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cocoa

05/17/2018 / By Zoey Sky

The best way to boost the health benefits of cocoa beans lies in how you roast them

Several studies have already determined that chocolate offers various health benefits, but according to researchers from Penn State University (PSU), roasting cocoa beans for a specific length of time and at a certain temperature can both “preserve and even boost the potency of some bioactive and antioxidant compounds while protecting desired sensory aspects of chocolate.” […]

05/06/2018 / By Edsel Cook

Rebuilding the Amazon forest with chocolate: How cocoa could be the key to making South America green again

For decades, Brazilian ranchers have been part of the wide-scale destruction of the Amazon rainforest. Now, they – and chocolate – could be the keys to make South America green again. According to a Reuters report, many ranchers are planting cocoa trees with the support of environmentalists who believe cocoa plantations can serve as new forests. […]

02/11/2018 / By Ralph Flores

Stressed-out cacao trees produce more nutritionally potent chocolate – new research

A bite of your favorite chocolate bar can take off the stress for most people – studies have already looked into it – but research has shown that putting cocoa trees under stress can lead to better-tasting chocolate. In particular, drought and other weather conditions have more impact on cocoa production than how the tree themselves are grown. The […]

02/07/2018 / By Ralph Flores

Inducing a stress response through growing conditions alters the chemical composition of Theobroma cacao L. beans (cocoa)

Dry spells and other weather conditions have more impact on cocoa production than how the tree themselves are grown. The report, published in the American Chemical Society’s Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, detailed the impacts that different cultivation methods have in the chemical composition – as well as the flavor – of cocoa beans. There […]

10/31/2017 / By Michelle Simmons

Cocoa found to prevent type-2 diabetes

Research has found that cocoa contains certain compounds that can help the body release more insulin and respond to increased blood glucose (or blood sugar) better. But do not stock up on too much sugar-rich chocolates at the check-out counter just yet. Jeffrey Tessem, study author and assistant professor of nutrition, dietetics, and food science […]

09/20/2017 / By Tracey Watson

How high demand for chocolate is wiping out Africa’s rainforests

It would take some serious searching to find someone who does not love chocolate. Who can resist a chocolate bar after a long and stressful day? Or what about some delicious chocolate ice-cream in the sweltering summer heat? Chocolate milkshake anyone? The list goes on and on, and it is true to say that the […]

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