What is Cacao powder?
Cacao powder is a fine, brown powder rich in cacao polyphenols and aromatic compounds, ที่ได้จากการหมัก, การอบแห้ง, คั่ว, การปลอกกระสุน, บด, การกด, สลายไขมัน, บดขยี้, and sieving cacao beans, เมล็ดของต้นโกโก้. Cacao powder is made through a series of processes, รวมถึงการหมักด้วย, การอบแห้ง, คั่ว, การปลอกกระสุน, บด, ล้างไขมัน, บดขยี้, and sieving. Cacao powder contains almost no sugar and generally contains 10% ถึง 22% cacao butter. It is the core ingredient in chocolate, ขนมอบ, เครื่องดื่ม, ไอศครีม, ลูกอม, และอาหารอื่นๆ, and is the true source of chocolate’s “chocolate flavor.”
You can think of cacao powder as the “skeleton” หรือ “soul” of chocolate—it provides chocolate’s rich, slightly bitter base and deep color, but with little or no (or no) creamy fat.
ดังนั้น, how is such an important ingredient, cacao powder, processed? ในบทความนี้, Gondor Machinery will explain in detail: How is cacao powder made?
10 Steps to Cacao Powder Processing
Making cacao powder is a multi-step, carefully controlled process that transforms cacao beans into the final powder. The following are the detailed processing steps:
1. การเก็บเกี่ยว:
The cacao beans produced by the cacao tree are called cacao beans, which are the raw material for making cacao powder. When harvesting the beans, farmers use knives to cut the beans from the tree, taking care to avoid damaging the beans. The beans must be handled promptly after harvesting to prevent spoilage.
2. Bean Cleaning:
The beans are placed in a cleaning machine to remove surface impurities and dirt.
3. การหมัก
Fresh cacao beans are naturally fermented in a low-temperature, high-humidity environment, typically for 5-7 วัน. The purpose of fermentation is to use microorganisms to break down the liquid within the beans, producing acid. This process is crucial for flavor development, removing astringency and developing complex aromas such as fruity, floral, and smoky notes. It also releases the Cacao bean’s unique flavor and increases the beans’ solubility.
4. การอบแห้ง
The fermented cacao beans are dried in the sun or in a drying room to a moisture content of approximately 7%. The drying process helps reduce the moisture content of the cacao beans, making them easier to store and transport. The drying method affects the flavor, with open-air drying being the most common method.
5. การคั่ว
The dried cacao beans are roasted at 120-150°C for 20-40 นาที. The roasting time and temperature are adjusted according to the bean variety and the desired flavor profile. The roasted cacao nibs exhibit a deep black color and a rich cacao aroma.
6. Shelling and Crackling
หลังจากคั่วแล้ว, the cacao beans are shelled using a cacao bean peeling and winnowing machine, removing the hard outer shells and producing cacao nibs. These nibs are then crushed into 0.5-3 mm particles in preparation for subsequent grinding.
7. การบด
The roasted cacao nibs are fed into a grinder for grinding. This process is a critical step in converting cacao nibs into cacao powder. In the cacao grinder, the nibs are ground into extremely fine particles, which are then passed through a sieve to ensure a uniform and fine cacao powder.
8. Pressing and Degreasing
The cacao mass is fed into a hydraulic press to separate the cacao butter and cacao cake. Cacao butter is used in chocolate making, while cacao cake is used to make cacao powder.
8. Grinding and Sieving
The cacao cake is crushed and sieved to produce fine cacao powder. Depending on the intended use, the fat content of cacao powder typically ranges from 10% ถึง 22%.
9. Cacao Powder Flavoring
The ground cacao powder is placed in a mixer and mixed with sugar, นมผง, และเครื่องปรุงอื่นๆ.
10. บรรจุภัณฑ์และการเก็บรักษา
The final cacao powder is cooled, quality-tested, and packaged. It is then stored in a dry, dark environment to prevent oxidation and moisture absorption.
โดยผ่านกระบวนการข้างต้น, the cacao beans undergo multiple steps of processing to produce high-quality cacao powder. Cacao powder has a rich cacao aroma and is widely used in the production of foods such as chocolate and beverages.
