Cocoa “Shortage” – Some Radical Thoughts – Part 1
There is currently a substantial shortfall in Cocoa crops and factors such as social, political and climate change are probably going continue to steadily (and sometimes radically) reduce traditional sources in the future. Furthermore, most Cocoa is produced by small farmers, and you can’t move small farmers from an area where the climate and politics are no longer suitable for Cocoa to a distant one which may have become more suitable.
There appears to be significant barriers to large scale production in alternative areas, even if climate change makes alternative environments suitable for Cocoa growing. Many current alternative sources have seen problems with pests and diseases decimating crops on plantations, and legitimate concerns to reduce the use of pesticides and other chemicals will continue to make large scale cocoa growing a challenging business. Furthermore there will be pressure to avoid converting food crop areas to cash crops and the ever present (although generally spurious) claims of deforestation linked to Cocoa plantations
Cocoa mass is the fundamental and irreplaceable flavour component for milk and dark chocolate, it therefore is the component which must be safeguarded as a core ingredient for chocolates and for which there is no real substitute. It carries both the volatile, fat soluble components in the cocoa butter component and the non volatile components in the cocoa solids.
Whilst the added Cocoa butter in recipes (predominantly deodorised) does carry significant flavour components they are nowhere near as important to fundamental flavour as is Cocoa mass.
Compounds and other products derived solely from cocoa powders, whilst perfectly acceptable in their market position, do not have the broad and deep flavour supplied by Cocoa mass.
Cocoa butter is, for regulatory reasons as well as quality, the controlling factor in Cocoa demand. Cocoa bean is about 55% fat and 45% solids whereas chocolates vary between about 30% fat and 6% solids for mainstream milk chocolate up to about 45% fat and 35% cocoa solids for a small proportion of dark chocolate. There is therefore a disproportionate demand for Cocoa butter. This is relieved slightly by the allowance of up to 5% of Cocoa butter compatible vegetable fats.
Cocoa solids in the form of Cocoa powders are, to chocolate manufacturers at least, something of a by-product to be disposed of as profitably as possible. Beyond lower quality chocolate and compound products, cocoa powder is also used in drinks, bakery and other similar products.
Most of the desirable flavour in Cocoa powders comes from the residual Cocoa native butter remaining after mechanical extraction down to 22% or 11% fat, further demonstrating the importance of the fat soluble flavours.
There are several ways in which the potential future shortfall of Cocoa supply might be responded to:-
- Raise prices, reduce demand, compromise quality.
- Technical and regulatory changes to reduce the demand for Cocoa butter relative to Cocoa powder using existing technology and allow Cocoa mass to be core to strtegy
- Use other sources and technology to produce materials which mimic the properties and flavour of Cocoa solids
- Use novel technologies to produce fats which mimic the properties of Cocoa butter
In reality none of these is a singular “solution” and the likelihood is that a combination of these and other approaches will emerge. However it is vital that the consumer is carried along with any changes, Regulatory bodies, opinion formers and the such like can make (and indeed resist) changes, but the consumer is the ultimate arbiter.
It is noticeable that some recent “innovations” such as “high fibre”, “reduced sugar”, “plant based” and “ruby” have all been less than successful because the consumer refused to pay more for what they see as an inferior product. There is certainly a small niche market for all of these product ideas, but the mass market remains stubbornly conservative – basically you like the chocolate you had as a child and you trust that to give to the next generation.