World Cocoa Foundation Research Update: January 2008
RESEARCH ON THE WEB: From NutraIngredients:
Global cocoa deficit increases, says report By Charlotte Eyre. 1/3/2008- The International Cocoa Organisation (ICCO) estimates that the world's current cocoa shortfall is now 55 per cent larger than previously thought, after adverse weather conditions led to crop reductions over the 2006/07 season. According to the ICCO's latest quarterly bulletin, the global production deficit is now estimated at 242,000 tonnes, compared with the earlier projected figure of 156,000 tonnes. The news could indicate further commodity pressure for manufacturers, many of whom have already suffered decreased margins because of higher costs in recent months. Over the 2006/07 cocoa season, most of the major production regions were affected by weather problems, the ICCO said. Africa - which accounted for 70 per cent of the world's cocoa output over this period - experienced the greatest decline - 10 per cent - after severe dry and windy conditions affected the continent at the end of 2006. Over the same period, other climate issues such as the El Niño temperature fluctuations led to crop declines of eight per cent in the Asia and Oceania region, and six per cent in the Americas, the organisation said. However, the ICCO estimated that demand for the commodity has not decreased and still remains at a record high. Full article.
Health benefits of chocolate questioned. By Charlotte Eyre. 1/7/2008- Dark chocolate risks tumbling from its "good for you" confectionery pedestal, as a UK medical journal claims that many manufacturers in fact remove the heart healthy element - the flavanols. According to many scientific studies, flavanols have a positive effect on human health because they help neutralise free radicals that could damage the body's cells, and cause oxidative stress. It is this oxidative stress that has been linked to a wide range of chronic diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, arthritis, diabetes, and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's. The chocolate industry has never denied that processing removes a lot of nutrients from cocoa, however medical journal The Lancet states that consumers are oftenmisled over how healthy a chocolate product is. In fact, manufacturers often deliberately remove the flavanols from their products because of the naturally bitter taste, sometimes then darkening the cocoa solids for aesthetic purposes. Full article.
Chocolate linked to weaker bones. By Charlotte Eyre. 1/15/2008- New research suggests that regular consumption of chocolate may weaken bone density and strength, which in turn could increase the risk of health problems such as osteoporosis and fracture. According to the study, published this month in the American Journal of ClinicalNutrition, women who eat chocolate daily have an overall bone density 3.1 per cent lower than those who consume it less than once a week. The findings will surely come as a blow to the positive image of dark chocolate, often feted for having its heart-healthy properties. "Cocoa and chocolate have been promoted as having a range of beneficial cardiovascular properties," said head researcher Jonathan Hodgson, from the University of Western Australia. "But the effect of chocolate intake on other organ systems has not been studied.” Full article.
MEETINGS:
The 100th or Centennial Meeting of the American Phytopathological Society will be held July 26-30,2008 in Minneapolis/ St. Paul, Minnesota. For more information go to http://meeting.apsnet.org/. The deadline for submission of oral and poster presentations is March 13, 2008.
INGENIC: It was with shock and sadness to read the following message from the CRU, Trinidad.
From: David Butler ( dbutler@intrepidequipment.com )
Sent: Thu 1/3/2008
It is with sadness that I have to tell you that David Iwaro died on
Monday (31st. December) after a prolonged illness.
He remained cheerful and in remarkably good spirits to the end, but
the deterioration of his condition was too advanced for him to win the fight. He was a real asset to CRU and the global cocoa community and will be greatly missed.
Kind regards
David
Cocoa Research Unit
The University of the West Indies
St. Augustine
Trinidad and Tobago
Tel/fax +1868 662 8788
http://sta.uwi.edu/cru/
RECENT CACAO PUBLICATIONS:
STCP Working Paper versions 2, 4, 5 and 6 are out and posted on the STCP website.
David, S. 2007. Knowledge Improvement and Social Benefits among STCP Farmer Field School Participants in Cameroon. STCP Working Paper Series 2 (Version June 2007). International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Accra, Ghana.
Sonwa, D.J. and Weise, S. F. 2008. Diversifying and Intensifying the Cocoa Agroforest Landscape: Review and strategic approaches for managing the shade matrix in West and Central Africa. STCP Working Paper Series 4 (Version January 2008). IITA, Accra, Ghana.
Sonwa, D., Nkongmeneck, B.A., Weise, S.F., Tchatat, M., & Janssens, M.J.J 2006. Chocolate Forest and the Peri-Urban Landscape: Tree diversity of the cocoa agroforests around Yaoundé (southern Cameroon) STCP Working Paper Series 5 (Version Jan. 2008). IITA, Accra.
Gockowski, J. and Sonwa, D.2008. Biodiversity and smallholder cocoa production systems in West Africa STCP Working Paper Series 6 (Version January 2008). IITA, Accra, Ghana.
All working papers are available for download from the STCP website. For enquiries, contact
Cynthia Prah, Communications Officer, Sustainable Tree Crops Program (STCP), International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Accra, Ghana. Office Phone: +233 21 773875/763675 ext. 109; cell: +233 28 5100313. http://www.treecrops.org/ http://www.iita.org/
A new book is available Biological control: a global perspective from CABI: ISBN: 9781845932657 Full information
Main Description: Biological control, the management of pests by the use of living organisms, has a long history of application to agriculture around the world. However, the effective use of beneficial organisms is constrained by environmental, legal, and economic restrictions, forcing researchers to adopt increasingly multi-disciplinary techniques in order to deploy successful biological control programs. It is this complex process, including the mindset and the social environment of the researcher as well as the science being pursued, that this book seeks to capture. Chapters reveal the personal experiences of scientists from the initial search for suitable control agents, to their release into ecosystems and finally to the beneficial outcomes which demonstrate the great success of biological control across diverse agro-ecosystems. Drawing together historical perspectives and approaches used in the development of biological control as well as outlining current debates surrounding terminology and differential techniques, Biological Control: A Global Perspective will be a valuable resource. The following paper is on pp. 210-217.
Pomella, A. W. V.; Souza, J. T. de; Niella, G. R.; Bateman, R. P.; Hebbar, P. K.; Loguercio, L. L.; Lumsden, R. D. Trichoderma stromaticum for management of witches' broom of cacao in Brazil. Pages 210-217. In Biological control: a global perspective. Edited by Vincent, C.; Goettel, M. S.; Lazarovits, G. Almirante Cacau Agricola Comercio e Exportacao Ltda, Caixa Postal 55,45630-000 Itajuipe, BA, Brazil. For reprint contact: alan@sementesfarroupilha.com.br; Date:August2007.