I ran across an article recently which outlined the fact that chocolate flavanols, which are one of the primary chemicals in chocolate, may increase blood flow to the brain. It appears that the research shows that long-term improvements in brain blood flow from the increased consumption of chocolate, especially dark chocolate, could affect brainwave behavior, which could offer insight into some of the more serious brain brain conditions including dementia and stroke.

The study looked mainly at older adults who ranged in ages 59 to 83. The scientists leading the study, found that those involved in the study who regularly drank a chocolate beverage made using a patented process, showed an 8% increase in brain blood flow after one week. After two weeks, those same people showed a 10 % increase in brain blood flow after consuming regular portions of chocolate.

It seems that the study, which has never been done before, found that consumption of dark chocolate had both short and long-term benefits on the levels of blood flow in the brain. Scientists have found that as people age, the flow of blood to the brain appears to decrease and over time may result in decreased brain function.

Many of the past studies conducted on chocolate have focused on the vascular effects of chocolate and its primary chemicals, which have been show to act as an antioxidant. It is the more recent studies that take the research on chocolate, especially dark chocolate, a step further to look at how chocolate affects the body’s blood vessels and circulatory system. The latest research seems to show that the consumption of chocolate and the chemicals in chocolate (flavanols) could help people maintain their health through increased cardiovascular function.

Making Chocolate

Turning cacao seeds into chocolate requires time, effort, and a bit of artistry. It's a fascinating process that takes you from tropical rainforests to small and large factories.

Farmers grow cacao, and then they harvest, ferment, and dry it by hand. Traders and import/export houses sell the seeds on the Coffee, Sugar, and Cocoa Exchange to companies that process the seeds into various chocolate goodies.

Introduction: Making Chocolate from Cacao Seeds

We tend to think of chocolate making as an assembly-line process but it's not. Most people picture automated presses plopping out candies onto conveyor belts at speeds unmatched by humans.

But before cacao reaches the machinery of a chocolate factory, it must first pass through the hands of a farmer.

Making chocolate takes years of manual labor. Like most agricultural crops, cacao must be closely monitored by farmers. They regularly walk their fields and check for pests, molds, and diseases that can wipe out a entire harvest.

A farmer must spend three to five years caring for young cacao trees before they'll even produce their first yield.

Cacao harvesting is done by hand. Unlike many contemporary crops, cacao can't be harvested by machines. Each thick pod growing off the trunk and branches of the cacao tree must be plucked by hand, which adds to the labor cost of cacao harvesting.

Cacao farming has faced many labor issues. Because it takes lots of backbreaking work from many people to care for cacao, workers rights were often a major concern for cacao farmers. At one time, European countries even resorted to slavery as a way of supplying cheap labor for crops like cacao.

Harvesting Cacao

The first stage in turning cacao into chocolate candy requires human labor. Farmers must harvest pods and prepare seeds for shipment by hand not machine. This labor-intensive process is long and difficult, but necessary to turn this rainforest plant into the chocolate us chocolate lovers love.

Because it takes so many people to raise and harvest cacao, labor issues have historically been a serious concern for cacao farmers.

Selling Cacao

The second stage in turning cacao into chocolate takes place when farmers sell their crops through the Coffee, Sugar, and Cocoa Exchange.

Like many agricultural products, cacao is traded on the free market. People—candy manufacturers, cocoa importers, exporters, and representatives of trade houses—buy and sell contracts for cacao crops before they are even harvested, just like any other commodity.

Manufacturing Chocolate

The third stage in turning cacao into chocolate takes place on the factory floor. Once the manufacturers receive a shipment of seeds, they quickly begin the lengthy task of processing the cacao into chocolate.

Through this process, cacao seeds are transformed into chocolates and other cocoa products. Advertising ensures that these products will catch the public eye such as Coco Delice's web site.