Chocolate & Health Lunch & Learn 12 noon to 1 pm February 11, 2014

Fun Chocolate Facts In the U.S., more than 58 million pounds of chocolate candy are sold Valentine’s week, 65 million pounds during Easter, and 71 million pounds at Halloween. Europeans account for nearly half of all the chocolate the world eats. The average Brit, Swiss, or German eats 24 pounds of chocolate a year, while someone living in the U.S. consumes a paltry 11.7 pounds a year.

And the winner is…. ManufacturerCandy BarRank M&M MarsSnickers1 M&M MarsM&M’s2 HersheyReese’s3 HersheyHershey’s4 HersheyKit Kat5 M&M MarsTwix6 M&M Mars3 Muskateers7 M&M MarsMilky Way8 HersheyCookies ‘n’ Creme9 HersheyAlmond Joy10

Did you know? Cacao is raised by hand, on small, family-owned farms. Chocolate comes from a fruit tree; it’s made from a seed! Approximately 3 million tons of cocoa beans are turned into chocolate products each year. It takes 2 to 4 days to make a single-serving chocolate bar.

History of Chocolate Chocolate is a gift from the New World 17 th Century English lithograph showing Aztecs preparing "xocoatl“. Motecuhzoma, the ruler of the Aztecs, was reported to drink fifty flagons of chocolate a day. The frothy beverage, made with water or wine, could be seasoned with vanilla, pimiento, or chili pepper.

The Story of Chocolate Chocolate is derived from the fruit of the cacao tree Theobroma cacao (translated as ‘food of the gods’) Chocolate is grown on small family-owned farms in West Africa, Southeast Asia, and Central and South America. The Ivory Coast accounts for nearly half of the world’s cacao beans. Each tree produces about 30 football-sized pods. Each pod contains almond-shaped beans that are white or purple.  So chocolate is both a fruit and a vegetable!

The Making of Chocolate At the Plantation: Ripe cacao pods are harvested by hand Seeds (cacao beans) are removed, covered with banana leaves or burlap and allowed to ferment for 2 to 6 days. Fermented beans are dried in the sun. Both fermentation and drying are critical for flavor development. Learn more: The Story of Chocolate Where is it from? (video)

The Making of Chocolate At the Factory: Beans are roasted to further reduce moisture content. Roasting produces the rich brown color and characteristic aroma and flavor. Roasted beans are cracked, to produce nibs. Nibs are ground to release chocolate liquor. Chocolate liquor is processed in two ways: – Pressing (6,000 psi) = cocoa butter and cocoa powder. – Ingredient in eating chocolate! Learn more: The Story of Chocolate The Factory (video)

More About Cocoa Butter and Cocoa Powder Cocoa butter is a solid at room temperature, but melts quickly at 89-93°F for melt-in-your mouth goodness. It’s a plant-based fat and contains no cholesterol! – Used in confections and in health and beauty products. Cocoa powder is mostly cocoa solids, with some fat. Dutch cocoa has been treated with alkali and is darker and milder in flavor than other cocoa; it also mixes more easily with water.

Types of Chocolate Unsweetened baking chocolate (bitter chocolate) contains 100% chocolate liquid and is typically bitter. Much of the chocolate consumed today is in the form of sweet chocolate, a combination of cocoa solids, cocoa butter or other fat, and sugar. – Dark chocolate is chocolate liquid, cocoa butter, sugar, lecithin, and vanilla and other flavorings. Milk chocolate is sweet chocolate that additionally contains milk powder or condensed milk. White chocolate contains cocoa butter, sugar, and milk but no cocoa solids.

Chocolate by the Numbers Baking chocolate – 100% chocolate liquor with no no sugar added. Bittersweet (semi-sweet) chocolate – contains at least 35% chocolate liquor. Also called dark chocolate, the amount of chocolate liquor can reach 70% or more. The higher the % of cocoa, the more intense the flavor and the less sugar present.  Champagne and sparkling wines are too acidic to pair well with milk or dark chocolate. Try pairing bubbly with white chocolate and red wine with dark.

How Eating Chocolate is Made Chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, sugar and maybe milk solids are mixed together. The mixture is refined to reduce particle size. Conching kneads the resulting paste and allows for flavor development. The final step before molding is tempering to control bloom. Chocolate is then molded, or poured over some sort of filling in an enrobing process.

Confectionery Coatings What about pastel-colored chocolates? In the manufacture of confectionery coatings, cocoa butter is replaced with vegetable fat. (Sometimes cocoa solids are added in the manufacture of ‘chocolate flavored’ coatings.) The steps of refining, conching, and tempering are still important in the manufacture of compound coatings.  Lower cost fat source.  Increased stability and functionality.

Chocolate and Health Nutrients, phytonutrients, and fatty acids found naturally in cocoa may be associated with lower risk of cardiovascular disease – Flavanols – other than cinnamon, cacao is the highest natural source of certain heart-healthy polyphenols – Polyphenols can serve as vasodilators. The risk of cardiovascular disease was shown to be reduced by 50% in routine chocolate eaters. But the effect is transient. – Flavanols can make platelets less prone to form clots, improve markers of inflammation, and lower blood pressure.  1 Tablespoon of cocoa powder or ½ bar of dark chocolate can positively impact health (temporarily).

Chocolate and Health Cocoa butter is not a dairy product, it is pressed out of the cacao bean. – Stearic acid is the primary saturated fat in cocoa butter. – Stearic acid does not raise LDL (bad) cholesterol levels like other saturated fats or trans fats. – A meta analysis indicated that, compared to other saturated fats, stearic acid lowered LDL cholesterol and was neutral on HDL cholesterol, thus improving the blood lipid profile.  In moderation, chocolate may be part of a healthy diet. More online: Taking Chocolate to Heart: For Pleasure and Health

And it just tastes good…. Some people love chocolate because it gives them the feeling that they’re in love. – Phenylethylamine, a chemical in chocolate, can signal ‘love’ to the brain. People with a passion for chocolate usually crave the complex aroma and flavors. Theobromie, a caffeine-like compound, may produce a slight stimulant effect. – It can take about 2 hours after eating chocolate for the body to feel the effects.

Tips for Healthy Eating Count Calories: Balance the calories in chocolate by cutting calories in other treats. Pair It: Eat chocolate with other foods, such as fruit or pretzels, to complement flavors while enjoying smaller amounts. Explore It: Enjoy the variety of flavor experiences from light to very dark chocolate. Eat Slowly: Eat chocolate slowly as you savor the flavors. Save Yourself: To stick to modest portions, plan ahead and buy chocolates that can be portioned or are individually wrapped.

Next Lunch & Learn March 4 – Spring Time is Food Safety Time Spring holidays are a time for family and friends, but don’t forget food safety. We’ll look at what’s new in food safety research. All slides and audio files are archived at the Safe and Health blog site: