The Difference Between Consuming Chocolate and Organic Cacao Powder

Cocoa is a popular ingredient, which is essential for baking and making chocolate. But cacao is less known. However, with the popularity of consuming natural and whole foods, we are hearing a lot more about organic cacao powder.

Many times people confuse cocoa and cacao as the same. But there is a difference between the two. Cacao is basically the unprocessed, raw version of cocoa. Both ingredients have many health benefits. However, it is best to stick to the raw version, cacao which has higher antioxidants to improve your health.

Making of organic cacao powder and cocoa powder

Chocolate comes from cocoa beans that are obtained from the Theobroma cacao tree that’s found in South America. The seeds of cacao beans often grow in colourful, large pods. Both cocoa and cacao begin as beans. After the harvest, beans need to separate from the sticky pulp found in the pod. Further, these undergo fermentation for many days via microorganisms. The fermentation helps to develop delicious and distinct chocolaty aromas and tastes.

What happens in the next process often determines whether the beans are cocoa or cacao. For making cocoa powder, cacao beans need proper drying to prevent the growth of mould. After fermentation, the roasting process begins. Later, the removal process of shells separates them from the inner cocoa nib that’s ground into a cocoa mass or chocolate liquor. The chocolate liquor further needs separation using the cold pressing process to form a cocoa powder and cocoa butter.

On the other hand, cacao powder don’t undergo roasting at high temperatures. After drying and fermenting the beans, the heating process begins but only at low temperature. Due to heat, it’s easier to remove the fatty part of the bean (cacao butter) from solid cacao. After that, the solids undergo a milling process to form fine cacao powder.

Also read: The Making of Raw Cacao Powder

What’s the difference between organic cacao and cocoa?

Both cacao and cocoa appear the same, but the difference lies in their processing. Cacao is raw, whereas cocoa undergoes heating and roasting.

Here is a quick breakdown of three different forms of these products:

CACAO (unroasted)

Beans: Raw, whole beans.
Nibs: Beans cut into edible pieces. These appear like chocolate chips but include the same nutrients as cacao, such as fat, protein, and fiber.
Paste: It consists of cacao nibs that are slowly heated to preserve the essential nutrients.

Raw cacao is jam-packed with antioxidants that don’t contain chemicals to damage the human body in any way. It is also rich in magnesium that’s good for keeping bones strong while regulating heart rhythm and blood pressure.

CACAO (Partial bean forms)

Butter: It is white with a rich and fatty texture.
Powder: Organic cacao power consists of unroasted, cold-pressed cacao beans by removing the fat and leaving the live enzymes.

Cacao powder is rich in fiber and has high calories than cocoa powder due to fats and nutrients present in it. It is a good source of monounsaturated fats (good fats), fiber, and protein.

COCOA (roasted)

Powder

Cocoa powder: It is the dry solid remains of the cacao roasted beans after removing butter. Since it is roasted at high temperatures, its nutritional value decreases.
Cocoa powder mix: It is often available in the grocery store. It consists of cocoa powder mixed with additional sugar and fat. So, it’s not healthy for you.

Chocolate

Chocolate liquor: It is pure cocoa in solid or semisolid form. It consists of cocoa solids and cocoa butter.
Dark chocolate (bittersweet or semisweet): It contains chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, and sugar.
White chocolate: No cocoa solids; only cocoa butter, milk, and sugar.
Milk chocolate: It includes chocolate liquor, milk powder, or condensed milk.

Differences in terms of taste, price, and nutrient content

Organic cacao powder is more bitter compared to cocoa powder – The taste of cacao powder is more bitter than cocoa. It is because organic cacao power is available in its raw form without processing.

Cacao powder has more antioxidants and nutrients – The antioxidants and nutrients are sensitive to heat. So, with heating, the cocoa beans lose these nutritional contents. But cacao has them intact due to its raw, natural form.

Organic cacao powder is more expensive than cocoa – Since organic cacao powder is harder to extract compared to cocoa powder, it’s more expensive than cocoa products.

If you want to reap the benefits of highly nutritious and antioxidants-rich organic cacao powder, you can consider buying it from Diet Angel’s official website.

You can also read: Interesting Facts About Coconut Sugar!