Company Raises $30 Million To Scale Up Cocoa-Free Chocolate (plantbasednews.org)
from Sunshine@lemmy.ca to vegan@lemmy.world on 15 Dec 22:34
https://lemmy.ca/post/35013637

#vegan

threaded - newest

queermunist@lemmy.ml on 15 Dec 22:39 next collapse

I heard about this stuff on NPR. Sunflower seeds? That’s so cool!

verdantbanana@lemmy.world on 15 Dec 22:39 next collapse

and without heavy metals sounds like a win all the way around

Blue_Morpho@lemmy.world on 16 Dec 00:24 collapse

Is it heavy metal free? It comes from the processing machines, not the beans. The sunflower cacao could have heavy metals too.

Very unlikely from these first labs because they are being careful, but other factories could use machines with heavy metals.

iusearchbtw@lemm.ee on 16 Dec 07:51 collapse

consumerreports.org/…/lead-and-cadmium-in-dark-ch…

The researchers found that cacao plants take up cadmium from the soil, with the metal accumulating in cacao beans as the tree grows. That’s similar to how heavy metals contaminate some other foods. 

But lead seems to get into cacao after beans are harvested. The researchers found that the metal was typically on the outer shell of the cocoa bean, not in the bean itself. Moreover, lead levels were low soon after beans were picked and removed from pods but increased as beans dried in the sun for days. During that time, lead-filled dust and dirt accumulated on the beans. “We collected beans on the ground that were heavily loaded with lead on the outer shell,” DiBartolomeis says.

Because of the different ways that cadmium and lead get into chocolate, addressing the contamination requires different solutions.

For lead, that will mean changes in harvesting and manufacturing practices, says Danielle Fugere, president of As You Sow. Such practices could include minimizing soil contact with beans as they lie in the sun, and drying beans on tables or clean tarps away from roads or with protective covers, so lead-contaminated dust won’t land on them. Another option is finding ways to remove metal contaminants when beans are cleaned at factories, Fugere says.

Solving for cadmium is trickier, though it is possible, DiBartolomeis says. Carefully breeding or genetically engineering plants to take up less of the heavy metal could help, though that could take several years. Other potential options include replacing older cacao trees with younger ones, because cadmium levels tend to increase as the plants get older, and removing or treating soil known to be contaminated with cadmium.

Blue_Morpho@lemmy.world on 16 Dec 14:34 collapse

Oh great, sunflower seeds are high in cadmium too.

“Another reason to eat sunflower seeds in moderation is their cadmium content. This heavy metal can harm your kidneys if you’re exposed to high amounts over a long period.

Sunflowers tend to take up cadmium from the soil and deposit it in their seeds, so they contain somewhat higher amounts than most other foods.”

www.healthline.com/nutrition/sunflower-seeds#:~:t….

5714@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 15 Dec 22:49 next collapse

Decolonise chocolate or smth like that

Sunshine@lemmy.ca on 15 Dec 23:02 collapse

Also to lower the carbon footprint of chocolate as it is one of the of the sinful foods.

5714@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 15 Dec 23:24 collapse

Yes, but the earth system is neither a deity nor a person.

Bgugi@lemmy.world on 16 Dec 00:21 next collapse

I don’t understand, I thought Hershey’s was already a thing?

Aksamit@slrpnk.net on 16 Dec 02:42 collapse

I though thus was what carob chocolate was supposed to be? What happened to that?

SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world on 16 Dec 06:13 collapse

It tastes like shit

clay_pidgin@sh.itjust.works on 16 Dec 06:24 next collapse

Only suitable for dog treats in my experience.

Aksamit@slrpnk.net on 16 Dec 08:58 collapse

I remember quite liking it, haven’t had a carob bar since I was a kid though. I might have to buy a bar or two and test that memory.