{"id":19817,"date":"2022-11-30T19:38:19","date_gmt":"2022-11-30T11:38:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thefooduntold.com\/?p=19817"},"modified":"2023-06-29T20:52:56","modified_gmt":"2023-06-29T12:52:56","slug":"what-is-alkalized-cocoa-dutch-processed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thefooduntold.com\/food-science\/what-is-alkalized-cocoa-dutch-processed\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is Alkalized Cocoa (Dutch-Processed)?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cocoa powder is produced by removing fat from cocoa liquor, the liquid product after grounding cocoa nibs from the beans of the cocoa tree. This is done by pressing the cocoa liquor using a mechanical or hydraulic press. Cocoa liquor is naturally acidic mainly because it contains acetic and lactic acid. For this reason, the resulting cocoa powder is quite acidic. Its pH level ranges between 5.3 to 5.8.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The hydrogen potential or pH measures how acidic or basic a substance is. A pH of 7 is neutral; a pH lower than 7 is acidic; and a pH higher than 7 is basic or alkaline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To counter the acidity of natural cocoa powder, an alkaline substance or alkalizing agent can be added before or after roasting of cocoa beans, producing Dutch-processed cocoa powder or alkalized cocoa powder. This process is called the Dutch process (or “Dutching”). Dutch\u00a0chocolate maker\u00a0Coenraad Johannes van Houten invented Dutching during the early 19th century.<\/figure>\n\n\n\n