Theobroma cacao (Sterculiaceae)

Common Names

English: cocoa, cacao

Spanish: cacao
Portuguese: cacau
French: cacao, cacaotier

Origin and Distribution

Native to the central and western Amazon region. Has been widely distributed
throughout the humid tropics, with major commercial production in Cte d'Ivoire,
Ghana, Indonesia, Nigeria, Brazil and Cameroon.

Botanical Synonyms
Theobroma sativum.

Description

Medium sized tree, reaching 20-30 feet (6-9 m) tall. Branches are produced in
groups of three to five. The leaves are simple, 4-8 inches (10-20 cm) long, light
to dark green and soft and flexible. New growth is bright red or pink. Small
whitish flowers are produced on the branches and trunk, singly or in groups of 35. Fruits are 5-10 inches (13-26 cm) in length and 2-3 inches (5-7.6 cm) in
diameter. The fruit has a hard shell which may be smooth or ridged, elongated or
rounded, red, yellow, or orange, and contains between 20-50 seeds, surrounded
by a cream colored, sweet-sour, aromatic pulp.

Propagation and Culture

Theobroma cacao fruit

Propagation is by seeds, airlayers, cuttings or grafts. Seeds germinate in 5-10

days, but lose viability quickly if they dry out. Seedlings should be grown under
50% shade. Cacao may be cleft or patch grafted.
Cacao is adapted to a humid tropical climate, and grows best in fertile, well
drained soils. Trees grow best with light shade, but will grow well in full sun with
adequate soil moisture. In its natural habitat, cacao is found growing as a forest
understory tree at altitudes up to3,000 feet (900 m).
Growth is rapid, and fruiting occurs 2-3 years from planting. A mature tree can
produce more than fruits per year. Cacao flowers and fruits year round in Puerto
Rico. Fruits change color from green or dark purple to bright yellow, orange or
red, when they ripen. Unharvested fruits dry up and turn black, staying attached
to the tree for weeks until they finally fall.
Cacao clones may be self-incompatible, requiring cross pollination to set fruits.
Hand pollination may be necessary if pollinating insects are absent, and should be
done early in the morning, using two different trees for cross pollination. Fruit
development takes 120-150 days from pollination to maturity.

Clockwise from top left: "Large Rounded Orange Red", "Long Ribbed Yellow", "Small
Yellow", and "Medium Red" Theobroma cacao fruits

Cultivars and Related Species

Cacao types are classified into three main groups: criollo, forastero and trinitario.
Criollo cacao developed in northern South America and Central America, and have
thin walled, red or yellow fruits. The seeds are large, round, white or pale purple,
not astringent, and produce the highest quality chocolate. Unfortunately, criollo
types are low yielding and susceptible to many diseases, and are rare in
cultivation. Forastero cacaos are from the Amazon Basin, and have a thick walled,
smooth, usually yellow fruit. The seeds are flattened and purple in color.
Forastero cacaos are very productive, and dominate the world cacao production.
Trinitario cacaos arose in Trinidad as hybrids of criollo and forastero types. They
are highly variable, and considered high quality for chocolate production.
There are thousands of clones of cacao in field gene banks in different areas of
the world. Some of the largest collections are at the Cocoa Research Institute in
Tafo, Ghana (6,000 accessions), the International Cocoa Genebank in Trinidad
(1,872 accessions), and CEPLAC in Brazil (1,749 accessions). The Tropical
Agriculture Research Station, in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, has 372 accessions.
There are approximately 22 Theobroma species, and about 15 are utilized for their
edible pulp or seeds. Cacao is the most important species. Theobroma
grandiflorum (cupuassu), Theobroma gileri (mountain cocoa), T. bicolor
(macambo) and T. subincanum (wild cocoa) are other species utilized for their
sweet, edible pulp and edible seeds.

Thumbnails (click to enlarge) of a) criollo cacao fruits with seed cut open, b) trinitario
(thick shell and purple seeds) and criollo (thin shell and white seeds) fruits, c) close up of
open fruits and cut seeds, and d) close up of cut seeds.

Uses

Cacao is grown primarily for chocolate production, but the edible pulp is delicious
and often consumed in the tropics.
Cocoa butter is used medicinally in Brazil for healing bruises, and is used by the
cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. The seeds contain about 2% of the
alkaloid theobromine, which is a central nervous system stimulant, similar to
caffeine. Theobromine is used as a diuretic and to lower blood pressure, since it

dilates the blood vessels.

Dry cacao seeds (also known as "beans") may contain as much as 12-18%
polyphenols, known as cocoa polyphenols or cocoa flavonoids. Most of the
polyphenols in cacao are epicatechin and catechin, but other catechins and
quercetin are also present. Cocoa flavonoids have potent antioxidant activity, and
have been shown to scavenge free radicals and inhibit the oxidation of LDL. They
may also have anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory activities, and may
promote cardiovascular and immune health. Cocoa, baking chocolate and milk
chocolate all contain polyphenols.

Nutritional composition per 100 g cocoa powder

Carbohydrate
16.5 g
Protein
21.5 g
Fat
11 g
Dietary fiber
34 g
Polyphenols
7-18 g
Theobromine
2.5 g
Caffeine
0.1 g
Potassium
2 g
Calcium
150 mg
Magnesium
550 mg
Phosphorous
700mg

More information oncacao

International Cocoa Organization

All you ever wanted to know about cacao, including production statistics,
processing, history, and much, much more.