Cacao beans is seeds which contain in a pod of a chocolate tree. From them receive the cocoa powder and cacao butter used for preparation of chocolate.
Processing of beans of cocoa
Besides pulp the fruits of cocoa contain from 30 to 50 large seeds of unusual pale lilac color. These seeds (or beans) approximately for 45-50% consist of the fat known as cocoa butter, and solid from which cocoa powder turns out.
The seeds taken from a fruit within a week ferment in the special aired boxes, then dry in the sun (installations with heated air are sometimes used) and fry. The cacao beans processed in this way darkens and hardens. The weight of the dried-up bean is about 1 gram.
After drying the beans export on the confectionery enterprises of various countries for the subsequent processing. There they are fried anew, and then very much snap-chilled. After that each bean is split on several particles which size is about 8 mm. Then these particles process alkali to destroy various microorganisms and fungi. The received "grain" is crushed on rollers or mills to a condition of powder of which then under very big pressure squeeze out cacao butter on hydraulic presses. After the termination of an extraction from a press unload a cocoa press cake which once again is in addition crushed in cocoa powder.
Two types of a cacao beans
Cacao beans can be divided into two groups - "consumer" and "noble". The first sometimes call "форастеро" that "newcomer", and the second - "criollo" means what is translated from Spanish as "native". Fruits of the first group quite firm also have yellow coloring, fruits of the second group — soft and red. "Criollos" possess a pleasant nutty flavor, "форастеро" taste bitter and possess quite specific smell therefore they should be fermented twice longer. A noble cacao beans cultivates generally in Indonesia and America. A consumer cacao beans takes the leading positions in the world market, they concede noble on an aromatic and flavoring properties, but differ in high productivity and aren't too whimsical. The taste of a cacao beans depends on climatic conditions and the soil in the place of growth and also genetic features. For this reason confectioners always pay attention to the fields of cultivation. Often in overtime the cacao beans from different regions mixes to receive an optimum bouquet of aromas and tastes. It is considered that a cacao beans contains more than 300 various substances, and every sixth of them is responsible for specific, difficult aroma of cocoa. Fats, proteins, cellulose, polysaccharides, starch, tannic, mineral, flavoring and dyes, salts, saccharides, organic acids, caffeine are a part of a cacao beans.