Coffee bean varieties: the historical cause and classification of cocoa bean varieties are explained in detail.

Morphological characteristics

Trunk: up to 12 meters high, trees, broad branches, branchlets brown pubescent. The trunk is solid

The cacao tree has a luxuriant crown. Leaves: alternate, elliptic, leathery, 20-30 cm long, slightly stellate hairy on veins. Flowers: "old cauline flowers", flowers blooming directly on the trunk or main branch, about 1.8 cm in diameter; the calyx is pink and smelly. 5-parted; petals 5, the lower part sunken into a helmet-shaped, the upper part spatulate outward; staminal filaments United at the base to form a tube, staminodes 5, linear, developmental stamens 1-3 gathered into a group, alternate with staminodes. Seeds: cocoa beans; there are 30-50 seeds in a fruit, each with a white gum on the outside, which can be removed by fermentation. Seeds ovate, 2.5 cm long. Cocoa [1] fruit is oval, the length is different, the seed is buried in the colloid pulp, usually 3040, oval or oval, long 1.8~2.6cm, diameter 1~1.5cm, each seed is covered with white colloid, and the colloid on the seed surface can be removed by fermentation. Each seed or cocoa bean consists of swept cotyledons and embryos surrounded by a seed coat. The color of cotyledons ranges from white to dark purple, and the cotyledons of different varieties have different colors. Cocoa beans are bigger than coffee beans and flatter than coffee beans. The dent in the middle is shallower than that of coffee beans, and the dent is wavy. Cocoa beans (raw beans) contain 5.58% moisture, 50.29% fat, 14.19% nitrogen, 1.55% theobromine, 13.91% other non-nitrogen substances, 8.77% starch, 4.93% crude fiber, and 40.4% phosphoric acid, 31.28% potassium and oxidation in ash.

Cocoa bean magnesium 16.22%. Cocoa beans also contain nerve center excitants such as caffeine and tannins, which have a lot to do with the color, aroma and taste of chocolate. The melting point of cocoa butter is close to human body temperature, has the characteristic of melting at the entrance, maintains a certain hardness at room temperature, has a unique cocoa flavor, has high nutritional value, is not easy to oxidize, and is the main raw material for making chocolate. Cocoa cake can be made into cocoa powder, which is rich in carbohydrates, fat, protein and B vitamins.

Planting

Growth habit

The producing areas of cocoa beans are mainly distributed in areas with latitudes less than 20 degrees south and north of the equator. Because the hot and rainy environment is the most suitable environment for the growth of cocoa beans. Cocoa beans have different flavors in different places, some with fruity aromas and some with smoky flavors. At present, the main producing areas of cocoa beans are Central and South America, West Africa and Southeast Asia. Cocoa beans are the product of cocoa trees and can be ground into cocoa powder for consumption. It was introduced in Chiayi and Kaohsiung in Taiwan in 1922. Chinese mainland is now mainly planted in Hainan. Cacao trees grow on gentle slopes formed by hot, humid climates and alluvial soils rich in organic matter, but are not suitable for growing on poorly drained and heavy clay or in places often hit by typhoons. [1] in this way, it is suitable for planting on land between twenty latitudes from the north and south of the equator. Assuming fertile soil conditions and careful farming, once survived, the cacao tree can grow in plenty of sunlight. Cocoa plantations (artificially planted cocoa trees) are usually located in valleys or coastal plains and must have evenly distributed rainfall and fertile, well-drained land.

Climatic influence

According to Laurent Pipitone, a statistician at the International Cocoa production Organization in London, cocoa production is already declining as the global recession dampens demand for cocoa beans, which are mainly used for chocolate production. In addition, the El Ni ñ o phenomenon, which lasted from July 2006 to February 2007, has reduced Indonesia's cocoa bean production by 2.7 percent, or 15000 metric tons, to only 545000 metric tons. According to a report released by the International Cocoa production Organization on May 21, Indonesia is expected to export only 485000 tons of cocoa beans in the 2008-2009 production season, while Ecuador produces 112000 tons. Eric Sivry, head of cocoa trading at Fortis, said: "the possibility of El Ni ñ o this year has been confirmed and I think cocoa production will decline."

