Fermented Cocoa Beans (Theobroma cacao L) in Southeast Aceh District

One of the productions of the agricultural industry that has a fairly high foreign exchange value for our country is cocoa, but our cocoa production is still of low quality. To get good quality cocoa, good processing must be done. Fermentation of cocoa beans is one way to improve the quality of cocoa so that it can be sold in national and international markets. The purpose of this activity is to help cocoa farmers, especially in Southeast Aceh district, in improving the quality of cocoa production, so that the cocoa products of Southeast Aceh farmers can compete in trade both locally and abroad. The implementation of this activity is carried out through training to improve the quality of cocoa. There are several activities, namely: Sorting Cocoa, peeling cocoa pods, fermenting cocoa pods for 5 days and the last step is drying until the moisture content of cocoa pods reaches 7%. The result of this activity is to increase the knowledge of cocoa farmers in Southeast Aceh Regency in order to improve the quality of cocoa beans, so that cocoa sales can be accepted and compete in the market.

Pengaruh Penerapan Bea Keluar Biji Kakao Terhadap Daya Saing Serta Ekspor Produk Kakao Indonesia

The development of Indonesia's cocoa beans before the export duty policy shows that almost 90 per cent of cocoa beans exports were exported from total production, therefore makes Indonesia as known as one of the biggest cocoa beans exporters in the world. Cocoa exports to destination countries cause the domestic stock of raw materials for cocoa beans Domestic stock has decreased. Afterwards, the Indonesian government implemented a cocoa bean export duty policy. This research aimed to analyze the effect of export duties policy for the competitiveness and exports of Indonesian cocoa products to export destination countries. Revealed Comparative Advantage (RCA) method is used to measure competitiveness, while Fully Modified Ordinary Least Square (FMOLS) is used to analyze the long-term effect of export duties on cocoa beans on competitiveness and exports of cocoa products. Based on the analysis result, all cocoa products have competitiveness, Indonesian cocoa butter has the highest competitiveness in export destination countries. Export duties policy has a long-term effect on competitiveness and exports of cocoa paste and powder, but have no long-term effect on competitiveness and exports of cocoa butter. Therefore, the overall increase in competitiveness and export of cocoa products is due to the implementation of the cocoa bean export duty policy.

Added Value Analysis of Intermediate and Final Cocoa Products: Case Study in a Cocoa Producing Unit in Jember, East Java

