Does cocoa powder color affect quality?

Most of the time when buying any product, besides the price, what consumers care about the most is the quality of the product and cocoa powder is no exception. However, many people judge the quality of cocoa powder by color instead of price, so whether the color of cocoa powder affects the quality or not, let's find out with Trong Duc Cacao in the article below.

What is cocoa powder?

Cocoa powder is the part of the cocoa bean that has been defatted (this fat is cocoa butter). The cocoa mass becomes dry and can be ground into a powder. The cocoa powder is full of nutrients and the flavor of natural cocoa fruit.

Why is the color of cocoa powder different?

As you can see from the pictures below, cocoa powder comes in different varieties. Usually these cocoa powders have a slightly different color. The reason for this color difference is due to many factors:

Origin where cocoa is grown (e.g. Thai durian has a darker yellow color than Vietnamese durian)

Acidity in fruit

Production parameters (how long to roast, what temperature)

Usually cocoa products from South America have a reddish brown color. The majority of cocoa from Asia (Malay, Indo, Vietnam..) will have more cocoa powder color from golden brown to chestnut brown.

Cocoa fruits grown in suitable soil, good climate, good cultivation (such as Malaysia - Asia's leading cocoa export paradise) will usually have a lighter color. Because cocoa fruit contains less acid, less sour, so it is alkalized (bringing the powder to medium pH) less, resulting in the color of the finished cocoa powder close to the original raw powder.

In contrast, the more acidic the cocoa fruit –> More alkaline –> The cocoa powder color becomes darker, even turning black like an OREO cake.

** Note: The alkalization process is essentially separating the acid from the flour to make the taste more delicious, completely without affecting the nutrients as well as the quality of the dough.

Which cocoa is the best?

As the above analysis, we can conclude: "The color of cocoa powder completely does not determine the quality of cocoa". The most accurate assessment of cocoa is the aroma and taste.

Delicious natural cocoa powder is the kind that has a very strong aroma but does not cause discomfort. Mixing up the smell is very fragrant, the color at any level is uniform, not speckled with white dots (may be mixed with filler powder).

What is the difference between cocoa powder and chocolate powder?

• Many people still mistakenly believe that cocoa powder and chocolate are the same. Although these two products are derived from natural cocoa fruit (just like butter and cheese are both made from milk), cocoa powder and chocolate powder are two different products. Let's compare:
• Cocoa powder is ground directly from the cocoa nibs after defatting.
• Chocolate powder is ground from raw chocolate (this raw chocolate is also from cocoa core but is processed through more processes), the amount of fat in chocolate is also higher. In addition, chocolate powder also contains added sugar, milk, vanilla, and emulsifiers (usually soy-based) Simple to understand: Chocolate = cocoa + butter + sweeteners (if any) + vanilla flavoring + emulsifiers
• In terms of taste, cocoa powder will be more fragrant than chocolate because of the higher percentage of cocoa kernels, less fat. Most of the good active ingredients are located in the cocoa core, so using pure cocoa powder will absorb more beneficial active ingredients. Cocoa powder is especially suitable for diabetics (because it does not contain sweeteners).
• When mixed, cocoa-based beverages will be more liquid than chocolate. You can improve this by combining two types together: Cocoa powder and some chocolate chips.