- Cocoa is the dried and
partially fermented fatty seed of the cacao tree from which chocolate is
made.
- "Cocoa" can often also
refer to the drink commonly known as hot chocolate.
- Cocoa powder, the dry
powder made by grinding cocoa seeds and removing the cocoa butter from
the dark, bitter cocoa solids; or it may refer to the combination of
both cocoa powder and cocoa butter together.
- Cocoa ( Theobroma cacao
L. ) is a native of Amazon region of South America. The bulk of it is
produced in the tropical areas of the African continent.
- There are over 20
species in the genus but the cocoa tree Theobroma cacao is the only one
cultivated widely.
- Cocoa being a tropical
crop, India offers considerable scope for the development. Cocoa is
mainly grown in Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu
- The cocoa tree –
Theobroma Cacao – grows in the warm and humid equatorial belt within
10°N and 10°S of the equator.
- Young cocoa trees only
thrive in tropical temperatures within the protective shadow of
tall-growing plants such as banana plants or palm trees.
- Both the burning sun
and the strong winds are merciless enemies of this fragile tree.
- The cocoa tree flowers
in two cycles of 6 months the whole year round.
- Average rainfall of
1250-3000 mm. per annum and preferably between 1500-2000mm. with a dry
season of not more than 3 months with less than 100mm. rain per month is
ideal, but the quantity is less important than distribution. Rainfall
can be supplemented with irrigation during dry months.
- Temperature varying
between 30-320C mean maximum and 18-210C mean minimum but around 250C is
considered to be a favourable. It can’t be grown commercially in areas
where the minimum temperature fall below 100C and annual average
temperature is less than 210C
- Production of cocoa,
the key ingredient in chocolate, has expanded and increased sharply
during the twentieth century. Cocoa is produced by more than fifty
developing countries across Asia, Africa and Latin America – all of
which are in tropical or semi-tropical areas.
- It is estimated that
70% of world cocoa production comes from smallholdings.It is estimated
that there are currently 2.5 million cocoa smallholders.
- One of the largest
producer of Criollo beans is Venezuela (Chuao and Porcelana). Trinitario
is a hybrid between Criollo and Forastero varieties. It is considered of
much higher quality than the latter, but has higher yields and is more
resistant to disease than the former
- Scientists in a Penn
State research program have developed a process to clone genetically
identical cocoa trees from cocoa flowers, which could enhance cocoa
plant quality on a large scale. And that, in turn, could increase cocoa
farming profitability and stabilize the supply of cocoa beans on the
global market.
- Cocoa contain a high
level of flavonoids, specifically epicatechin, which may have beneficial
cardiovascular effects on health.
- The ingestion of
flavonol-rich cocoa is associated with acute elevation of circulating
nitric oxide, enhanced flow-mediated vasodilation, and augmented
microcirculation.
- Foods rich in cocoa
appear to reduce blood pressure.
- Cocoa seeds are
processed into cocoa powder for use mainly to make chocolate and cocoa
butter. Cocoa pulp can be eaten fresh or made into cocoa juice.
- It may be used in
cakes, creams, drinks, toppings.
- Besides its use as a
food, scientists discovered cocoa is beneficial for health. Cocoa has
twice the anti-cancer antioxidants of red wine, and up to three times
those found in green tea.
- The economic growth of
many of the Least Developed Countries is closely linked with cocoa
production, as well as other primary commodities. Many producer
countries depend on cocoa exports for a large part of their foreign
exchange earnings and government revenue.
- Cocoa prices are highly
volatile. Global demand for cocoa is expected to be strong going
forward. Cocoa demand has been growing at an average rate of 3.7%
- World consumption of
cocoa beans, as measured by grindings. Grindings in the cocoa importing
countries were estimated at 2.12 million tonnes. The Netherlands and the
United States were the principal processing countries.
|
General
Information
- Importance of
Cocoa
- The Story of
Cocoa
- Cocoa -
Dry Powder Nutrition
Facts
- Cocoa
Production
- Cacao Production in
Cameroon: Technology, Profitability and the Environment
- Effects of market
deregulation on cocoa (Theobroma cacao) production in Southwest
Nigeria
- An Overview of Cocoa
Production in Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana
- Cocoa Production
Strategies and the Conservation of Globally Significant Rainforest
Remnants in Ghana
- The History of Cocoa
Production in Trinidad and Tobago
- The cocoa
production
- Vulnerability of
agriculture to climate change- impact of climate change on cocoa
production
- Quality Management
Practices in Cocoa Production in South - Western Nigeria
- Sustainable cocoa
production systems
- World Cocoa Beans
Production
Growth &
Cultivation
- About- The crop- Cocoa
- Cultivation
- Cocoa Plantation
- Cocoa
cultivation
- Cocoa Plantation vs.
