# Raw cacao powder

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raw-cacao-powder/695941>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 19, 2014, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raw-cacao-powder/695941 "2014-08-19T21:15:31Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![henker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/46a35a/32.png) [@henker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/henker)\
**Post date:** [August 19, 2014, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raw-cacao-powder/695941/1 "2014-08-19T21:15:31Z")

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Is this all just marketing hype or is raw cacao powder really not heat-treated or processed in any way? It seems that so-called raw cacao powder looks a lot different than the actual cacao bean, which is white on the inside.

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**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\
**Post date:** [August 20, 2014, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raw-cacao-powder/695941/2 "2014-08-20T02:24:05Z")

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See [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BMjBtzk2OM) (warning a video clip) for one company’s processing methods. It sort of reminds me of the old Sesame Street at the candy factory videos. There is processing but it is pretty minimal.

The color change occurs during fermentation. Temperatures are kept under 120 degrees.

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**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\
**Post date:** [August 20, 2014, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raw-cacao-powder/695941/3 "2014-08-20T08:06:30Z")

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Cacao pods contain seeds surrounded by a white pulp. Cacao nibs, which is what chocolate is made from, come from the insides of the seeds. The pulp and seeds are fermented together, which causes the nibs to turn brown. According to [this site](http://onthecocoatrail.com/2012/06/27/the-golden-cut/), unfermented nibs are actually violet.

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**Author:** ![Anaglyph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Anaglyph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaglyph)\
**Post date:** [August 20, 2014, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raw-cacao-powder/695941/4 "2014-08-20T10:03:01Z")

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According to a picture on [this page](http://onthecocoatrail.com/2012/06/20/from-tree-to-bean-the-beginning-of-fermentation/), the cocoa beans change colour during fermentation, from white over shades of pink and violet to the final brown colour.