CHOCOLATE

ALSANAT NASIM

CLASS VII D ROLL NO. 01

HISTORY
Chocolate is a psychoactive food. It is made from the seeds of the tropical cacao tree. The cacao tree was named by the 17th century Swedish naturalist, Linnaeus. The Greek term theobroma means literally "food of the gods". Cacao beans were used by the Aztecs to prepare a hot, frothy beverage with stimulant and restorative properties. Chocolate itself was reserved for warriors, nobility and priests. The Aztecs esteemed its reputed ability to confer wisdom and vitality. Taken fermented as a drink, chocolate was also used in religious ceremonies. The sacred concoction was associated with Xochiquetzal, the goddess of fertility.

TYPES
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Pure, unsweetened chocolate contains primarily cocoa solids and cocoa butter in varying proportions. Sweet chocolate, combining chocolate with sugar. Milk chocolate is sweet chocolate that additionally contains milk powder or condensed milk. White chocolate contains cocoa butter, sugar, and milk, but no cocoa solids. Dark chocolate is produced by adding fat and sugar to the cacao mixture. Semisweet chocolate is a dark chocolate with a low sugar content.

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Bittersweet chocolate is chocolate liquor to which some sugar (typically a third), more cocoa butter, vanilla and sometimes lecithin have been added. It has less sugar and more liquor than semisweet chocolate. Unsweetened chocolate is pure chocolate liquor also known as bitter or baking chocolate. Raw chocolate, often referred to as raw cacao, is always dark and a minimum of 75% cacao.

PRODUCTION
Roughly two-thirds of the entire world's cocoa is produced in West Africa. Chocolate is produced by following these steps: 1. Choosing appropriate cacao varieties. 2. Processing which includes harvesting cacao pods, extracting the beans from them and then fermenting the beans. 3. Blending, Chocolate liquor is blended with the cocoa butter in varying quantities to make different types of chocolate or couvertures. The basic blends of ingredients for the various types of chocolate (in order of highest quantity of cocoa liquor first), are as follows:

Dark chocolate: sugar, cocoa butter, cocoa liquor, and (sometimes) vanilla Milk chocolate: sugar, cocoa butter, cocoa liquor, milk or milk powder, and vanilla White chocolate: sugar, cocoa butter, milk or milk powder, and vanilla.
The texture is also heavily influenced by processing, specifically conching. The more expensive chocolate tends to be processed longer and thus have a smoother texture and mouthfeel, regardless of whether emulsifying agents are added.

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Conching, the penultimate process. A conche is a container filled with metal beads, which act as grinders. The refined and blended chocolate mass is kept in a liquid state by frictional heat. Chocolate prior to conching has an uneven and gritty texture. Tempering, the final process. The primary purpose of tempering is to assure that only the best form is present. Storage, Chocolate is very sensitive to temperature and humidity. Ideal storage temperatures are between 15 and 17 C (59 and 63 F), with a relative humidity of less than 50%. Various types of blooming" effects can occur if chocolate is stored or served improperly.

POTENTIAL HEALTH
EFFECTS
Even though chocolate is regularly eaten for pleasure, there are potentially many health effects, both negative and positive. Cocoa or dark chocolate may positively affect the circulatory system. Other possible effects under basic research include anticancer, brain stimulator, cough preventer and antidiarrhoeal activities. According to research, limited amounts of dark chocolate appear to help prevent heart disease.

On the other hand, the unconstrained consumption of large quantities of any energy-rich food, such as chocolate, without a corresponding increase in activity, is thought to increase the risk of obesity. Chocolate absorbs lead from the environment during production, and there is a slight concern of mild lead poisoning for some types of chocolate. A BBC report indicated that melting chocolate in one's mouth produced an increase in brain activity and heart rate. In later research, chocolate has been linked with multiple health benefits and liabilities. Research on elderly people showed chocolate might cause osteoporosis.

However, more research has shown that it will boost cognitive abilities. Further, dark chocolate and cocoa butter have been linked with multiple positive effects. Scientific evidence has suggested dark chocolate can help reduce the risk of cardiovascular problems and also reduce blood pressure in both overweight and normal adults. Finally, studies have shown dark chocolate as part of a low-fat diet can lower cholesterol levels in adults. In August 2011, Cambridge research published in the British Medical Journal: Eating high levels of chocolate could be associated with a significant reduction in the risk of certain cardiovascular disorders.