Part 1: 
Aspects of Cocoa Bean Quality

“Although the term “cocoa” is generally used for the plant and its products in many English speaking countries, this document will refer to “cacao” for the plant and the unprocessed seeds of the species Theobroma cacao L.”

Once the cacao seeds, commonly known as “beans”, are harvested, fermented and dried, the product is known as cocoa. Beans are shelled and roasted, and then ground to form a paste known as cocoa mass or liquor. Some cocoa mass is pressed to extract the fat, known as cocoa butter, leaving a product known as cocoa cake. 

The cocoa cake is then pulverised to give defatted cocoa powder which is used in drinks and confectionary. Cocoa mass and butter are usually combined with sugar, milk and other ingredients to form chocolate. 

There are European and Codex standards which define the composition and labelling of certain of these cocoa products [1]. 

The focus of this publication will be cocoa beans, though reference will be made to some quality aspects of these cocoa products especially in relation to food safety regulations and processing characteristics. In this publication the word “quality” is used in its broadest sense to include not just the all-important aspects of flavour and food safety, but also the physical characteristics that have a direct bearing on manufacturing performance, and aspects such as traceability, geographical indications and certification to indicate the sustainability of the production methods. 

The different aspects of quality are discussed under the following headings:

1. Flavour
2. Food Safety
3. Physical Characteristics
   1. Consistency
   2. Yield of Edible Material
4. Cocoa Butter Characteristics
5. Colour potential - “Colourability”
6. Sustainability, Traceability, Certification and Geographical Indications 

These are the key criteria affecting a manufacturer’s assessment of the “value” of a particular parcel and hence the price the buyer will pay for it.