This tree was introduced to China in 1922. It can grow happily on the gentle slope formed by warm and humid climate and alluvial soil rich in organic matter, but it is not suitable for growing on poorly drained and heavy clay or places frequently hit by typhoons.
Basic introduction of Chinese name: Cocoa bean alias: Cocoa bean subfamily: Plant phylum: Angiosperma phylum: Dicotyledonous subclass: Primitive Taiwan Province tree subfamily: Malvaceae: Sterculiaceae: Cocoa bean genus: its morphological characteristics, growth environment, distribution range, main value, cultivation techniques, climate influence, cocoa tree life, pest control, picking and storage, related introduction and characteristics. The trunk is solid and the crown is lush. Leaves: alternate, oval, leathery, 20 ~ 30 cm long, with micro-star hairs on the veins. Flowers: "Flowers grow from old stems", which directly bloom on the trunk or main branches, with a diameter of about 1.8 cm; Calyx is pink and smelly. 5 deep division; Petals 5, the lower part is depressed into a helmet shape, and the upper part is spoon-shaped and rolled outward; The base of stamen filament is tubular, and 5 staminodes are linear. The developing stamens 1 ~ 3 cluster into 1 group, which alternate with staminodes. Cocoa trunk seeds: namely cocoa beans; There are 30-50 seeds in a fruit, and each seed is covered with white gum, which can be removed by fermentation. Seeds ovoid, 2.5 cm long. Cocoa fruit is oval in shape and varies in length. The seeds are usually 30 ~ 40, oval or oval, with a length of 1.8 ~ 2.6 cm and a diameter of 1 ~ 1.5 cm. White gum is attached to the outside of each seed, and the gum on the seed surface can be removed by fermentation. Each seed or cocoa bean includes cotyledons and embryos surrounded by seed coat. The color of cotyledons varies from white to deep purple, and the color of cotyledons of different varieties is different. Cocoa beans are bigger and flatter than coffee beans, and the dent in the middle is shallower and wavy. The growing environment is the most suitable environment for the growth of cocoa beans because of the hot and rainy climate. Cocoa beans have different flavors everywhere, some are fruity and some are smoky. Today, the main producing areas of cocoa beans are Central and South America, West Africa and Southeast Asia. Cocoa beans are the products of cocoa trees and can be ground into cocoa powder to eat. Introduced from 65438 to 0922 in Chiayi and Kaohsiung, Taiwan Province Province, China. Chinese mainland is mainly planted in Hainan. Cocoa trees like to grow on gentle slopes formed by hot and humid climate and alluvial soil rich in organic matter, but they are not suitable for growing on poorly drained and heavy clay or places frequently hit by typhoons. In this way, its planting is suitable for the land between 20 latitudes north and south of the equator. Assuming fertile soil conditions and careful cultivation, once it survives, cocoa trees can grow in sufficient sunshine. Cocoa plantations (artificially planted cocoa trees) are usually located in valleys or coastal plains, and must have evenly distributed rainfall and fertile and well-drained land. Distribution range The origin of cocoa beans is mainly distributed in the plot south of the equator and about 20 degrees north latitude. The main value of cocoa beans (raw beans) is that they contain 5.58% water, 50.29% fat, 14. 19% nitrogen, 1.55% theobromine and 13.9 1%. Cocoa beans also contain nerve center stimulants such as caffeine and tannin, which has a great relationship with the color, aroma and taste of chocolate. The melting point of cocoa butter is close to human body temperature, which has the characteristics of melting in the mouth and maintaining a certain hardness at room temperature. It also has a unique cocoa flavor, high nutritional value and is not easy to oxidize. It is the main raw material for making chocolate. Cocoa cake can be made into cocoa powder, which is rich in carbohydrates, fat, protein and vitamin B. According to Lauren Pipito, a statistician of the International Cocoa Production Organization in London, the output of cocoa beans has been declining gradually because the global economic recession has suppressed the market demand for cocoa beans mainly used for chocolate production. The life span of cocoa trees Cocoa trees are evergreen trees. Its huge smooth leaves are red when they are young and turn green when they are mature. When mature, the height of artificially planted cocoa trees is 15 to 25 