Cacao tree life

The cacao tree is an evergreen tree. Its large, glossy leaves are red when young and green when they mature. At maturity, artificially planted cacao trees are 15 to 25 feet tall, but wild cacao trees can reach more than 60 feet in height. The expected lifespan of the cacao tree is still under speculation. It is generally believed that 25 years later, the economic role of a cacao tree may be considered to come to an end, and it is appropriate to replant a young cacao tree to replace it. [1]

Pest control

Insect pests: young cocoa trees, prickly sucking mouthparts pests (aphids, wood lice, powder and thrips) and leaf-eating pests (scorpion) constitute the dominant species. For adult cocoa trees, blind Toona sinensis, shield insects, pod borer, wood lice, ants and locusts are the dominant species.

Cocoa pests (3 photos)

Diseases: such as witchbroom disease, black capsule disease, etc., there are hundreds of fungi, will make the world's annual cocoa bean harvest reduced by 1/3. Control: ◆ Chemical control: use organochlorine, organophosphorus or carbamate pesticides.◆ Physical and cultural control: pastoral cleaning, pay attention to remove weeds, climbing plants, rotten wood.◆ Biological control: black ants to control horn hammer bugs, red-eyed egg wasps to control two-striped diamond.◆ Use resistant strains: especially resistant to swollen branch and black fruit.

picking and storage

picking

After pruning and careful cultivation, most species of cacao trees begin to bear fruit in the fifth year. With the best care, some tree species produce good harvests even in the third and fourth years. Cocoa trees bear fruit (or pods) throughout the year, but harvests are usually seasonal. Because cacao trees are open-pollinated, pods form a variety of species, including Latin American, exotic, and Trinidadian. [1]Picking ripe cocoa pods is no easy task. Cocoa trees are fragile and shallow, and workers cannot risk climbing them to pick pods from higher branches. Growers equipped pickers with long-handled, hand-shaped steel knives to work in the fields. Steel knives are used to reach and cut off the tallest pods without damaging the soft bark of cacao trees. The large machetes carried with them were used to pluck pods that grew within reach of the lower branches. [3]Collectors work with pickers to collect pods into baskets and carry them to the edge of the field. Where the pods are broken. If done properly, only

Harvested cacao beans require a swing or two of a machete to split open the woody shell of the pod. A trained Crusher can split 500 pods per hour. Completing the harvest requires patience. Between 20 and 50 creamy cocoa beans are usually extracted from a standard pod, and the shell and inner membrane of the pod are discarded. A typical pod of dried cocoa beans weighs less than 58 grams, and it takes exactly 400 beans to make 1 pound of chocolate. Cocoa beans are still very different from the end products we are familiar with. The milky cocoa beans are exposed to the air and quickly turn lavender or purple. At this point, they don't look like finished chocolate and don't smell like the familiar chocolate aroma.

storage

Cocoa beans or seeds removed from pods are packed into boxes or stacked for packaging. package

The cocoa beans are covered with a layer of pulp that begins to heat up and ferment. The fermentation lasts three to nine days, removing the bitterness of cocoa and producing ingredients with chocolate characteristics. Fermentation is a simple process by which sugars in cocoa beans are converted into acids, mainly lactic acid and acetic acid. The fermentation process causes the temperature of the cocoa beans to rise to 125 degrees Fahrenheit, killing the bacteria and activating existing enzymes to form a mixture that produces the flavor of chocolate when baking cocoa beans. The end result is dark brown fully fermented cocoa beans, a color that indicates that the beans are ready to enter the drying process. Like all hydrated fruits, cocoa beans must be dried if they are to be preserved. In some countries, the drying process is simple: simply spread the cocoa beans on a plate or bamboo mat and bake them in the sun. The artificial method can only be applied when the wet weather interferes with this drying method. For example, cocoa beans may be brought indoors and dried under a hot pipe. If there is good weather, the drying process usually takes several days. During this interval, farmers often turn over cocoa beans. They use this opportunity to select imported cocoa beans and pick out flat, broken or sprouted cocoa beans. In drying, cocoa beans lose almost all their moisture and more than half their weight. [3] when the cocoa beans are dried, they are ready to be shipped at 130 to 200 pounds each. They are rarely stored in a warehouse except in a shipping center waiting to be inspected by the buyer.