Small Farm
- Growing cocoa crop
along with coconuts
- The Origins Of Cocoa Cultivation
- Cocoa Planting Pattern
Towards Mechanization Activity
- Cocoa Tree
Plantation
Process
- Biotechnology for Cocoa
Pod Borer Resistance in Cocoa
- Cocoa in
Malaysia
- Cocoa Processing
Plant
- Cocoa Products &
Processing
- The production process
- from cocoa beans to semi finished
products
Projects
- Analysis of
nutritional constraints to cocoa production in PNG
- CFC-project revives
cocoa production in Brazil
- Global Approaches to
Cocoa Germplasm Utilization and Conservation
- Mapping and Molecular
Analysis of Cocoa
- Cocoa Rehabilitation
Project
- Sustainable
cocoa production in West Africa: development of a farmer participatory
integrated crop management programme
- Cocoa Project in
Vietnam
Analysis &
Function
- Health & Nutrition
Aspects of Mars Cocoa and Chocolate
- Catechin in Cocoa
and Chocolate: Occurence and Analysis of an Atypical Flavan-3-ol
Enantiomer
- Effects of cocoa powder
and dark chocolate on LDL oxidative susceptibility and prostaglandin
concentrations in humans
- Cocoa Flavonols and
Procyanidins Promote Transforming Growth Factor- 1 Homeostasis in
Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells
- Ingested cocoa can
prevent high-fat diet–induced obesity by regulating the expression of
genes for fatty acid metabolism
- Modulation of
TNF-a Secretion in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells by Cocoa Flavanols
and Procyanidins
Uses
- Flavanol-rich
cocoa for brain health
- Cocoa Uses
- Cocoa
- Use For Cocoa Flavonols
- Chocolate & Cocoa:
Health and Nutrition
- Cocoa - Nutrition
Facts
- Potential Uses of Cocoa
Bean Infested by Conopomorpha cramerella for Polyphenol
Extraction
- Cocoa reduces risk of
cancer and cardiovascular disease
- Use Of Cocoa
Technology
- Causes of low
productivity of cocoa in Ghana: farmers’ perspectives and insights from
research and the socio-political establishment
- Penn State Uses Cloning
Technology to Improve Cocoa Plants
- Developing Best
Practice Guidelines for Sustainable Models of Cocoa Production to
Maximize Their Impacts on Biodiversity Protection
- Study of oil migration
in cocoa butter using a novel technique based on image analysis
- Molecular
discrimination of Phytophthora isolates on cocoa and their relationship
with coconut, black pepper and bell pepper isolates based on rDNA repeat
and AFLP fingerprints
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Consultants
- Consultant from
Spain
- Consultant from
USA
- Consultant from North
America
- Consultant from
UK
- Consultant from
Minnesota
Processing
Companies & Plants
- Company from
India
- Company from
Ghana
- Company from
China
- Company from
Pennsylvania
- Company from
Malaysia
Product
- Cocoa Butter
- Cocoa Powder
- Cocoa Products
- Pure Cocoa
Products
Standards
- Contaminants issues in
Cocoa and EU regulatory Environment
- Fairtrade
Standards for Cocoa
- The Cocoa and Chocolate
Products Regulations 2003 Guidance Notes
- Cocoa
Regulation
- Cocoa and Chocolate
Products Regulations
Pest Control
Management
- Controlling Cocoa Pests
in South East Asia with the Black Cocoa Ant
- Control of cocoa
swollen shoot disease by eradicating infected trees in Ghana: A survey
of treated and replanted areas
- Socio-economic impact
of a cocoa integrated crop and pest management diffusion knowledge
through a farmer field school approach in southern Cameroon
- Economic Benefits of
Fungicide Use Among Cocoa Farmers in Osun and Ondo States of
Nigeria
- Pesticide Use Practices
and Safety Issues: The Case of Cocoa Farmers in Ondo State,
Nigeria
- Optimising the
use of motorised knapsack mistblowers for control of insect pests of
cocoa
- Management of black pod
disease of cocoa with reduced number of fungicide application and crop
sanitation
- Sustainable Pest
Management in Smallholder Tree Crops
Turnkey
providers
- Turnkey providers from
UK
- Turnkey providers from
Netherlands
- Turnkey providers from
Germany
- Turnkey providers from
Indonesia
- Turnkey providers from
Philippines
- Turnkey providers from
Spain
Patent
- Cocoa
- Coeboxypeptidase
of Cocoa
- Enzymatic Treatment of
Cocoa
- Method For Processing
Cocoa Mass
- Process for Producing
Cocoa Extract
- Cocoa Product and
Process of Preparation
- Use of Cocoa
Procyanidins Combined with Acelylsalicyclic Acid as an Anti-Platelet
Therapy
- Whipped Cocoa
Bath
Market
- Global Supply &
Demand
- Global Forecasts -
2011 / 2012
- Monthly Reports -
march 2010
- Monthly Report
- February 2010
- Monthly Report
- February 2009
- Monthly Report -
October 2008
- Cocoa Market
Briefing
- The Cocoa Market 1994 -
2007: Comparison of Fairtrade & New York Exchange Prices
- Cocoa demand on the
up
- Economic Viability of
Ethical Cocoa Trading in Ecuador
- Global Cocoa Market
& a Typical Cocoa Farm
- The cocoa market – a
background study
- The World Cocoa Market
Outlook
- Cocoa - Market
- Drivers and barriers to
sustainable purchasing practices in the cocoa sector
- The Sustainable Cocoa
Trade
-
Price watch .
ICCO - Daily Prices
Report
- International Cocoa
Organization Annual Report
- Cocoa Butter and
Foreign Fats in Chocolates
- Child Labor in the
Cocoa Sector of West Africa
- Cocoa In-Depth
Report
- A Sustainable Future
for Cocoa
- Ghana Cocoa Farmers
Survey : Report to Ghana Cocoa Board
- Global cocoa deficit
increases
- Cocoa Market
Report
Suppliers &
Buyers
- Exporters of Cocoa
Powder
- Manufacturer /
Suppliers of Cocoa
- Suppliers of
Cocoa
- Selling Leads of Cocoa
Powder
- Cocoa Products
Manufacturers & Suppliers
- Cocoa Powder
Suppliers
- Cocoa Buyers List
1
- Cocoa Buyers List
2
- Global Link to Brokers, manufacturers,
growers, associations
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