Then along came the Dutch chemist, who figured out how to press out the cocoa butter from the coca beans. He attempts to reduce the harsh acidity of cocoa. Coenraad van Houten had been experimenting in his factory to find a better way to make chocolate rather than boiling and skimming off the cocoa butter.
In 1828, Van Houten patented a press that removed two thirds of the cocoa butter from chocolate liquor, or paste ground of roasted beans. He used a technique of using a large hydraulic press to separate the coca butter from the chocolate liquor.
This new process reduced the fat content of cacao to 27% from 50-55% and primed it to become ground into powder.
He eventually treated that the acid taste of the cocoa nibs could be neutralized by adding an alkali –carbonate of potash – prior to the roasting process. This changes the color dramatically, as well as the flavor, produces a slight physical swelling of the cocoa particles, and neutralizes free acids.
This type of cocoa called: Dutch processed cocoa powder. This make chocolate darker and milder which results in more pronounced chocolate flavor.
Due to this, chocolate drinks become a lot smoother and easier to digest. Dutch cocoa powder is also known as alkalized cocoa powder.
This processing of chocolate became known as “Dutching.”
History of Dutching process of cocoa powder
