Hazelnuts:​ Turkish hazelnut generally grows ripe beteween the beginning and the end of August, depending on the latitude of the field.  Timely harvest is done by picking up the hazelnuts with leaves that fall to the ground when the branches are shaken off.  Another method of harvesting is one where the hazelnuts are picked one by one from the branches. After being collected from the fields, hazelnuts are blended on the same day or a few days later depending on the field status and laid to make a bed of 10-15 cm thickness to be pre-dried under the sun until their leaves turn brown. After drying, hazelnuts are separated from their leaves using harvesting machine (thresher) and laid over canopies in thin layers to be dried under the sun. Total period of drying, including the pre-drying, can be maximum 15-20 days depending on the weather conditions. Drying naturally and under the sun is an important factor that gives the Turkish hazelnut its special taste. 

 

Cocoa Powder: Cocoa beans is one of the leading export commodity in Nigeria and rising international markets form coacoa have continued to encourage Nigerian farmers to rehabilitate abandoned farms and also increase area under production.  "Growers" returns have increased folowing the sharp rise in world price levels for cocoa caused by the conflict int he Ivory Coast, the leading world production.  Over the last 5 years, Nigerian grower prices increased more than 50 percent to the current average of 460,000 Naira per MT.  Cocoa solids is a term for teh non-fat componens of liquor. It may also be called cocoa powder when solid as an end product.  The fatty component of liquor is cocoa butter.  The separation of the two may be accomplished by a press, or by the Broma process.  Cocoa solids is what lend a chocolate bar its charactaristic flavor and color, while cocoa butter is what provides smoothness and a low melting point.  Cocoa powder is the last product in the secondary phase of the cocoa processing chain.  It is derived from cocoa cake which is pulverized to become powder.  Cocoa powder is usually chocolaty in colour.  It is dry and in fine poder form.  It is usually packed in 4ply kraft paper bags with inner polythene lining.  Cocoa solids are what contain most of the antioxidants associated with chocolate.  (www.forafera.com)

 

Skim Milk Powder:  Skimmed milk power is obtained by removing water from pasteurized skim milk.  It contains 5% or less moisture (by weight) and 1.5% or less milkfat.  Skimmed milk powder has a minimum milk protei n content of 34%.  The skimmed milk powder is shipped and stored in a cool, dry environment at temperatures less than 27°C and relative humidity less than 65%.  Note that storage life is very dependent on storage conditions, and that this figure is only a guide. Under ideal conditions, non-instant nonfat dry milk powder can retain its physical and functional properties for at least two years; however, quality will be impaired if temperatures and humidity are too high and storage is extended.  (usdec.org)

 

Palm Oil:  Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) was first introduced to Malaysia as an ornamental plant in 1870. Since 1960, planted area had increased at a rapid pace. In 1985, 1.5 million hectares were planted with palm tree, and it had increased to 4.3 million hectares in 2007. It has become the most important commodity crop in Malaysia. As of 2011, the total planted area was 4.917 million hectares.  The palm fruit is about the size of a small plum and is borne in large bunches weighing between 10 kg - 50 kg. A bunch can have up to 2000 fruits, each consisting of a hard kernel (seed) within a shell (endocarp) which in turn is surrounded by a fleshy mesocarp. The mesocarp is made up of about 49% oil and about 50% kernel.  The two oils (palm oil and palm kernel oil) have very different compositions. Palm oil (from the mesocarp) contains mainly palmitic acid (C16:0) and oleic acid (C18:1); the two most common fatty acids in natural oils and fats, and is about 50% saturated. Palm kernel oil is more than 80% saturated and contains mainly lauric acid (C12:0).  Palm oil is the most traded oil in the world. In 2011, its exports reached almost 39.04 million tonnes of which Malaysia’s share was 46%. To add value to crude palm oil and make it ready for human consumption, Malaysian manufacturers have installed the most extensive and efficient refining and fractionation facilities. This had been most successful during the years of 1974 to 1999, when the exports of processed palm oil grew from 0.9 to 8.9 million tonnes. In 2011, Malaysia’s export of palm oil rose to 17.99 million tonnes, after reaching a high of 16.66 million tonnes in 2010. Similar trend in export of palm kernel oil was seen in the same period, with the volume reaching 1.17 million tonnes in 2011. (http://www.palmoilworld.org)

 

Sugar:  

