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Treating cocoa beans with alkaline solution darkens colour and mellows flavour. The figure is taken from Encyclopaedia Britannica, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

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Dutch processing reduces acidity in cocoa powder

Treating cocoa beans with alkaline solution darkens colour and mellows flavour

Invented by Coenraad van Houten in the nineteenth century, Dutch processing treats cocoa solids with an alkaline agent such as potassium carbonate. This treatment neutralises natural cocoa acidity from a pH of five to around seven or eight. The resulting powder has a darker colour, milder flavour, and dissolves more readily in liquids.

Where this comes from

Encyclopaedia Britannica

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Tags: cocoa, chocolate, processing

Dutch processing reduces acidity in cocoa powder: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: Treating cocoa beans with alkaline solution darkens colour and mellows flavour. The figure is taken from Encyclopaedia Britannica, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a food fact?: Yes. It sits on the Food shelf, one of 1,090 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.