Related introduction

Characteristic variety

Cacao trees grow in a narrow strip of latitude 20 °north and south, and the species of cocoa beans

Cocoa beans, origin and characteristics. ⑴ Creolo (criollo), the best product in cocoa, has a unique flavor, but the yield is rare. It is equivalent to arabica coffee beans in coffee beans, accounting for only 5% of the global production; it is mainly grown in Venezuela, the Caribbean, Madagascar, Java and other places. ⑵ Flastro (forastero), which produces the most, accounting for about 80% of the world's production, has a pungent, bitter and sour smell, the equivalent of robusta in coffee beans, which is mainly used to produce common popular chocolates; cocoa beans from West Africa are such, and are also grown in large quantities in Malaysia, Indonesia, Brazil and other places. This kind of beans need intense baking to make up for the lack of flavor, which is why most dark chocolates have a scorched flavor. ⑶ Trinitario (trinitario), a hybrid of the above two varieties, named after being developed in Trinidad, combines the advantages of the first two kinds of cocoa beans, accounts for about 15% of production, and is distributed like Creolo, which is regarded as a treasure of cocoa and is used to produce high-quality chocolate, because only these two kinds of beans can provide the acidity, balance and complexity of high-quality chocolate. African cocoa beans account for about 65% of the world's total cocoa bean production, most of which are bought out by the United States in the form of futures, but the vast majority of African cocoa beans are Flastro, which can only be used to produce ordinary and popular chocolates, while European high-quality chocolate producers choose the best beans produced in high-quality cocoa plantations, and some even have their own farms, such as VALRHONA, a famous French chocolate producer.

