Cocoa Butter

Brief Overview 

Cocoa butter is vegetable fat in the pale yellow-colored solid form. It is edible and mostly used in chocolates, soap, and cosmetic products. It is extracted from cocoa beans. It contains saturated fatty acids mainly derived from stearic acid and palmitic acid. It also contains some unsaturated acids such as oleic acid, palmitoleic acid, and linoleic acid. It is rich in vitamin E, helps restore the skin's elasticity, and prevents stretch marks. It possesses the characteristic of polymorphism, with four different crystal forms having different melting points, which is useful for chocolate making.

Manufacturing Process

Cocoa butter is obtained from cocoa beans. Cocoa beans are first fermented, roasted, and then separated from their hulls. It is then extracted from ground cocoa beans by the Broma process or the hydraulic press at a warm temperature.

Food Industry

Cocoa butter is used in milk chocolate and ice cream products to give structure and softness to a food product.

Detergent Industry

Cocoa butter is a major agent in the domestic soap and detergent industry. It is used to make base soap which is soap before the addition of scent, color, and enhancing agents. It is also a cleansing agent as well as applicable as a surfactant and viscosity-controlling agent.

Other Applications

Cocoa butter is used as a polymerization catalyst emulsifier in the synthetic rubber industry. In cosmetic products, it is an emulsifying agent and viscosity-controlling agent. It provides heat stabilization and controls the viscosity of the product.