Cocoa is one of the important commodities that significantly contribute to Indonesian economy. Moreover, millions farmers depend on this commodityas their main source of income. However, the low quality of dried cocoa beans produced by Indonesian smallholder cocoa farmers has led the low farm-gateprice. Therefore, efforts for increasing the cocoa income are required. Hilirisasi (down streeming) program has been implemented by the Government of Indonesia (GoI), including in cocoa commodity in order to increase the added value ofcocoa. There are various downstream products, including intermediate and final products that can be produced. The intermediate products include paste/liquor,cocoa butter, and cocoa powder, meanwhile the final products, such as 3 in 1 cocoa powder, milk chocolate bars and dark chocolate bars. Research on addedvalue of intermediate and final cocoa products specially in small size producing units is still limited, whereas this research is required to support the nationaleconomy and smallholder cocoa farmers. Therefore, this research aims to understand the added value of producing intermediate and final cocoa products at asmall sized enterprises of cocoa processing unit based in Jember, East Java. This research was conducted in March to June 2020 by conducting observation, documentation and interview for understanding the production activities of intermediateproducts (cocoa paste/liquor, cocoa butter and cocoa powder) and final products (3 in 1 milk powder, milk chocolate bar and dark chocolate bar). The researchresults show that producing intermediate and final products resulted in medium to high added value and profitable for the producing unit. Producing cocoa paste/liquor generated the highest profit among the intermediate cocoa products, meanwhile on final cocoa products, processing 3 in 1 cocoa powder provided thehighest profit. In order to increase the national and community economy, the support of GoI to small and medium enterprise (SMEs) or farmer groups for processing the downstream cocoa products is required. Cocoa is one of the important commodities that significantly contributeto Indonesian economy. Moreover, millions farmers depend on this commodity as their main source of income. However, the low quality of dried cocoa beansproduced by Indonesian smallholder cocoa farmers has led the low farm-gate price. Therefore, efforts for increasing the cocoa income are required. Hilirisasi(down streeming) program has been implemented by the Government of Indonesia (GoI), including in cocoa commodity in order to increase the added value ofcocoa. There are various downstream products, including intermediate and final products that can be produced. The intermediate products include paste/liquor,cocoa butter, and cocoa powder, meanwhile the final products, such as 3 in 1 cocoa powder, milk chocolate bars and dark chocolate bars. Research on addedvalue of intermediate and final cocoa products specially in small size producing units is still limited, whereas this research is required to support the nationaleconomy and smallholder cocoa farmers. Therefore, this research aims to understand the added value of producing intermediate and final cocoa products at asmall sized enterprises of cocoa processing unit based in Jember, East Java. This research was conducted in March to June 2020 by conducting observation, documentation and interview for understanding the production activities of intermediateproducts (cocoa paste/liquor, cocoa butter and cocoa powder) and final products (3 in 1 milk powder, milk chocolate bar and dark chocolate bar). The researchresults show that producing intermediate and final products resulted in medium to high added value and profitable for the producing unit. Producing cocoa paste/liquor generated the highest profit among the intermediate cocoa products, meanwhile on final cocoa products, processing 3 in 1 cocoa powder provided thehighest profit. In order to increase the national and community economy, the support of GoI to small and medium enterprise (SMEs) or farmer groups for processing the downstream cocoa products is required.

Efficacy of Chocolate on Hypercholestrolemic Rats

Chocolate comprises number of raw and processed foods produced from the seed of the tropical cocoa tree. Chocolate is produced from cocoa mass added with sugar and cocoa butter. Chocolate has been promoted for its health benefits, as it seems to possess substantial amount of antioxidant that reduces the formation of free radicals. Researchers concluded that chocolate containing higher amount of cocoa have higher procyanidins content, so higher antioxidant capacities. Evidence suggests that regular consumption of cocoa products containing flavanol may reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Thus, the present study was carried out to assess the effect of chocolate on lipid profile of hypercholesterolemic rats. The rats were grouped under three categories; Triton 400mg was injected to experimental rats to make it hypercholesterolemia. Based on the objectives a cocoa rich chocolate sample was developed using cocoa seed, cocoa butter, sugar and lecithin and the experimental hypercholesterolemia rates were feed with chocolate sample for duration of 20 days, and the lipid profile was analysed at initial and at final days of supplementation. During the period of supplementation, the Cholesterol and LDL level were decreased gradually which may be due to the supplementation of chocolate. Significant reduction was observed at 5% level. Thus, it was concluded that in the present study there was a significant effect on lipid profile of chocolate supplemented with hypercholesterolemic rats.

Effect of Cocoa and Cocoa Products on Cognitive Performance in Young Adults

Increasing evidence support a beneficial role of cocoa and cocoa products on human cognition, particularly in aging populations and patients at risk. However, thorough reviews on the efficacy of cocoa on brain processes in young adults do not exist precisely due to the limited number of studies in the matter. Thus, the aim of this study was to summarize the findings on the acute and chronic effects of cocoa administration on cognitive functions and brain health in young adults. Web of Science and PubMed databases were used to search for relevant trials. Human randomized controlled studies were selected according to PRISMA guidelines. Eleven intervention studies that involved a total of 366 participants investigating the role of cocoa on cognitive performance in children and young adults (average age ≤25 years old) were finally selected. Findings from individual studies confirm that acute and chronic cocoa intake have a positive effect on several cognitive outcomes. After acute consumption, these beneficial effects seem to be accompanied with an increase in cerebral blood flow or cerebral blood oxygenation. After chronic intake of cocoa flavanols in young adults, a better cognitive performance was found together with increased levels of neurotrophins. This systematic review further supports the beneficial effect of cocoa flavanols on cognitive function and neuroplasticity and indicates that such benefits are possible in early adulthood.

