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...

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...

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...

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...

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...