Dutch processed cocoa, Dutch cocoa, or alkalized cocoa, is

cocoa solids Dry cocoa solids are the components of cocoa beans remaining after cocoa butter, the fatty component of the bean, is extracted from chocolate liquor, roasted cocoa beans that have been ground into a liquid state. Cocoa butter is 46% to 57% of t ...

that have been treated with an

alkali In chemistry, an alkali (; from ar, القلوي, al-qaly, lit=ashes of the saltwort) is a basic, ionic salt of an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal. An alkali can also be defined as a base that dissolves in water. A solution of a ...

zing agent to reduce the natural acidity of cocoa, giving it a less bitter taste (and darker colour) compared to "natural cocoa" extracted with the Broma process. It forms the basis for much of modern

chocolate Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cacao seed kernels that is available as a liquid, solid, or paste, either on its own or as a flavoring agent in other foods. Cacao has been consumed in some form since at least the Olmec ci ...

, and is used in

ice cream Ice cream is a sweetened frozen food typically eaten as a snack or dessert. It may be made from milk or cream and is flavoured with a sweetener, either sugar or an alternative, and a spice, such as cocoa or vanilla, or with fruit such as ...

, hot chocolate, and baking. Alkalizing agents employed vary, but include potassium carbonate (E501),

sodium carbonate Sodium carbonate, , (also known as washing soda, soda ash and soda crystals) is the inorganic compound with the formula Na2CO3 and its various hydrates. All forms are white, odourless, water-soluble salts that yield moderately alkaline solutions ...

(E500), and/or

sodium hydroxide Sodium hydroxide, also known as lye and caustic soda, is an inorganic compound with the formula NaOH. It is a white solid ionic compound consisting of sodium cations and hydroxide anions . Sodium hydroxide is a highly caustic base and al ...

(E525). Dutching greatly reduces the levels of certain phytochemicals in cocoa.

Nutrition

History

The Dutch process was developed in the early 19th century by Dutch chocolate maker

Coenraad Johannes van Houten Coenraad Johannes van Houten (15 March 1801 – 27 May 1887) was a Dutch chemist and chocolate maker known for the treatment of cocoa mass with alkaline salts to remove the bitter taste and make cocoa solids more water-soluble; the resulting pro ...

, whose father Casparus was responsible for the development of the method of removing fat from

cocoa bean The cocoa bean (technically cocoa seed) or simply cocoa (), also called the cacao bean (technically cacao seed) or cacao (), is the dried and fully Fermentation, fermented seed of ''Theobroma cacao'', from which cocoa solids (a mixture of non ...

s by hydraulic press around 1828, forming the basis for

cocoa powder Cocoa may refer to: Chocolate * Chocolate * '' Theobroma cacao'', the cocoa tree * Cocoa bean, seed of ''Theobroma cacao'' * Chocolate liquor, or cocoa liquor, pure, liquid chocolate extracted from the cocoa bean, including both cocoa butter an ...

. These developments greatly expanded the use of cocoa, which had been mostly used as a beverage in Europe until that time.

Color

The quantity of alkalizing agent is not specified on the ingredients on cocoa powder. However, this may be figured out by comparing the brown shades between different products. Higher quantities of alkalizing agents will produce cocoa that is darker than cocoa with lower quantities.

Taste and cooking properties

Dutch processed cocoa has a neutral pH, and is not acidic like natural cocoa, so in recipes that use

sodium bicarbonate Sodium bicarbonate ( IUPAC name: sodium hydrogencarbonate), commonly known as baking soda or bicarbonate of soda, is a chemical compound with the formula NaHCO3. It is a salt composed of a sodium cation ( Na+) and a bicarbonate anion ( HCO3− ...

(baking soda) as the

leavening agent In cooking, a leavening agent () or raising agent, also called a leaven () or leavener, is any one of a number of substances used in doughs and batters that cause a foaming action (gas bubbles) that lightens and softens the mixture. An altern ...

(which relies on the acidity of the cocoa to activate it), an acid must be added to the recipe, such as cream of tartar or the use of

buttermilk Buttermilk is a fermented dairy drink. Traditionally, it was the liquid left behind after churning butter out of cultured cream. As most modern butter in western countries is not made with cultured cream but uncultured sweet cream, most m ...

instead of fresh milk. There is no need to add acidity when natural cocoa is used in recipes that use

baking powder Baking powder is a dry chemical leavening agent, a mixture of a carbonate or bicarbonate and a weak acid. The base and acid are prevented from reacting prematurely by the inclusion of a buffer such as cornstarch. Baking powder is used to increas ...

instead of soda for leavening.

Reduction of phytochemicals

Caffeine

Dutch cocoa contains 3 times less caffeine: * 100 grams unsweetened cocoa powder processed with alkali contains 78 mg. * 100 grams unsweetened cocoa powder without alkali contains 230 mg.

Antioxidants and flavonols

Compared to other processes, Dutch process cocoa contains lower amounts of

flavonols Flavonols are a class of flavonoids that have the 3-hydroxyflavone backbone (IUPAC name : 3-hydroxy-2-phenylchromen-4-one). Their diversity stems from the different positions of the phenolic -OH groups. They are distinct from flavanols (with ...

( antioxidants). The effect this has on nutritional value is disputed. Professor Irmgard Bitsch of the Institut für Ernährungswissenschaft, Justus-Liebig-University

Giessen Giessen, spelled Gießen in German (), is a town in the German state (''Bundesland'') of Hesse, capital of both the district of Giessen and the administrative region of Giessen. The population is approximately 90,000, with roughly 37,000 unive ...

claims that the reduction of antioxidants due to the process is not significant and enough

polyphenol Polyphenols () are a large family of naturally occurring organic compounds characterized by multiples of phenol units. They are abundant in plants and structurally diverse. Polyphenols include flavonoids, tannic acid, and ellagitannin, some ...

s and procyanidins remain in the cocoa. One study determined that 60% of natural cocoa's original antioxidants were destroyed by light dutching and 90% were destroyed by heavy dutching. Natural cocoa has such high levels of antioxidants that even a 60% reduction leaves it high on the list of antioxidant-rich foods.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dutch Process Chocolate Dutch chocolate Chocolate industry Dutch cuisine Dutch inventions Industrial history of the Netherlands Food powders