Effects of Cocoa Polyphenols and Dark Chocolate on Obese Adults: A Scoping Review

Obesity remains a major public health problem due to its increasing prevalence. Natural products have become common as adjunct therapeutic agents for treating obesity and preventing metabolic diseases. Cocoa and its products are commonly consumed worldwide. Dark chocolate, a rich source of polyphenols, has received attention lately for its beneficial role in the management of obesity; however, conflicting results are still being reported. This scoping review aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the existing literature on the relationship and effects of cocoa and dark chocolate intake among obese adults. We searched multiple databases for research investigating the consumption of cocoa and/or dark chocolate in managing obesity among adults. This review includes epidemiological and human studies that were published in English over the last 10 years. Our review of the current literature indicates that epidemiological and human trials with obese adults have shown inconsistent results, which may be due to the different populations of subjects, and different types of cocoa products and doses used for intervention. Studies among obese adults are mainly focusing on obese individuals with comorbidities, as such more studies are needed to elucidate the role of cocoa polyphenols in weight control and preventing the risk of chronic diseases among obese individuals without comorbidities as well as healthy individuals. Careful adjustment of confounding factors would be required. The effects of cocoa and dark chocolate intake on obese adults were discussed, and further research is warranted to identify the gaps.

Transfer of Technology (Tot) Skills Factors Contributing to Work Performance Among Extension Agents in Malaysian Cocoa Board, Peninsular Malaysia

The main function of agricultural extensionists is to facilitate learning and disseminate new knowledge and technologies through non-formal educational settings. This will lead to improved agricultural productivity and increase farmers’ income. In the lens of the cocoa production scenario in Malaysia, it used to be a popular crop as this sector became the third-largest producer in the world since the 1980s, however that has changed over the years. Despite the reduced size of land use and the dropping production of cocoa over the past decades, exports of cocoa beans and cocoa products are growing steadily each year. Thus, with the overwhelming demand for Malaysian chocolate products from other regions, cocoa production should be boosted and not overlooked. Transfer of Technology (ToT) can be seen as the main catalyst that can improve farmers’ performance through extension agent capabilities, this study will determine the factors of ToT skills that contribute to the work performance of extension agents in the Malaysian Cocoa Board (MCB). A total of 353 productive cocoa farmers were employed in this study to evaluate the work performance of extension agents using a structured questionnaire. The data was analysed using descriptive and regression analyses. The results indicated that all the ToT skills (technical skill, technology delivery skill, and evaluation skill) are significant (p < 0.05) towards the work performance of extension agents. The R2 value of 0.520 implies that the three contributors explain about 52% of the variance in the work performance in this study. Hence, this shows the importance of ToT skills in improving the work performance of extension agents, particularly in the MCB and cocoa industry in Malaysia.

Analytical difficulties for determination of acesulfame K in chocolate products

Sweeteners are substances used as a dietary supplement to replace sugar. Consumers are concerned about the high levels of sugar, calories and cariogenicity in confectionery products, which is why the popularity of the so-called. „Light“ products and „sugar-free“ products. Acesulfame K is a synthetic sweetener about 200 times sweeter than sugar. In the present work, an analysis of acesulfame K in cocoa and chocolate products was performed. For the determination of sweeteners acesulfame K, saccharin and aspartame in foodstuffs, a standardized reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography method with UV detection was used. A cocoa matrix-specific compound was observed in all chocolate products analyzed for acesulfame K. Interference did not correspond to acesulfame K on the UV spectrum and could not be removed by two-step purification. The comparison of the spectral characteristics allowed to avoid a misleading result for the presence of acesulfame K in chocolate and cocoa products.