Efficacy

Scientists have found that cocoa contains oleic acid, linoleic acid, stearic acid, palmitic acid, protein, vitamin A, vitamin B1, B3, B5, B6, vitamin D, vitamin E, mineral calcium, magnesium, copper, potassium, sodium, iron, zinc; cellulose; polyphenols, including oligomeric flavonoids, including flavanol oligomers-proanthocyanidins and monomeric catechins, as well as polytannins; phenylethylamine, theobromine and so on. In addition, cocoa contains more than 500 aromatic substances, the melting point of cocoa is 35-37 ℃, the taste and taste are memorable. I summed up past studies and found that cocoa has the following eight functions: ⑴ controls appetite. A Penn State University study found that eating cocoa can stabilize blood sugar and control weight. Cocoa is rich in cocoa butter, protein, cellulose, multivitamins and minerals; it is nutritious and absorbs few carbohydrates (less than 10%). Therefore, cocoa belongs to Lucasu green food, eating can easily have a sense of satiety, and has little effect on blood sugar. The linoleic acid in cocoa butter produces GLA, which is eventually converted into type 1 prostaglandin by DGLA, which relaxes blood vessels, eliminates metabolic disorders, and helps insulin work, thereby stabilizing blood sugar and controlling appetite. In addition, research from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found that cocoa can increase the concentration of serotonin in the brain, thereby stabilizing mood and controlling appetite. Finally, cocoa can increase the formation of nitric oxide, which relaxes blood vessels, speeds up metabolism, and helps leptin work. The American Medical Association of ⑵ confirms that eating cocoa will not cause acne. On the contrary, cocoa is rich in proanthocyanidins and catechins as well as vitamin E, which has a strong antioxidant effect. These antioxidants, along with vitamin An and zinc in cocoa, can help you get rid of acne and scars. ⑶ boosts sex but contains phenylethylamine, a signaling substance produced by the brain when we are in love or the best part of sex. More importantly, cocoa can increase the formation of nitric oxide, which promotes the expansion of blood vessels and helps with penile erection. The principle is the same as Viagra. Louis, my alumnus at the University of Minnesota and the father of Viagra. Ignarro (Louis Ignarro) won a Nobel Prize for discovering the signaling role of nitric oxide in systems such as blood circulation and nerves. The perfect blessing element (anadamide) in ⑷ delicious cocoa can make you feel relaxed and refreshed. Cocoa contains more than 500 aromatic substances, which cannot be imitated and synthesized in the laboratory. Cocoa has a melting point of 35-37 degrees Celsius, which is the same as the temperature of a person's mouth and blood, so it melts when imported, while the brain begins to secrete endorphins, a signal substance that makes you feel good. This is why the taste and taste of cocoa are the most unforgettable, with endless drooling after taste! the theobromine in ⑸ refreshing cocoa can sharpen your mind and concentrate. The tryptophan and magnesium in cocoa can help produce serotonin and make you calm. [4] A 2002 study by the American Heart Association and the University of California, ⑹, found that eating cocoa can improve cardiovascular function. The subjects ate nearly 50 grams of chocolate high in flavanols a day for two weeks. The results showed that the blood vessels of the subjects dilated significantly after eating for two hours. In a report entitled "Cocoa polyphenols and Cardiovascular Health," Professor Schroeter of the University of California said, "there are many kinds of polyphenols in nature, and flavonoids are the most common in plant foods. Several studies have shown that the reduction in the risk of cardiovascular disease is related to plant foods rich in flavonoids. Flavanols and proanthocyanidins are the main flavonoids in cocoa. They can prolong the action time of other antioxidants in the body, such as vitamin E and vitamin C, as well as promote vasodilation, reduce inflammation and reduce the formation of blood clots. Thus play a role in the prevention of cardiovascular disease. " Penn State University and a large number of other studies have found that the rich proanthocyanidins and catechins in cocoa have strong antioxidant effects, reducing low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) and increasing high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL). This effect is enhanced by linoleic acid, oleic acid and palmitic acid in cocoa. Stearic acid in cocoa has no effect on cholesterol. The Princeton University Research Center at ⑺ has confirmed that cocoa can clean the mouth and prevent gum stones and tooth decay. Tannins and polyphenols in cocoa can prevent the formation of gum stones and tooth decay. ⑻ antioxidant longevity Harvard University study found that cocoa can reduce the risk of diseases such as cardiovascular disease and cancer and prolong life. Vitamin E is the most important vitamin in cocoa, and proanthocyanidins are the most important polyphenols in cocoa. They are the main free radical scavengers that can protect the body from oxidative damage. Therefore, they can prevent a variety of diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer and aging. To sum up, many of the functions of cocoa are related to its antioxidant effects, such as skin beauty, reducing fat and heart care and prolonging life. On the one hand, almost every cell needs oxygen all the time; without oxygen, we cannot release energy from food and drive every reaction of the body. On the other hand, oxygen is unstable and dangerous. The oxidized waste is "free radicals", which can "burn" cells, leading to inflammation, arteriosclerosis, canceration and aging. The double-edged sword of oxygen acts like fire and electricity. On the one hand, we need fire or electric lighting and provide energy. On the other hand, we can be burned or even killed by fire or electricity. So we invented firewalls and insulation boards. Antioxidants, such as cocoa, are our body's firewall! Why does cocoa have eight functions such as slimming, beauty, aphrodisiac, happiness, refreshing, heart care, tooth fixation and longevity? Coincidentally, cocoa comes from equatorial rain forests; scientists believe that humans also come from the equatorial tropics. Therefore, cocoa and people are "born on the same root", can be said to be "close relatives", have the same "body temperature" and "composition". According to expert research, as early as 500 years ago, doctors in western countries used cocoa to treat tuberculosis, anemia, headache, gastrointestinal discomfort, sexual apathy and kidney stones. It can be seen that the effect of cocoa on human health has a long history.

quality standard

⑴ grade standard: if one of a batch of cocoa beans exceeds the secondary standard, they are equal cocoa beans, which are marked "SS" and can only be sold under a special contract. ⑵ project explanation: ① moldy beans: cocoa beans that are moldy inside can be seen with the naked eye. ② beans: cocoa beans in which half or more of the cut planes are bluish gray. ③ moth-eaten beans: cocoa beans that are moth-eaten or visible to the naked eye no matter what period of development they are. ④ germinated beans: cocoa beans whose germ germination breaks through the shell and the shell is cracked or crushed. ⑤: cocoa bean whose cotyledons are too thin to form a cotyledon section when cut. ⑥ smoked beans: cocoa beans that can be tasted or smelled or show signs of smoking. ⑦ broken beans: cocoa beans whose broken part is less than half of the original grain. ⑧ shell: shell without cocoa kernels. ⑶ imported cocoa beans contract specifications: general provisions: ① 100g grains: 100g cocoa beans produced in Africa, 110grains produced in Malaysia; ② defective beans: not more than 5%.

Source: Baidu encyclopedia