Mushroom Chocolate

July 13, 2021

Love chocolate? You have fungi to thank for that! On today's show we are walking you through the complex journey between the cocoa bean and a chocolate bar.  The unmatchable decadence is achieved by unique fermentation methods and microbes. Yeast, filamentous fungi, and bacteria are all at play and today we have a chocolate scientist and PhD candidate, Caitlin Clark, who has dedicated her research to chocolate fermentation.

Topics Covered

• Lactic acid fermentation versus chocolates specialty microbes
• The complex and ethical journey of chocolate making
• Alkalizing chocolate
• Polyphenol content in a variety of chocolate products
• Psychoactive properties in chocolate’s constituents such methylxanthine and theobromine 
• How fermentation alters potency of these constituents 
• Mycorrhizal, endophytic, and pathogenic fungi involved in the cacao trees 
• Other fungal relationships such as endophytes and mycorrhizal species 
• Microbiome of fermentation in cocoa including yeasts, filamentous geotrichum, bacillus bacteria and more
• Wild ferments, aseptic ferments and experiments with starter cultures
• Chemical and mechanical ways that fungi transform the stock
• What determines a ‘good’ microbial presence versus a ‘bad’ one in the chocolate making process
• How cocoa byproducts are made
• Bloom in chocolate
• How to shop for the best quality chocolate

Show Notes

• Caitlin’s website: https://www.trimethylpyrazine.com/
• Caitlin’s Instagram: @chocolate.graduate 
• Chocolate Vendor’s
  • Bar & Cocoa: https://barandcocoa.com/
  • SOMA: https://www.somachocolate.com/
  • Quntu: https://en.qantuchocolate.com/
  • Nuance Chocolate: http://www.nuancechocolate.com/
  • White Label: https://www.whitelabelchocolate.com/
• Ethical aspects of the cocoa and chocolate value chain
• Natto: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natt%C5%8D
• Mycotoxins in chocolate making and cocoa products
• Further reading: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-DNBQ5kJRWPWm1nZXzjGH-VMgLJBtjsC?usp=sharing

www.mushroomrevival.com

We are a functional mushroom company and make 100% certified USDA Organic and Vegan mushroom supplements. We are transparent with our lab results, and use actual fruiting bodies aka mushrooms! We provide our supplements in tincture, capsule, powder, and delicious gummy form. 

Energy (Cordyceps): Need a little pick-me-up before a workout or when you’re picking up your kids from school? The Energy Cordyceps is the mushy match for you.

Focus (Lion’s Mane):  Needing a little more focus in your daily life? Lion’s Mane is known to be the mushroom for the brain and may support cognitive function.

Calm (Reishi): Looking for some tranquility and zen in your life? Reishi will bring you into the zen state of mind you’ve been searching for.

Daily 10 (Mushroom Mix): It’s like having 10 bodyguard mushrooms fighting off all those bad guys. This is a good place to start as it contains all of the daily mushies you need.