Cocoa content is the total amount
of ingredients from a cocoa (sometimes called cacao) bean in a
chocolate bar or other product. Cocoa ingredients used in making
chocolate come in the form of cocoa butter, cocoa solids, cocoa liquor
and cocoa powder. The cocoa content percentage on a chocolate bar label
indicates the total amount of the bar, by weight, is made from these
products of a cocoa bean.

Cocoa liquor is the key ingredient that makes
chocolate…well…chocolate. It is a liquid or paste made from ground
roasted cocoa beans, and it contains no alcohol. Cocoa butter is the
vegetable fat found in cocoa liquor. Its melting temperature is very
similar to that of the inside of your mouth, which gives milk chocolate
that creamy, melty attribute.

The US Standards of Identity for cacao require milk chocolate to
contain a minimum of 10% cocoa liquor. Semi sweet or bittersweet
chocolate is required to have a minimum of 35% cocoa liquor. White
chocolate must contain a minimum of 20% cocoa butter or fat. There are
no regulated standards in place for dark chocolate. Proposed changes
for the standards of chocolate are under review right now (see the
previous blog entry). 

A higher cocoa content percentage generally means a more intense,
bitter chocolate taste. Since a high cocoa content means more cocoa
ingredients by weight, it also means less sugar. That’s why white and
milk chocolate can be so sweet and darker chocolates get more bitter as
the cocoa content goes up.

The health benefits of dark chocolate have received quite a bit of
press lately, namely the flavanols found in chocolate that prove to be
useful antioxidants. Many chocolate companies have latched onto this
news, claiming that their high cocoa content chocolates are healthy. Be
cautious of this claim as the health value of dark chocolate is not
solely dependent on the cocoa content percentage. Flavanol levels are
dependent on the type of cocoa ingredients used (fats do not contain
flavanols), the type of processing involved in making the chocolate,
other ingredients used in the recipe and storage practices of the cocoa.

Tips for choosing a healthier dark chocolate:

• Read the ingredients
  • The fewer the better.
  • Cocoa butter does contain flavanols!
  • Avoid white sugar.
  • Avoid the word hydrogenated.
• Buy natural and organic products when possible
• Dairy can interfere with the absorption of antioxidants

#blog from: Endangered Species Chocolate