BrainReady Blog - Comment
have you guys tried uploading this mind map to http://mappio.com ? It would take a JPG image and it sure will be fun to see it there
Good idea, Alexu! We'll check it out...
The BrainReady Team
Sorry ahead of time because this is off-topic, but...
I have studied the ancient Mayans and Aztecs and know the reverence they showed for the cacao bean.
I think the benefits of this bean have been known and told by many people for years now.
The question I have is this: Are the words 'cocoa' and 'cacao' interchangable? I mean are they the exact same thing, but of a different language?
I look at packaging that says "90% cocoa" and I continue to look for the same thing but with the word 'cacao' instead. When I do find said package, I flip it over and it is made with __% cocoa mass solids and butter...
Does this still mean I've found a good bar?
The other blog is inactive, so I knew I wouldn't get an answer there. Hopefully I'll have better luck here.
Hello Josh, good questions...basically, yes, when a percentage value for 'cocoa' or 'cacao' is listed on a dark chocolate bar, it does indeed mean that this is the percentage of the bar that is pure cocoa (the roasted cacao bean), and the remaining percentage is a mix of other elements...usually things such as emulsifiers like lecithin, sugar, etc.
That's why we recommend going with chocolate products that are almost entirely made up of nothing but the actual cocoa itself (such as the 85 to 99% bars or 100% pure organic cocoa powder), as you're getting mostly the element you're after (the cocoa bean) and little of anything else. We find that the best way to do this is to use 100% organic cocoa powder from a reputable, high quality source, and also be sure that the cocoa is not 'alkalized' or 'processed with alkali' or 'Dutch process', which can remove many of the beneficial volatile compounds in the cocoa.
There is also a new wave of chocolate products made by companies who have developed specific processes for helping to maintain the antioxidants and other health properties in the cocoa throughout the roasting and production process; two notable examples are Mars Inc.'s "CocoaPro" process, and Callebaut's "ActiCoa" process. Both are now available/used in commercially available chocolate bars, with the caveat that some of these products can also contain less desirable ingredients along with the cocoa such as sugar, dairy, artificial elements etc.
Hope this helps --
The BrainReady Team
Commenting by HaloScan
