Cocoa: Production, Chemistry, and Use

Cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) and chocolate are among the most appreciated food commodities around the world. The name theobroma means 'food of the gods,' underlining the almost divine cocoa qualities. Cocoa consumption is constantly growing, also on the wave of the scientific research attributing healthy properties to cocoa due to the high content of polyphenols. Cocoa powder and chocolate are obtained from cocoa beans, representing the seeds of the tropical crop cocoa tree, by a multistep process performed in part in the origin countries (fermentation and drying) and in part in the developed countries (roasting, dutching, conching, and tempering).