WEEK 11: READING COMPREHENSION (SET 4: CHOCOLATES)

Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow.

I According to the World Cocoa Foundation (2014), people around the world,
predominantly in Europe and the United States, consume more than three
million tons of cocoa beans a year. Cornell University (2007) reported that
chocolate is a substance prepared from the fruit of the Theobroma cacao, a
tropical tree which means "food of the gods" in Greek. Theobroma cacao trees 5
are native to the Amazon and Orinoco River basins in South America. As the
popularity of chocolate spreads, growers established plantations in other
regions, such as West Africa and Southeast Asia. Today, Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire,
Nigeria, Indonesia and Brazil account for 79 percent of the world's cacao
production. It is a long process to produce chocolate and there are benefits as 10
well as effects of its vast productions.

II Cacao trees bear fruit that are about the same size and shape of a papaya.
These bumpy, lumpy berries, or pods, are full of up to 50 sour seeds, or beans,
covered in white pulp. Cacao seeds are harvested by hand because machines
could injure the trees. Workers remove the pods, which are orange when they 15
are ripe, and open them with a machete. The seeds are placed in large
fermentation trays that are stacked and covered in banana leaves and are left
for two to seven days. Fermentation produces the chocolate flavour and
aroma. It also destroys the seed's embryo, preventing unwanted germination,
and causes the white pulp to fall away from the seed. 20

III After fermentation, the beans are dried out on sunny platforms. Workers turn
them several times a day for three to five days to complete the drying process.
The beans can dry faster in rotary dryers but sun-dried beans taste the best.
Next, the beans are taken to the chocolate factory, where they are cleaned.
The beans are roasted in large, rotating ovens. The roasting draws out flavour 25
and removes the beans from their hulls. The roasted beans are then placed
into the winnowing machine to crack the beans and remove the hulls. The
remaining part of the bean is called the nib which then becomes chocolate.
According to Pam Williams, co-founder of the Fine Chocolate Industry
Association (FCIA), this process results in a thick paste called chocolate liquor 30
which is the main source of unsweetened baking chocolate. At this stage, fine
 chocolate is separated from that of average quality. "Fine chocolate," as
designated by the FCIA, contains only cacao liquor, cacao butter, sugar,
lecithin, vanilla and possibly milk fats and solids. Additional flavours or
ingredients like nuts can be added later. 35

IV Several recent studies have examined the role chocolate may have on heart
health. Cacao beans are full of phytonutrients, which act as antioxidants and
provide several benefits. Dark chocolate contains two to three times more
beneficial flavanols than milk chocolate. This is because for milk chocolate, the
concentration of cacao is diluted with milk and possibly more sugar. While most 40
studies have found some correlation between chocolate consumption and
reduced risk of heart problems, the amount and type of chocolate needed
requires further studies. A meta-analysis of the effects of chocolate on
coronary heart disease, stroke and diabetes concluded that most benefits were
associated with moderate chocolate intake (Nutrients/Sheng Yuan, Xia Li, 45
Yalei Jin & Jinping Lu, 2017). It was discovered that people who consumed
chocolate more than three times a week only gain little benefit in heart disease
or stroke reduction. Protective effects against diabetes emerged at two
servings a week, but that benefit disappeared if people had more than six
servings a week. 50

V Chocolate can also be good for the brain. Some studies have focused on the
benefit of chocolate in improving cognitive function. A study by Moreira, Afonso
et.al. (2016) in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease found that chocolate
consumption might lower the risk of cognitive decline in older people. The
study looked at nearly 400 Portuguese citizens over age 65 and saw that those 55
who ate a moderate amount of chocolate — on average, one chocolate snack
a week — decreased their risk of cognitive decline by 40 percent over two
years. Chocolate is often associated with positive effects on mood. The
substances found in chocolate such as anandamides can stimulate the brain
similar to cannabis. It also contains substances that have similar effects as 60
amphetamine, such as tyramine and phenylethylamine. However, these
substances are very low in concentration, too low to even induce an
antidepressant effect.
VI Chocolate production is threatened by climate change. According to a report
by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in 2016, the 65
primary cacao-producing countries are Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, and Indonesia.
These countries will experience a 2.1 degree Celsius (3.7 degrees Fahrenheit)
increase in temperature by 2050. Rainfall rates decrease with the rise of
temperature, causing lowered humidity levels. As the change in temperature
affects the growth of cacao trees, the viable land for cacao production will 70
significantly shrink. According to a report from the Inter-governmental Panel
on Climate Change, 89.5 percent of the 294 chocolate-producing locations
under study would become less suitable by 2050.

VII Inevitably, chocolate production can also harm the environment. Farmers often
clear forests to make room for cacao plantations. According to the World 75
Wildlife Fund, about 70 percent of Côte d'Ivoire's illegal deforestation is related
to cacao farming. One danger of deforestation is soil erosion, which can make
land less fertile for cacao plants. This creates a vicious cycle of cocoa farming
and environmental degradation. As a result, farmers and scientists need to
work together to develop effective strategies to maintain chocolate production 80
without endangering the environment. Therefore, some farmers plant taller
trees next to cacao trees to increase shade and decrease moisture loss for
their cacao plantations (NOAA, 2016). Furthermore, cacao plantations have
also moved to higher elevations with cooler temperatures and greater rainfall.
In conclusion, the vast production of chocolate is a long and complicated 85
process which has its effect on the environment. However, chocolate has
never failed to bring happiness to someone’s life. “Nice memories are like
chocolate: you can’t survive on them alone, as they aren’t very filling, but they
make life sweeter.” - Janine Weger.

Adapted from: https://www.livescience.com/61754-chocolate-facts.html