What is Cocoa Butter?
Cocoa butter is a mixture of fatty substances obtained from the seeds (more correctly, from beans) of Theobroma cacao, a very common tree in South America and other tropical regions. The almond enclosed in its seeds has a high lipid content, which is around 50%.
Extraction
Extraction phases of Cocoa Butter
As mentioned, the cocoa butter is obtained from the seeds - or rather from the broad beans - of the homonymous plant. To obtain this product, first of all the beans must be extracted from the yellow pulp in which they are immersed inside the pods.
Once this preliminary operation has been carried out, it is possible to proceed with the actual processing that will lead to the production of cocoa butter:
- The beans are fermented in special tanks for between two and ten days. The fermentation thus performed allows to obtain the characteristic and well-known cocoa aroma.
- At the end of fermentation, the beans are dried in the air or in the sun. However, this operation is not fundamental, therefore, it is an optional procedure.
- After fermentation and possible drying, the cocoa beans are pressed to obtain the separation of the fat part.
- The fat part obtained from the pressing of the beans is subjected to filtration and refining, thus obtaining cocoa butter.
What advances from cocoa beans after pressing, however, undergoes further processing that leads to the production of cocoa powder used in the food industry.
Composition
Cocoa butter is the fattest component of beans, particularly rich in fatty acids, such as:
- Palmitic acid (in concentrations of 24-31%);
- Stearic acid (in concentrations of 30-37%);
- Oleic acid (in concentrations of 33-39%);
- Linolenic acid in low concentrations (about 2%).
The particular composition in fatty acids gives this triglycerol fraction a series of interesting properties used both in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic fields.
Features
The cocoa butter takes on a solid consistency at room temperature, to melt as soon as the mercury column exceeds 32-35 degrees. It appears as a mass of yellowish white, crumbly, not oily to the touch and with a characteristic cocoa aroma.
Unfortunately, precisely these characteristics, together with the difficulties of conservation and the high costs of producing it, have considerably reduced - but not completely eliminated - the cosmetic and pharmaceutical use of cocoa butter.
Uses and Property
Given its characteristics, cocoa butter is used in many areas, such as culinary, pharmaceutical and cosmetic.
Culinary uses
Cocoa butter is widely used in the confectionery industry, where it is used mainly in the preparation of chocolate (content ≥ 18%), although a community directive has established that this food can also contain other tropical fats, to an extent not exceeding at 5%.
Pharmaceutical uses
Cocoa butter can be used as an excipient in the formulation of medicinal preparations. In this context, the most known use of this product is certainly that which is carried out in the preparation of suppositories, of which it is the main excipient. This use is due to its melting temperature (around 35 degrees) which allows the suppository to remain intact at room temperature, but favoring its immediate dissolution as soon as it is inserted into the body, thus allowing the release of the active ingredients.
Cosmetic uses
Thanks to its composition rich in fatty acids, cocoa butter has remarkable emollient, nourishing and protective properties against the skin and, for this reason, it is widely used in the cosmetic field.
In fact, cocoa butter is a traditional ingredient of lip sticks (often called simply "burrocacao"), but also of creams, body butters, soaps and lipsticks.
Furthermore, cocoa butter also has a beneficial effect on hair and, in particular, on dry or damaged ones. Applied like a mask before the normal shampoo, in fact, cocoa butter is able to exert a protective action on them, making them at the same time softer and brighter.
In addition to the industrial sphere, cocoa butter is also widely used in the production of do-it-yourself cosmetics, such as, in fact, lip sticks and body butters.
Where to buy it
The cocoa butter for food use can be purchased at various pastry shops, as can be found in the best-stocked supermarkets, but it is now also available in several online stores.
The cocoa butter for cosmetic use, on the other hand, is available in herbalists, parapharmacies and pharmacies (both physical and online), as can be found in various online stores.
In this regard it is important to remember that cocoa butter for cosmetic use should NEVER be used in the food industry, since its use is indicated only and exclusively for external use.
