Chocolate – now we know we are eating the good stuff.
Good chocolate is like good cheese or good wine or a good hot dog or even the perfect pizza.
We all have our own ideas what they are but there are some basics that we would all agree with and this is why we have competitions and awards for the best.
I am a home cheesemaker and know what a good vintage should be like, but I am not a cheese judge and wouldn’t even think about doing so. However those that are, rely on their sense of taste, smell, and sight to determine which is the best cheese.
The same applies to good chocolate. Up until now, it has been entirely dependent upon the skill and knowledge of the judge / taster as to which is the good stuff, and which is not.
Connoisseurs of chocolate, and the other gourmet foods, pay large amounts of money for the privilege of eating it. Their expectation is that the product inside the pack meets their ideals, as well as what is written on the label.
It is only recently that a suitable test has been developed that will allow people to know that the quality of the cacao beans going into the specific product are what the label says and are the highest quality. The test is able to confirm both the variety and origin of the beans used in the chocolate.
Genetic testing has been available for cereals, fruits, tea and coffee for some time, but it could not be used for cacao beans. This new test overcomes this problem.
The test involves identifying a specific set of DNA Markers which comprise the cacao bean species unique “fingerprints”.
The test is important as there has been a tendency by some low moral businesses to blend lower quality beans in with the premium cacao to increase profits. This new test will prevent this from occurring in future, and give those of us that love good chocolate, the confidence of knowing that we are eating only the good stuff.
For more information about the research, look at American Chemical Society’s Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
Written by Rachelle Williams – the Green Food Safety Coach