How to distinguish alkaline and non-alkaline cocoa
When mentioning pure cocoa powder, consumers will remember the delicious and nutritious taste, but did you know that cocoa powder is divided into 2 types: non-alkaline cocoa powder and alkaline cocoa powder. Use and taste will have different choices. This article of Cacao Trong Duc will share about these 2 types of pure cocoa powder so that you can better understand cocoa powder.
Why is alkaline cocoa powder necessary?
Cocoa powder is inherently acidic. These acids create the sour taste of cocoa powder. Depending on the planting, soil, climate and varieties of cocoa and the acidity varies. Alkalizing - that is, separating the acid from the cocoa powder makes the taste of the dough stronger, the taste of sweet flesh becomes clearer. Alkalization causes cocoa powder to lose some nutrients but science proves to be insignificant.
The basic difference is between uncontrolled pure cocoa powder and alkaline cocoa powder
About the taste
After being alkaline, cocoa powder will be easier to drink, smooth and sweet, reducing bitterness and no acidity. The fragrance is unchanged. Only change in taste.
Does cocoa's color affect its quality?
About color
Alkaline pure cocoa powder will have a darker color than the non-alkaline type. Cocoa powders produced in Asian countries such as Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia often have low acidity so do not need much alkalization. So the color after alkalization is not different from the original color.
In contrast, cocoa powder produced in South American countries is much more acidic, making the alkalization process more complicated so the color of the powder will be much darker.
About nutritional content
The difference in nutritional content does not differ significantly between the two types of cocoa powder. However, the non-alkaline pure cocoa powder will have more Polyphenols, which is a very effective antioxidant.
In cocoa powders produced in Asia, because of less alkalinity, the nutritional content as well as polyphenols do not change significantly.
Other types of pure cocoa powder
In addition to alkaline and non-alkaline, cocoa powder is also divided according to the fat content of the flour.
In the process of producing cocoa powder, people will separate cocoa beans before grinding and roasting into cocoa powder. The type of fat that is separated from cocoa beans is called cocoa butter. The type of 100% skimmed cocoa powder is called black cocoa powder (called defatted), with a bitter taste and a low aroma. Other types of flour will retain 5 -15% fat content (called non-fat), making the dough delicious and aromatic.
From there, we will have a total of 4 types of pure cocoa powder:
- Pure cocoa powder, alkaline and skimmed
Pure cocoa powder, alkaline and not skimmed
Unadulterated and skimmed pure cocoa powder
Unadulterated and unsweetened pure cocoa powder
Above are the ways that Cacao Trong Duc would like to send to you. Through this article, you can confidently buy yourself quality bags of cocoa powder for your family to enjoy.
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