What is That Unappealing Aftertaste in Low-Quality Chocolate?

Dubious chocolate manufacturers of chocolates of low distinction swap Polyglycerol polyricinoleate for cocoa butter (so they can sell you cheaper-to-make chocolate that tastes like cardboard and has been stripped of some of it’s most beneficial antioxidants it and then turn around and sell you the cocoa butter they removed as skin cream).

Ever wonder what that awful aftertaste is as you’re spitting out a bite of substandard chocolate? It’s PGPR, the chocolate industrial complex’s latest evil answer to if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. Gone is the awesome taste of unsullied chocolate. Behold the gnarly taste of chocolate made from the fatty acids of castor oil.

For years, sub-quality chocolate manufacturers (Hershey’s, Nestle, Mars, et al) have been trying to get the FDA to allow them to replace the naturally-occurring cocoa butter with vegetable oil. Failing that, they succeeded in getting the cocoa butter – PGPR swap approved, ostensibly in the name of cost savings, but of course there’s a profit to made from that freed-up cocoa butter and hungry consumers with unhappy faces.

Not only does PGPR taste like crap, it also replaces a healthful component of chocolate. A 1996 UC Davis study on the health benefits of chocolate revealed that the powerful antioxidants in chocolate actually derived from cocoa butter and the stearic acid it produces.

So that’s the hand you’ve been dealt by the big money chocolateers: a substandard(er) bar of chocolate with an unsavory aftertaste and the healthful ingredients removed. And in return, we are able to give those chocalateers bigger profits. See! Everyone wins!!

A Cocoa Bean Is Born

Somewhat counterintuitively, cocoa is not born a bean. In order to become the cocoa bean we all know and love so well, the seed of Theobroma cacao must first be fermented and dried. The process looks like this:

First, whole cocoa pods are harvested from the trees. This occurs at various times throughout the year as not all the pods ripen at once. Once harvested, they are transported to a fermenting facility.

Back at the facility, the pods are cut open and the pulp and cocoa seeds are removed and the rind is discarded. The pulp and seeds are piled in heaps, placed in bins, or laid out on grates.

The pulp and seeds ferment in the bins over the course of several days, the pulp liquifying during this time. The liquified pulp is allowed to seep through the bottoms of the bins into the grates where it is drained away. This process of fermentation, called “sweating,” must be monitored carefully, as it is essential to the taste and quality of the cocoa bean.

Once the rind has completely liquified and drained the cocoa seeds remain to be collected. They are spread out over a large surface, exposed to heat (preferably the sun), and raked frequently to speed the drying.

Finally, after this elaborate, several-day process, like an ugly duckling into a swan, a bitter cocoa seed has been transformed into a sweet, mild cocoa bean.

Chocolate & Red Wine the Keys to Eternal Health

Ah, the immortality I would have to look forward to if only the above were true. Still, a University Pittsburgh researcher may be on to something.

Dr. Joseph Maroon, vice chairman of neurological surgery at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center writes in “The Longevity Factor,” that chemical compounds found in certain foods trigger genes make us healthier and cause us to live longer.

30% of longevity is determined by our genetic makeup, Maroon says, and we are genetically programmed to wear out after a time. But about two-thirds of aging is determined by our diet and activity level.

Pat of an anti-aging diet may contain a healthful dose of the good stuff. The right kind of chocolate can be good for you, Maroon says. Chocolate is a mild stimulant, perking mood and brain activity, which can likewise engage and uplift the physique.

Also beneficial is red wine, which contains a substance called resveratrol, which triggers genes in humans that promote survival. His research has led him to drink a glass or two of red wine each day.

But the limit should be two glasses for the typical man, one for the typical woman, he cautioned. More than that brings on the detrimental effects of the alcohol.

World Chocolate Consumption Down Thanks to This Nasty Recession-Thingie

Chocolate consumption in the United States and Europe is falling due to the economic crisis. Luxuries like chocolate just aren’t as easily justified now that more consumers are struggling to make ends meet.

This had had a corollary effect on the world’s cocoa prices, which have fallen by about 10% from record highs in 2007.

Swiss chocolate maker Callebaut CEO Richard De Maeseneire came to the defense of the good stuff: He said the chocolate business was a “defensive industry” because even in times of recession, people will always tempted by the relative affordability of chocolate.

That, he said, coupled with continuing strong demand from Asia promises to help keep growth on track however.

I say bring it on. You won’t hear me complaining about a glut of cheap chocolate on the market.

Chocolate and Insomnia

If you’re a regular late-night chocolate indulger, and you’ve been suffering from a difficulty getting to sleep, it may be worth it to try enjoying that cocoa bean treat a little earlier in the day.

Chocolate is a stimulant. A mild one, but a boost nonetheless. It not only stimulates your taste buds, but the caffeine and theobromine stimulate your heart rate as well.

If you’re just too incorrigible a chocolate fiend, you may try to alter the type of chocolate you’re eating. A Hershey’s dark chocolate candy bar has about 30 milligrams of caffeine (about as much as a cup of lack tea) while a milk chocolate bar has 9 milligrams. White chocolate, with no theobromine and barely any caffeine, will have the least effect, however this reduction may be mitigated by the larger amounts of sugar in the milk and white chocolates. Waddya gonna do.