Brazil has achieved greater energy security thanks to its focused commitment to developing a competitive sugarcane industry and making ethanol a key part of its energy mix. In fact, Brazil has replaced almost 40 percent of its gasoline needs with sugarcane ethanol – making gasoline the alternative fuel in the country. Many observers point to Brazil’s experience as a case study for other nations seeking to expand use of renewable fuels and have identified two key factors for success:  Sugarcane Ethanol. Brazil is the world’s largest sugarcane ethanol producer and a pioneer in using ethanol as a motor fuel. In 2012/13, Brazilian ethanol production reached 23.2 billion liters (6.1 billion gallons). Most of this production is absorbed by the domestic market where it is sold as either pure ethanol fuel or blended with gasoline. All gasoline sold in Brazil includes a blend of 18 to 25 percent ethanol. (sugarcane.org). 

 

Soy Lecithin:  Soy lecithin is a common emulsifier that keeps the sugar, oil, nuts and cocoa nicely blended and stops them separating out during the months on the shelves. Nothing sinister about it.  Lecithin is the gummy material contained in crude vegetable oils and removed by degumming. Soybeans are by far the most important source of commercial lecithin and lecithin is the most important by-product of the soy oil processing industry because of its many applications in foods and industrial products. The three main phosphatides in this complex mixture called "commercial soy lecithin" are phosphatidyl choline (also called "pure" or "chemical" lecithin to distinguish it from the natural mixture), phosphatidyl ethanolamine (popularly called "cephalin"), and phosphatidyl inositols (also called inositol phosphatides). Commercial soy lecithin also typically contains roughly 30-35% unrefined soy oil. Indeed lecithin is one of the most complex and versatile substances derived from the soybean.Lecithin is obtained in the process of degumming crude soy oil, usually at the refinery of the company making commercial lecithin rather than at the oil mill. Crude soy oil contains an average of 1.8% (range 1.2-3.2%; Bailey 1951) hydratable compounds, primarily lecithin phosphatides. Roughly 1% of live steam or warm water is added to the crude soy oil at about 70*C, in a batch or continuous process. The emulsion is then agitated or stirred for 10-60 minutes as the phosphatides hydrate and agglomerate, forming a heavy oil-insoluble sludge, which is separated from the oil by use of a centrifuge. The sludge coming from the degumming centrifuge, a lecithin and water emulsion containing 25-50% water, may then be bleached once or twice, typically with hydrogen peroxide, to reduce its color from brown or beige to light yellow. Fluidizing additives such as soy oil, fatty acids, or calcium chloride can then be added to reduce the viscosity to that of honey and prevent the end product, on cooling, from being a highly plastic solid. Finally the product is film or batch dried to reduce the moisture to about 1% (Szuhaj 1980). Whether bleached or not, the finished commercial product is called "unrefined lecithin" or "natural lecithin;" it contains 65-70% phosphatides and 30-35% crude soy oil. The oil in unrefined lecithin can be removed by extraction with acetone (phosphatides are insoluble in acetone) to give a dry granular product called "refined lecithin." (http://www.soyinfocenter.com)

Vanillin:  This is not vanilla or vanilla extract such as you use at home. Vanillin, which is most likely the synthetic form identical to the natural vanillin, but much less expensive is the largest flavour component of the vanilla bean but much less interesting. There are several routes to vanillin, which span a continuum of synthetic to natural. Starting materials include petrochemicals, lignin from the pulp and paper industry, and clove oil.  Products made with natural raw materials and processes command higher prices, he adds. When made from petrochemical sources, the ubiquitous flavoring costs as little as $10 per kg, whereas vanillin made in a way that can be labeled natural can cost hundreds of dollars per kg.  The vanilla orchid may have evolved to produce vanillin, which it stores as a glycoside, to protect itself from predatory microbes, Goldsmith says. The process of curing vanilla beans converts the glycoside to vanillin. Likewise, Evolva’s modified yeast strain makes a glycoside precursor of vanillin, which the company then converts to vanillin after removing the yeast. You can’t produce a lot of vanillin directly in yeast, because it will kill the yeast. Solvay makes its natural vanillin by fermenting ferulic acid that is extracted from rice bran. The firm began scaling up the process in the early 2000s after a few bad years of vanilla bean production made vanilla prices skyrocket, recounts Corine Cochennec, manager of Solvay’s vanilla expert center. It remained a small business until 2009, when demand for natural ingredients shot up. (http://cen.acs.org)