The “chocolate of the Algarve” is the motto for the 1st Conference on Carob, which aims to promote the growing of carob and identify the fruit’s market potential. The conference will take place on 9th and 10th February at the Auditorium of the Clube de Tavira and will consist of a number of talks, ending on 10th with visits to an experimental plantation at the Centro de Experimentação de Tavira (Tavira Experimentation Centre) (Algarve Regional Agriculture Directorate) and a private carob tree plantation.

For the organisation of the event, the Tavira Municipal Council worked with AIDA, the Inter-professional Association for the Production and Exploitation of Carob.

The event will also be attended by specialists in the field, namely the President of AIDA Manuel Caetano, and the specialist José Filipe, as well as Pedro Correia, Researcher at the University of the Algarve, who will be the main speakers.

The thousand and one uses of carob

The use of carob that attracts the greatest economic value comes from the seeds, which have been increasingly in demand for the industrial food sector, cosmetics and textiles.

The starch is extracted from the seeds and it has a high quality as a thickener, stabilizer and emulsifier.

José Filipe, a specialist at AIDA, explained to the Algarve Observer that that all parts of the fruit could be used, and after the seeds have been extracted most of the fruit is used for animal fodder, with only a small fraction used for making sweets/cakes and liqueurs.

José Filipe said that carob was already used as the basis for a flour which can be added to milk or in the preparation of cakes, but it can also be used in shaving cream.

source: algarve observer