In 2023, the price of cocoa rises to the highest level in 46 years

MIAMI. – In USA the National Day of Cacao It is celebrated this December 13. This date is favorable to recognize the efforts of the farmers who grow the seeds and encourage sustainable practices in the cocoa industry, which has a place in gastronomy, but also in the economy.

Cocoa is a tree that comes from America and the product is a fruit of the same name that is used as an ingredient in various foods, including cocoa. chocolate.

In October of this year it was reported that cocoa rose to the highest level in 44 years. This because of Global shortages increase costs for chocolate makers. “The supply and demand situation remains bullish,” Jack Scoville, vice president of Price Futures Group, told Blommberg.

The rise in prices was attributed to forecasts of poor harvests in the main producers: Ivory Coast and Ghana. During November, cocoa prices rose on the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) in New York to their highest level in 46 years.

According to Bloomberg, Cocoa for December delivery rose to $3,786 per metric ton in New York, representing the highest price since 1979.

Cocoa properties

Cocoa has a unique flavor: it has a delicious aroma that is used in many products to improve flavor and color. Furthermore, the cacao it’s nutritious. In this way, the cocoa bean contains about 55% fat: 36% monounsaturated fatty acids, 4% polyunsaturated fatty acids and 25% carbohydrates.

After roasting, the peeled grain contains approximately 12% protein, 5% water, 3.5% minerals and vitamins, and 1.3% theobromine. In the case of cocoa powder, it has almost 30% natural fiber and between 200 and 300 calories per 100 grams.

Key inventions

At the beginning of the 19th century there was a great revolution in the manufacturing industry. cacao when Coenraad Johannes van Houten, of Amsterdam, presented two inventions: In 1828, he patented a method of extracting most of the fat from cocoa paste, which then produced cocoa powder and cocoa butter.

Additionally, through alkalization, he developed a method to improve the flavor and color of cocoa in the production process.

This served as the starting point for the Englishman John Fry to create chocolate in 1847: a product that remains solid at room temperature and with a melting point lower than body temperature. Chocolate offers a more intense flavor and is smoother than the cocoa drink. Later, the Swiss chemist Henri Nestlé invented milk chocolate in 1875.