Cacao Juice Is on the Rise
You are most likely aware that cacao helps to create one of the most delicious foods in the world by anyone’s measure: chocolate. However, it’s less likely that you are familiar with cacao juice. This tasty beverage from the pulp of the bean can enhance cacao farming and sustainability.
Cacao juice is an up-and-coming product that is gaining ground quickly because of its naturally sweet flavor. Its versatility and health benefits could even make it as popular as coconut water in the coming months. It features a taste similar to mangosteen fruit but with more fragrance and tartness.
Making Chocolate Production More Sustainable
The chocolate production process isn’t typically very sustainable. The pulp, husk, and other components that surround the cacao bean are generally discarded as waste. However, farmers are increasingly finding valuable uses for the remaining parts of the cacao fruit.
One such use is also one of our favorite new trends: cacao juice, a sweet drink made from the pulp of the cacao bean that is slowly but surely making its way into the mainstream. Along with it comes spinoff products such as cacao powder, which can find a use in baked goods, smoothies, and as a topping for foods such as oatmeal and yogurt.
Cacao juice is the juice from the mucilage, or the sticky pulp surrounding the cacao bean. This mucilage is a key element in the development of the flavor of chocolate. Cacao farmers use a wild fermentation process that starts with this sugary juice, which attracts certain bacteria. Cacao begins to ferment as soon as it is harvested, a process that is critical to its flavor.
Benefits and Uses
Pure cacao juice boasts impressive health benefits. It has more antioxidants than blueberries, contains more magnesium than most plant foods, and offers many other essential vitamins and minerals. Surprisingly, it does not taste chocolatey but rather has its own unique taste–fruity, nutty, sweet, and floral.
As for its uses, cacao juice is a delicious straight because of its high sugar content, boasting a naturally sweet flavor. Its exotic and sweet taste also makes it a perfect sweetener substitute for smoothies, cocktails, and desserts. This versatility means that there is likely a wide variety of potential uses that remain untapped–an exciting fact for flavorists to note.
Whether you are creating refrigerated, frozen, or shelf-stable products using this amazing flavor or adding to your restaurant or bar menu, cacao juice is a fantastic new avenue to explore if you’re ready to provide consumers with the latest in trendy tastes.