammatory. In addition, the antioxidant property of cocoa can influence insulin resistance, which can lead to a reduction in the susceptibility to diabetes.

Cocoa is also known for nerves before Inflammation as well as the skin before oxidative UV rays to protect. Cocoa butter is therefore often used in cosmetics. Last but not least, the Superfood cocoa has a positive impact on saturation, mood and cognitive functions.

2.1 cocoa histamine

It is not entirely clear whether cocoa is actually histamine contains Or just so -called Histamin liberatorsthat lead to the body's own histamine distribution.

Histamine is an important hormone in itself that has several tasks in our body. Among other things, histamine supports our brain in learning ability, emotion and appetite control and also regulates the sleep-wake rhythm. It also has the task of protecting our immune system from allergens.

Is the histamine levelhowever Too high in our body, there may be intolerances. With allergies, z. B. observe that there are whispering, redness or formation of bubbles.

The consumption of too much histamine-containing foods or those that promote the histamine production of our body can therefore lead to severe problems.

People with a histamine intolerance should therefore avoid cocoa.

5. Is cocoa healthy?

How healthy is cocoa after processing?

The very first one has to be distinguished between cocoa and sugar chocolate. The supermarket chocolate, with sugar, milk, aroma and lecithin, has with the raw cocoaingredients Not much in common.

The less processes the cocoa is, the healthier it is. Snacking entire cocoa beans or cocoa nibs, due to the mostly existing ingredients, develops significantly better than with processed products. With chocolate, there should be a tender bitter, here there are 99 %and 100 %plates.

Anyone who enjoys cocoa in moderation and has no histamine allergy will benefit from the healthy ingredients and their effect.

If you use a cocoa mass or cocoa powder, it is important in turn to prepare by you. Do you use sugar and milk, or you are more likely to prepare a healthy Cocoa tea with Guayusa to? The fewer additives you use, the better.

The effect of cocoa is best done during one Cocoa ceremony experience. Here, too, only cocoa is used.

3.1 Is cocoa powder healthy?

The same applies here too: cocoa powder with a high sugar and milk powder content is less healthy than a raw cocoa powder. Also make sure that there is no ingredient in addition to cocoa powder. Calcium carbonate is contained in 9 out of 10 products and has a negative impact on antioxidant capacity. In addition, logically you also pay for calcium carbonate and not exclusively for the valuable cocoa!

In our range, or with our partner goodmoodfood You will find it quickly.

6. Prepare cocoa healthy

For a healthy preparation of your cocoa, you first need a high quality cocoa. If you have chosen a product here, you can z. B. our already mentioned Cocoa tea recipe to use. With the help of our recipe, you can prepare a healthy and strong cocoa or cocoa tea.

7. Conclusion

The question of how healthy cocoa really is, it is important to distinguish between a raw and a heavily processed cocoa product. Raw cocoa contains many antioxidants that can have a healthy effect on our body.

When preparing cocoa, you should always proceed according to the motto "less is more" and neither sugar nor milk, so nothing stands in the way of your healthy superfood drink.

In our Shop You can already find one coordinated bundle With healthy cocoa and Guayusa, so you have yours Cocoa tea can prepare directly.