feet, but the height of wild cocoa trees can reach more than 60 feet. The life expectancy of cocoa trees is still under speculation. It is generally believed that after 25 years, the economic function of a cocoa tree may be considered as the end, and it is suitable to replant young cocoa trees to replace it. Pest control: young cocoa trees, sucking insects (aphids, psyllids, mealworms and thrips) and leaf-eating insects (scorpions) are the dominant species. For mature cocoa trees, Toona sinensis, shield insect powder, pod borer, psyllid, ants and locusts are the dominant species. Diseases: such as witches' broom, black fungus, etc. There are hundreds of kinds of fungi, which will reduce the annual global cocoa harvest 1/3. Prevention and control: chemical prevention and control: using organochlorine, organophosphorus or carbamate pesticides. ◆ Physical and cultural prevention and control: Clean the countryside and pay attention to the removal of weeds, climbing plants and rotten wood. ◆ Biological control: black ants are used to control smelly bedbugs, and red-eyed egg bees are used to control Jin Gangzuan. ◆ Use resistant strains: especially resistant to swollen branch disease and black fruit disease. After pruning and careful cultivation, most kinds of cocoa trees will begin to bear fruit in the fifth year. With the best care, some tree species will have a good harvest even in the third and fourth years. Cocoa trees bear fruit (or pods) all year round, but the harvest is usually seasonal. Because cocoa trees are freely cross-pollinated, pods form various species, including Latin American species, exotic species and Trinidad species. Picking ripe cocoa beans is not an easy task. Cocoa trees are fragile and shallow, so workers can't risk climbing up to pick pods from tall branches. The growers equipped the pickers who went to work in the fields with long-handled hand-shaped steel knives. Steel knives are used to touch and cut off the tallest pods without hurting the soft bark of cocoa trees. The machete you carry with you is used to pick pods that grow on low branches and are within reach. Collectors and pickers together collect pods into baskets and transport them to the edge of the field. Where the pods are broken. If the method is correct, the wooden shell of the pod can be split by waving a machete once or twice. A well-trained crusher can crush 500 pods per hour. The harvested cocoa beans need patience to complete the harvest. Usually, 20 to 50 milky cocoa beans are dug from a standard pod, and then the shell and inner membrane of the pod are discarded. Dry cocoa beans in ordinary pods weigh less than 58 grams. To be exact, it takes 400 cocoa beans to make 1 pound chocolate. Cocoa beans are still very different from the end products we are familiar with. Milky cocoa beans will soon turn lavender or purple when exposed to the air. At this time, they don't look like chocolate, and they don't smell like familiar chocolate. Store cocoa beans or seeds taken from pods, and put them in boxes or pile them up for packaging. Wrapped around cocoa beans is a layer of pulp, which begins to heat up and ferment. Fermentation lasts for three to nine days, which removes the bitter taste of cocoa and produces raw materials with chocolate characteristics. Fermentation is a simple process. Sugar in cocoa beans is converted into acids, mainly lactic acid and acetic acid. The fermentation process caused the temperature of cocoa beans to rise to 125 degrees Fahrenheit, killing bacteria, activating existing enzymes, forming a mixture, which produced chocolate flavor when baking cocoa beans. The end result is a dark brown completely fermented cocoa bean. The appearance of this color indicates that cocoa beans are ready to enter the drying process. If you want to preserve cocoa beans, you must dry them. In some countries, the drying process is very simple: just spread cocoa beans on a plate or bamboo mat and bake them in the sun. When wet weather interferes with this drying method, manual methods can be used. For example, cocoa beans may be taken indoors and dried under a hot air duct. If the weather is fine, the drying process usually takes several days. In this gap, farmers often turn over cocoa beans. They used this opportunity to select cocoa beans for export and to select flat, broken or germinated cocoa beans. During the drying process, cocoa beans will lose almost all the water and more than half the weight. After the cocoa beans are dried, they are ready to be shipped at the price of 130 