Dutch Cocoa Powder (AKA cocoa powder)

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There are two types of unsweetened cocoa powder: natural and Dutch. Latamarko Dutch cocoa powder, which has been treated with alkalizing agents to improve color and taste, is more common than the natural type. It is made from organic cocoa beans and therefore it is much safer to use. During Dutch process ,the following changes are made to cocoa powder: Decreased acidity, Increase solubility, Color change, Improve flavor

Dutch Cocoa Powder (AKA cocoa powder)

In general, there are two types of unsweetened cocoa powder: natural and Dutch. Dutch cocoa powder, which has been treated with alkalizing agents to improve color and taste, is more common than the natural type. Compared to natural cocoa powder, this product also has a milder taste and a darker color. Many food industries, as well as the chocolate industry, are based on Dutch cocoa powder. This product is used in ice cream, hot chocolate and bakery products. For example, Dutch cocoa is used to make “Oreo” cookies.

Dutch Cocoa Powder history

The history of Dutch cocoa powder dates back to the early 19th century. At the time, a man named “Coenraad Johannes van Houten”- a Dutch chemist who followed his father’s steps “Casparus” in the chocolate industry- developed Dutching. The chocolate industry owes much to Coenraad and Casparus. In the late 18th century, for the first time in history, Casparus extracted cocoa butter from cocoa beans and less than fifty years later, his son did a great job for the industry by developing Dutch process. These developments led to the removal of an exclusive use of chocolate in the beverage industry.

Coenraad Johannes van Houten, who produced Dutch cocoa powder for the first time

To produce Dutch cocoa powder, cocoa beans are soaked in an alkaline substance called “potassium carbonate”. This soaking can be done before or after roasting the beans. The alkaline pH of potassium carbonate reduces the acidity of cocoa beans. Cocoa beans are inherently very acidic. Reducing their acidity in this way reduces the bitter taste and makes the pigments darker. More treatment with alkalizing agents led to more changes in substrates. This means that by intensifying the alkalization, the color of the cocoa powder tends to black and its pH tends to neutral or slightly alkaline.

In addition to natural cocoa powder, Latamarko – one of successful Turkish companies in the field of food production and export – produces few types of Dutch cocoa powder. The alkalization process in this factory is done using well-equipped and hygienic devices.

During Dutch process in Latamarko, the following changes are made to cocoa powder:

Decreased acidity
Increase solubility
Color change
Improve flavor

Nutritional and cooking properties of Dutch cocoa powder

Although, flavonoids and other antioxidants are less in Dutch cocoa than the natural type; But the effect of this reduction on its nutritional value is still debated. Some food industry scientists believe that because natural cocoa contains large amounts of antioxidants, despite the reduction in the Dutch process, the final product still has significant amounts of antioxidants. Even if 60% of cocoa antioxidants are lost during the process, Dutch cocoa powder is still on the list of foods rich in antioxidants.

Two natural and Dutch types of cocoa powder have different chemical properties and therefore, in the same food recipe, they act slightly different. As mentioned, processed cocoa has a neutral or alkaline PH. Some recipes rely on the acidity of natural cocoa powder to react with baking soda and make the product leavened. Therefore, processed cocoa powder cannot be used in recipes in which baking soda is used, unless there is another acidic substance such as tartar cream in the recipe. So keep in mind that when a recipe specifically mentions natural cocoa powder, don’t replace it with processed ones. But if it is not specified in a recipe that the intended cocoa powder is natural or processed, it is usually safe to assume that the cocoa in Dutched, because Dutch cocoa powder is more common.

Latakarko Dutch cocoa powder is made from organic cocoa beans and therefore it is much safer to use. Cocoa is considered organic if grown with no use of artificial chemicals, hormones and antibiotics. So in addition to being nature-friendly, organic products also improve people’s health. The quality of Latamarko products, including Dutch cocoa powder, is supported by variant of quality certificates and despite the high quality, Latamarko offers a very competitive price