Browsing by Subject "kaakao"

This thesis studies the tree species’ juvenile diversity in cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) based agroforestry and in primary forest in a natural conservation forest environment of Lore Lindu National Park, Sulawesi, Indonesia. Species’ adult composition in Lore Lindu National Park is relatively well studied, less is known about tree species’ diversity in seedling communities particularly in frequently disturbed cacao agroforestry field environment. Cacao production forms a potentially serious thread for maintaining the conservation areas pristine and forested in Sulawesi. The impacts of cacao production on natural environment are directly linked to the diversity and abundance of shade tree usage. The study aims at comparing differences between cacao agroforestry and natural forest in the surrounding area in their species composition in seedling and sapling size categories. The study was carried out in two parts. Biodiversity inventory of seedlings and saplings was combined with social survey with farmer interviews. Aim of the survey was to gain knowledge of the cacao fields, and farmers’ observations and choices regarding tree species associated with cacao. Data was collected in summer 2008. The assessment of the impact of environmental factors of solar radiation, weeding frequency, cacao tree planting density, distance to forest and distance to main park road, and type of habitat on seedling and sapling compositions was done with Non-metric Multidimensional Scaling (NMS). Outlier analysis was used to assess distorting variables for NMS, and Multi-Response Permutation Procedures (MRPP) analysis to differentiate the impact of categorical variables. Sampling success was estimated with rarefaction curves and jackknife estimate of species richness. In the inventory 135 species of trees and shrubs were found. Only some agroforestry related species were dominating. The most species rich were sapling communities in forest habitat. NMS was showing generally low linear correlation between variation of species composition and environmental variables. Solar radiation was having most significance as explaining variable. The most clearly separated in ordination were cacao and forest habitats. The results of seedling and sapling inventory were only partly coinciding with farmers’ knowledge of the tree species occurring on their fields. More research with frequent assessment of seedling cohorts is needed due to natural variability of cohorts and high mortality rate of seedlings.

Term cocoa flavanols refers to all flavanolbased compounds found in cocoa including procyanidins. Procyanidins are polymerized compounds formed from cathecin and epicathecin flavanols. Cocoa flavanols contribute to the bitterness in chocolate but they are also proven to be heart and vascular health promoting. In autumn 2013 after EFSA’s positive scientific opinion European commission approved Barry Callebaut’s health claim ”cocoa flavanols help maintain endothelium vasodilation, which contributes to normal blood flow” considering ACTICOA™ cocoa powder. Because cocoa flavanols can contribute to human health it is important to know how chocolate manufacturing process affects them. The aim of the study was to define which processing steps in chocolate manufacturing are mostly responsible of the reduction of cocoa flavanols. Both dark and milk chocolate making processes were examined. In addition, raw chocolate manufacturing was compared to a standard chocolate manufacturing by analysing samples of raw chocolate made from the same Arriba Nacional-cocoa bean variety. The effect of alkalising process was also evaluated by comparing two chocolate samples that differ only in the cocoa powder used, which was either alkalised or non-alkalised. Additionally, these samples were compared with a sample, in which cocoa powder was enriched ACTICOA™-powder, in order to detect its beneficial effects on the flavanol content of the end product. The samples were collected throughout the manufacturing process of chocolate, ranging from fermented cocoa beans to milk chocolate. Samples included differently processed chocolates (dark chocolates containing 70 % and 47 % of cocoa and 35 % milk chocolate) and their conching, refining and cocoa mass samples. Two other 70 % chocolate samples with altered recipes and two raw chocolate samples were also analysed. NIST SRM 2384-baking chocolate was analysed to check the reliability of the results. In addition the amount of cocoa flavanols in Crump-powder was determined. According to the results the greatest loss in the amount of cocoa flavanols occurs at refining step, when almost half of the remaining flavanols were lost. In processing fermented beans to cocoa mass as well as in conching step, the losses are around 20 percent. Processes (tempering etc.) after conching doesn’t seem to have major effects on cocoa flavanols. By replacing 10 % of the chocolate’s cocoa (the cocoa powder fraction) with ACTICOA™-powder the total flavanol amount increased 150 % compared to chocolate containing alkalized powder. The effect of non-alkalized powder wasn’t as remarkable, the increase was only 16 %. The most critical prosessing step for cocoa flavanols in traditional chocolate manufacturing is refining, during which particularly trimers and larger procyanidins are lost. Instead of changing the chocolate manufacturing process more flavanol preserving, it would be more efficient to use cocoa ingredients that are processed in flavanol preserving manner, such as ACTICOA™-powder to ensure the health beneficially sufficient amount of flavanols in chocolate.