Bulk cocoa

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Bulk cocoa is a class of cocoa beans. It is contrasted with flavor cocoa. They generally grow in West Africa.

Contents

History

Chocolate makers prioritizing bulk cocoa caused a loss of agrobiodiversity. [1]

Description

Bulk cocoa generally comes from Forastero-type cacao trees. [2] Bulk cocoa is distinguished from flavor cocoa using the subjective definition of containing undesirable or poor flavor, drying or fermentation. [3] Bulk cocoas have a strong inherent flavor. [4] They are regulated by quality requirements, which allow manufacturers to ensure homogeneity for what they add to blends, maintaining brand flavors. [5]

Over 95% of the world's cocoa production was classified as bulk as of 2017. [2]

Producers

Most bulk cocoa is produced in West Africa. [6]

Ghana produces the highest quality bulk beans, [2] as Cadbury has maintained its reputation based on using beans from Ghana, as Ghana has retained a high degree of structural control over its cocoa industry. Cocoa in Ghana is cultivated for a consistent flavor, which is understood in European and American markets as the flavor of chocolate. This has been supported by the Ghana Cocoa Board. [6]

Indonesia produces bulk cocoa of variable quality. [7] Most Indonesian cocoa is unfermented, and is used as bulk filler. [8]

Markets

Bulk beans are traded as a commodity, where distinctions are made between bulk grades in futures trading. [9]

See also

References

Sources

Books

  • Fowler, Mark S; Coutel, Fabien (2017). "Cocoa beans: from tree to factory". In Beckett, Stephen T; Fowler, Mark S; Ziegler, Gregory R (eds.). Beckett’s Industrial Chocolate Manufacture and Use (5th ed.). West Sussex, UK: Wiley. ISBN   9781118780145.
  • Leissle, Kristy (2018). Cocoa. Polity. ISBN   9781509513208. OCLC   988580966.
  • Ziegleder, Gottfried (2017). "Flavour development in cocoa and chocolate". In Beckett, Stephen T; Fowler, Mark S; Ziegler, Gregory R (eds.). Beckett’s Industrial Chocolate Manufacture and Use (5th ed.). West Sussex, UK: Wiley. ISBN   9781118780145.

Journal articles

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