to 200 pounds per bag. They are rarely stored in warehouses unless they have to wait for the shipping center inspected by the buyer. The species, origin and characteristics of cocoa beans are introduced. Cocoa beans are the characteristic varieties of cocoa trees growing in the narrow zone of 20 north and south latitude. Cocoa bean (1) criollo, the best in cocoa, has a unique flavor, but its output is scarce, which is equivalent to Arabica coffee beans in coffee beans, accounting for only 5% of the global output; Mainly grown in Venezuela, Caribbean, Madagascar, Java and other places. ⑵ Rastero, with the highest yield, accounting for about 80% of the global output, is pungent, bitter and sour, equivalent to Robusta in coffee beans, and is mainly used to make ordinary chocolate; Cocoa beans from West Africa belong to this category and are also widely cultivated in Malaysia, Indonesia and Brazil. This kind of beans need intense baking to make up for the lack of taste, which is why most dark chocolates have a burnt taste. ⑶ trinitario is a hybrid of the above two species, named after its development in Trinidad. It combines the advantages of the first two kinds of cocoa beans, and its output accounts for about 65,438+05%. Its origin and distribution are the same as Creole, and it is regarded as a treasure in cocoa, which is used to make high-quality chocolate, because only these two kinds of beans can provide the acidity, balance and complexity of high-quality chocolate. African cocoa beans account for about 65% of the world's total cocoa production, and most of them are bought out by the United States in the form of futures, but most African cocoa beans are Buddha Rastero, which can only be used to produce ordinary and popular chocolate; European high-quality chocolate producers will choose the best cocoa beans from high-quality cocoa plantations, and some even have their own farms, such as VALRHONA, a famous French chocolate producer. Efficacy Scientists have found that cocoa contains oleic acid, linoleic acid, stearic acid, palmitic acid, protein, vitamin A, vitamin B 1, B3, B5, B6, vitamin D and vitamin E, as well as minerals such as calcium, magnesium, copper, potassium, sodium, iron and zinc. Cellulose; Polyphenols, including oligomeric flavonoids, mainly flavanol oligomers-proanthocyanidins and monomeric catechins, and polymeric tannins; Containing phenylethylamine, theobromine, etc. In addition, cocoa contains more than 500 kinds of aromatic substances, the melting point of cocoa is 35 ~ 37℃, and the taste and mouthfeel are memorable. Cocoa has the following eight functions: (1) controlling appetite. A study by Pennsylvania State University found that eating cocoa can stabilize blood sugar and control weight. Cocoa is rich in cocoa butter, protein, cellulose, vitamins and minerals; It is rich in nutrients and can absorb few carbohydrates (less than 10%). Therefore, cocoa belongs to Lucasone's green food. Eating cocoa is easy to feel full and has little effect on blood sugar. Linoleic acid in cocoa butter can produce GLA, which is finally converted into 1 prostaglandin by DGLA, which can relax blood vessels, eliminate metabolic disorders and help insulin work, thus stabilizing blood sugar and controlling appetite. ⑵ The American Medical Association in beauty beauty confirmed that eating cocoa won't get angry and get acne. On the contrary, cocoa is rich in proanthocyanidins, catechins and vitamin E, which has a strong antioxidant effect. Together with vitamin A and zinc in cocoa, these antioxidants can beautify the skin and eliminate acne and scars. (3) Increase emotions and help "sex" Cocoa contains phenylethylamine, which is a signal substance produced by the brain when you are in love. ⑷ Anadami in delicious cocoa can make you feel relaxed and refreshed. Cocoa contains more than 500 kinds of aromatic substances, which cannot be imitated and synthesized in the laboratory. The melting point of cocoa is 35-37 degrees Celsius, which is the same as the temperature of human mouth and blood, so it melts at the entrance; At the same time, the brain begins to secrete endorphins, a signal substance that makes you feel good. This is why the taste and taste of cocoa are the most memorable and memorable! 