Seed.
As mentioned earlier, the Latin name of chocolate, 'Theobroma', literally means the 'food of the Gods' in English. The Aztec, who are said to have discovered the drink, called chocolate as xocoatl (cocoa) and used it both as a currency and a beverage that was drunk by the aristocrats in golden goblets. Chocolate became known to the remaining world only when the Spanish explorer Hernando Cortez brought home supplies of the beans from the Aztec in Mexico way back in 1519. For over a century, the Spanish kept chocolate as a secret and it spread to other parts of Europe only when it reached the court of the French emperor years later. Initially, cocoa was simply drunk as a sweet or bitter beverage and it is only about 150 years ago that it began to be used in confectionery. A yellowish butter prepared from the cocoa beans is extensively used as the base for many creams, an emollient as well as an important constituent in present-day cosmetic and toiletry manufacture. Cocoa also has a number of medicinal qualities and for centuries the Central Americans have effectively used cocoa to heal pains during pregnancy and childbirth. It is also beneficial in curing coughs and fevers. Cocoa contains a substance called theobromine that is basically alkaloid and produces a consequence that is comparable to caffeine. Hence, cocoa is useful in invigorating the muscles, heart as well as the kidneys. Theobromine is also closely linked to theophylline that helps in healing asthma. As a result, theobromine and caffeine also helps in alleviating blockages during colds by opening or enlarging the bronchial tracts in the lungs. In addition, theobromine is also beneficial in calming down the muscles in the digestive tracts. Owing to the presence of methylxanthines in cocoa, it also has diuretic, bronchyolitic and vasodilatory actions. Worldwide cocoa is popular as a food item, but it also has several medicinal values and is beneficial as a stimulant for the nervous system. Herbal practitioners in Central America as well as the Caribbean also prescribe cocoa seeds as a stimulant for healing heart and kidney ailments. Even the cocoa plant has therapeutic value as it may be used to cure angina and also as a diuretic (a tonic that enhances urine flow). Butter made from cocoa beans is also used as a lip cream and forms the base for the manufacture of suppositories.
Although cocoa is indigenous to Mexico and Central America, it in can be found in all the tropical regions across the globe. The cocoa plant is bred in various ways, including cuttings, grafting and budding, the cheapest way to grow cocoa is by raising saplings from its seeds. The cocoa seeds sprout when they are ripe and become feasible in a short span. The seeds may be stored for a period of 10 to 13 weeks provided their moisture content is maintained at 50 per cent. Following the harvesting of the cocoa fruits, the pulp is removed and the seeds are sown in either is nursery beds in shaded conditions or in baskets. A few months later, when the seeds are about 0.6 m tall, the saplings can be transplanted in fields under shade. They need to be planted in an area of 2.4 m X 2.4 m or 3.6 m X 3.6 m and enough spacing must be maintained between the plants. The spacing can be closer in infertile soils and when planted at an altitude of above 300 m for then the growth is restricted. It is important that the plants are provided adequate shade at least for three years. Until the plants are five years old one needs to continually remove the floral buds as they will not bear fruits. Normally, cocoa is an inter-cropped variety that is grown with other trees of economic worth. Usually, cocoa is grown along with bananas, rubber, oil palm or coconut. Regular weeding is a must and this can either be done manually or by using herbicides. Some irrigation can be provided to the plants, but it is important to remove the water through an effective drainage system as excess water may prove to be detrimental for the growth of this herb. When not grown in adequate shade, the cocoa plant responds well to fertilizers. Usually, the plants need to be provided with windbreaks to protect them from strong gales. Fruits of cocoa trees ripen round the year, but generally only two harvesting - one main and another secondary - is done. For instance, in West Africa, the main harvesting begins in September and lasts till February. A smaller harvest is during the months of May and June. A cocoa fruit required five to six months from fertilization to harvesting and normally the harvesting season continues for around five months. After the cocoa pods are chopped from the trees, they are left on the ground for some period to allow them to smoothen. Once they have mellowed, the pods are broken and the beans taken out. The dry shells of the pods are burned. Next, the beans are dried in the sun for duration between two to eight days and later fermented in barrels or casks. During this period, the color of the beans changes from purple to brown. Following fermentation, the beans are packed in bags and readied for shipment. To be able to be used for food, the beans are processed further and the procedure includes roasting, mashing, separating the core or seed, pulverizing the nibs and extracting the yellowish cocoa butter, which comprises 50 per cent of the bean content. After the harvesting of the cocoa pods, they are split open with a sharp knife or blade and the pulp or soft tissues found inside along with the seeds are removed separately. The shell of the pods is thrown away. The pulp together with the seeds are then kept in heaps, stored in baskets or spread out on iron grills for many days at a stretch. During this period, both the cocoa seeds and the pulp undergo 'sweating' or fermentation and the bulky pulp transforms into a liquid form. The fermented pulp gradually seeps away leaving behind the seeds to be collected separately. It may be noted that the 'sweating' process is very important for the quality of the cocoa beans. Originally, the cocoa beans have a very bitter or astringent taste. The 'sweating' process removes this astringent taste from the beans. In addition, if the 'sweating' process is disturbed, the cocoa derived from the seeds is spoilt. At the same time, if the process is underdone, the cocoa seed will have a heady flavor like raw potatoes and may even be vulnerable to yeasts and mushrooms. Although the liquefied pulp is generally discarded by most, in some cocoa producing countries it is effectively put to use to purify alcoholic spirits. On the other hand, the fermented cocoa beans are left to dehydrate by spreading them over large areas, while they are constantly scraped manually. In large plantations this process is carried out by placing the fermented beans in large trays under the sun or by applying heat from other artificial sources. This not only makes the work lighter for the planters, but also speeds up the drying process. This procedure also has its demerits and many plantations avoid drying cocoa beans through artificial heat as this might not only add some extraneous flavor to the beans, but they may even be affected by smoke and oil. Using artificial heat may also give the cocoa beans a tainted flavor. In minor plantations, the same process is carried out by spreading the cocoa beans either on smaller trays or alternatively on cowhides. In the next phase, the beans are trampled upon and jumbled up often by the bare human feet. During this procedure, red clay mixed with water is sprayed over the beans with a view to obtain a better color, polish as well as to protect them from molds and yeasts while they are shipped to factories in the United States, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and many other countries across the globe.
Several researches conducted by Argentinean herbal scientists in 1994 established that the extracts from the cocoa are capable of fighting as well as warding off the bacteria to be blamed for disorders like boils and septicemia.
The soft tissues found inside the cocoa seeds possess xanthines (a purine base), permanent oil, as well as other ingredients that provide it its characteristic essence. The cocoa seeds also enclose very less quantity of endorphins (natural opiates similar to morphine) that are effective as pain killers. It may be mentioned that endorphins are generally found in the human body, especially the brain.
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