Unroasted cacao beans, as shown here, feature unique fruity flavors that can be lost when they’re processed at high temperature. Credit: Marlon Ac-Pangan
“Natural” foods are trendy, and proponents claim that little or no processing helps preserve the food’s inherent flavor. Research now published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry shows that, at least for certain artisanal, bean-to-bar chocolates, this could indeed be the case. The team reports that unroasted, “raw” chocolate features certain compounds responsible for fruity flavors and sour tastes that are lost when the cacao beans are processed at high temperatures.
Chocolate is made from cacao beans, which are fermented, roasted and processed into cacao nibs. These bits can