5. Concentrate and cheer up. Theobromine in cocoa can make your mind sharp and concentrate. Tryptophan and magnesium in cocoa can help produce serotonin and calm you down. [6] A study conducted by the American Heart Association and the University of California in 2002 found that cocoa consumption can improve cardiovascular function. Subjects ate nearly 50 grams of chocolate with high flavanol content every day for two weeks. The results showed that the blood vessels of the subjects were obviously dilated two hours after eating. Professor Schrodt of the University of California said in a report entitled "Cocoa Polyphenols and Cardiovascular Health", "There are many kinds of polyphenols in nature, and flavonoids are the most common one in plant foods. Many investigations show that the reduction of cardiovascular disease risk is related to plant foods rich in flavonoids. Flavanols and procyanidins are the main flavonoids in cocoa. They can prolong the action time of other antioxidants such as vitamin E and vitamin C in the body, promote vasodilation, reduce inflammatory reaction and reduce thrombosis, thus playing a role in preventing cardiovascular diseases. " Many studies, such as Pennsylvania State University, found that proanthocyanidins and catechins rich in cocoa have strong antioxidant effects, which can reduce low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) and increase high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL). Linoleic acid, oleic acid and palmitic acid in cocoa enhance this effect. Stearic acid in cocoa has no effect on cholesterol. The research center of Princeton University once confirmed that cocoa can clean the mouth and prevent gum stones and tooth decay. Tannic acid and polyphenols in cocoa can prevent gum stones and tooth decay. Research by Harvard University found that cocoa can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer and prolong life. Vitamin E is the most important vitamin in cocoa, and proanthocyanidins are the most important polyphenols in cocoa. They are main free radical scavengers, which can protect the body from oxidative damage. Therefore, they have preventive effects on many diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer and aging. Grade standard of quality specification (1): if one of the cocoa beans in a batch exceeds the second grade standard, it is an equal grade cocoa bean, marked as "ss", and the equal grade cocoa beans can only be sold under special contracts. ⑵ Project Description: ① Moldy beans: cocoa beans with moldy inside can be seen by naked eyes. (2) Stiff beans: More than half of cocoa beans with bluish-gray cross section can be seen by naked eyes. ③ Insect-eaten cocoa beans: No matter which stage of development, as long as insect-eaten cocoa beans or visible traces of pests are found inside. (4) germinated beans: the germ germinates and breaks out of the shell, breaking the shell or breaking it. ⑤ Lentils: Cocoa beans with thin cotyledons can't form cotyledon slices when cutting. 6 smoked beans: cocoa beans that can be tasted or smelled or have signs of smoking. ⑦ Broken beans: Cocoa beans with broken parts less than half of this grain. (8) Shell pieces: shells without cocoa kernels. ⑶ Contract specifications for imported cocoa beans: general terms: ① Quantity ① 100g: African cocoa beans 100, Malaysian cocoa beans10; ② Defective beans: no more than 5%. After cocoa beans arrive at the factory, they will be sampled and analyzed, such as key components, flavor and so on. Then, according to the product formula requirements, mixing different varieties or producing areas of cocoa beans will determine the characteristic taste and flavor of each chocolate finished product. For example, African cocoa beans can bring basic aroma to chocolate, and American and Asian cocoa beans can give refined aroma to chocolate. First, clean pebbles, dirt and sand in cocoa beans, and then quickly dry them, so that it is easier to grind cocoa beans and remove their shells, leaving only the core. Then, the cocoa kernels are baked to further remove water and produce special aromatic substances. Cocoa liquid is introduced into a cylindrical tube, and the liquid passes through a very fine sieve under high pressure to obtain smooth and delicate cocoa butter. The solids in cocoa liquor remain in the column in the form of cakes. After the pressing process, the cake is made into cocoa powder through a series of grinding. The particle size of cocoa powder is very important to the taste and flavor of the finished product. The smaller the particles, the more delicate the taste and the more fully the flavor is released. Cocoa liquid, cocoa butter, sugar and milk are the basic raw materials for making different chocolates. Sometimes, natural bourbon herbs are added to chocolate to add flavor.