|
Post by mark2004 on Jan 7, 2010 12:49:54 GMT -5
Hello,
I order raw cocoa nibs each time here, is that okay eating it without roasting? I mean any danger for side effects or something?
I love to eat it all raw! grinding it adding it to hot water and drink up,
Thanks Mark
|
|
|
Post by michaelsf on Jan 7, 2010 20:04:47 GMT -5
The main risk associated with raw cocoa beans is illness due to fungal, Salmonella, E. coli etc. contamination. Roasting generally kills pathogens that may cause illness. For large scale makers the autoclaving(sp?)/cleaning process is supposed to remove any dangerous particles. Chocolate makers generally are required to separate unroasted cocoa bean stores from the rest of their inventory as a health precaution.
|
|
|
Post by mark2004 on Jan 8, 2010 5:16:49 GMT -5
thanks Michael,
Okay, from now on I will give them a quick roast on a pot, I hope that will eliminate any possible fungal if exist,
Thanks again
|
|
|
Post by jcandy on Dec 28, 2010 4:50:34 GMT -5
A 1 1/2-ounce square of chocolate may have as many cancer-fighting antioxidants as a 5-ounce glass of red wine. Roasting generally kills pathogens that may cause illness. For large scale makers the autoclaving (sp?)/cleaning process is supposed to remove any dangerous particles. It can injurious for health.
|
|
|
Post by tony on Dec 28, 2010 8:34:59 GMT -5
Also, You cannot believe the difference roasting makes to the taste of the bean. If you want astringent, go raw, but it isn't nice. A little roast goes a long way :-)
|
|
|
Post by gameson on Dec 16, 2012 23:21:56 GMT -5
I am reading the Peruvian bean blog here when I notice John said he tasted the bean shop.chocolatealchemy.com/products/peruvian-cocoa-ft-org-2011My question here is that if it's OK to taste the bean without roasting it. I understand the benefit of roasting it, to eliminate bacteria and health reason, but in this Peruvian example, it seems to me that John tasted it before roasting it, as if not, how can he know how to roast it properly so that it doesn't take away the flavor? I mean lets say you only taste roasted bean for health reason, so lets say the first time you roast it, if you over roasted it, then you taste an over roasted bean that has lost some of its flavor, but since you never taste the unroasted bean, so you think that's the bean flavor, but it's not since it's over roasted. therefore how can you tell if the bean is over roasted and lost some of its true flavor unless you taste unroasted bean? But if you taste unroasted bean, it's unhealthy. so I am a bit confused here to know a proper way to roast it without killing the bean flavor. How can you know the bean flavor so when you roast it, you know you are roasting it properly? It's like chicken egg problem. If you don't taste unroasted bean, you never know the flavor so you don't know if you over roasted the bean such that the true bean flavor is gone. but if you taste unroasted bean, it's bad for your health.
|
|
|
Post by Sebastian on Dec 17, 2012 6:33:38 GMT -5
Sure you can taste it. I do it all the time myself. You just need to understand that the risk of you ingesting something that will make you sick increases. I never, ever, ever advise people to taste raw beans. "Do as i say, not as i do" It's very, very, very difficult to know what the final flavor of an unroasted bean will be after roasting and conching. For most people, the risk simply isn't work the gain, as there's little to be gained in doing so.
|
|
|
Post by gameson on Dec 31, 2012 15:26:20 GMT -5
do you taste the bean? or just the nibs (by cracking the husk as the nibs is the one that is going to be made as chocolate)?
|
|
|
Post by Sebastian on Jan 1, 2013 10:40:54 GMT -5
just the nib. Let me stress you should not do that.
|
|
|
Post by Brad on Jan 4, 2013 0:14:49 GMT -5
People ask me all the time about raw chocolate. I've researched and written this article, complete with links to other sites which substantiate at varying degrees what I'm talking common sense about. Enjoy the read, and think twice next time about putting something in your mouth! Cheers. Brad Attachments:
|
|
|
Post by homelesskings on Jan 4, 2013 4:56:07 GMT -5
I can understand mold and maybe fungus, but how would E.Coli get in a cacao bean? I'm eating whole raw Arriba Nacional beans, the shell on these is pretty solid and they pop out of the shell pretty easily. The bean inside is crystal clean. Is it really any more dangerous than eating sprouts, or salad? I realize microorganisms are invisible, even so these look really clean. Wouldn't the shell protect it quite a bit? Maybe just wash them off real good after shelling?
On a different note, how about the structure of the bean itself. Is there anything about the bean composition when it's raw that is any sort of problem or less desirable when eaten raw? Are there elements in a raw bean that are eliminated or transformed by roasting such as tannins, or other more exotic components?
Is there perhaps a study or scientific paper that presents the compositional breakdown of a raw bean compared to a roasted bean? I think that would be quite interested.
How about the difference between raw fermented bean and raw un-fermented bean, what is the compositional, nutritional, structural difference between these?
Actually I'd love to see a complete side by side compositional analysis of a non-fermented raw, fermented raw and roasted bean.
|
|
|
Post by Brad on Jan 4, 2013 12:05:09 GMT -5
Homeless....
You obviously didn't read the white paper I posted right above your question....
Maybe you should.
|
|
|
Post by Sebastian on Jan 5, 2013 7:48:49 GMT -5
Shells shrink and crack as they dry, so it'd be a mistake to assume the shell provides an airtight sealing on the nib inside.
Winnowing results in the nib rubbing all over the shell, so it'd be a mistake to assume that there is no transfer of material from the shell to the nib, even if it was initially sealed airtight.
There are plenty of chemical changes that occur in the nib during roasting that have been published already. I doubt very much you'll get additional information over what's already been published. Have you looked for the information you're asking about?
I think, at this point, it's fair to assume people are going to do whatever they have in their head as wanting to do. I've been pretty clear on the pros/cons of raw beans for many, many years - and am closer to it than almost anyone in the world. It doesn't matter how many times or ways one asks the questions - at the end of the day, it's an absolutely terrible idea. Some folks just need to learn that on their own, i reckon.
|
|