Ingredient catalog
A global database of more than 10,000 ingredients with verified macros, allergens, and density.
What it is
The ingredient catalog is the shared foundation that all formulation in AreaCacao relies on. It brings together more than 10,000 technical sheets (macronutrients, EU-14 allergens, density, and weight per unit) that feed the recipe editor, the formulators, and the automatic macro calculation.
The global database is read-only: you can search, filter, and review the full sheet of any ingredient, but you can't edit its data from this screen. What you do control: you can create your own custom ingredients (private sheets used in your recipes just like the catalog ones), define custom fields for your account, and import or export your own custom catalog.
The ingredient catalog is for edible materials only. Packaging, cup liners, labels, boxes, and other non-edible consumables live in their own module: Supplies.
How to get there
- URL:
https://app.areacacao.com/ingredients - Navigation: side menu → FORMULATION → Ingredients section.
- Availability: open to any signed-in user (no plan restriction).
Screen sections
Header
At the top you'll find the Back to dashboard link and the Ingredient catalog title. Below the title, a dynamic subtitle shows the number of sheets in the list, along the lines of "Global base of N ingredients with verified macros and allergens." The number is the total of the current results, so it changes when you search or filter. While there are no results (during loading, or when the filters return nothing) you'll see the fallback text "Global base of 10,000+ ingredients with verified macros and allergens."
The screen has two tabs: Catalog (the global database) and My ingredients (your account's custom ingredients). Once you've opened the My ingredients tab, if you have your own sheets it shows a badge next to its name with the number of active custom ingredients.
To the right of the header there are three buttons:
- New ingredient — opens the form to create a custom ingredient with its full sheet (macros, micronutrients, allergens, and cost).
- Custom fields — opens the manager to define your account's own fields (origin, certification, batch, etc.). See Custom fields.
- Import / Export — opens the dialog to export or import your custom catalog as JSON or CSV. See Import and export.
Filter bar
Above the table there's a horizontal filter bar with three controls:
- Search box with the placeholder "Search by name, brand…".
- Category selector with the default option All categories. Categories load based on the catalog; they aren't a fixed list.
- With allergens — checkbox that limits the list to ingredients that declare at least one EU-14 allergen.
Changing any filter sends the list back to page 1.
Filter by tags
Below the filter bar there's a Tags section that lets you narrow the catalog by cross-cutting characteristics. It's a multi-select filter: click the chips you're interested in and the list narrows down. Within one axis, an ingredient only needs one of the selected tags; across different axes it has to match all of them (for example, Organic + Roasted shows organic ingredients that are also roasted). When tags are active, a Clear (N) button appears that removes them all at once. Any change sends the list back to page 1.
The chips are grouped by axes:
| Axis | Tags |
|---|---|
| Origin | Single-origin, Organic |
| Diet | Plant-based, Sugar-free, Whole-grain |
| Processing | Raw, Roasted, Alkalized (Dutch) |
| Use | Decoration, Granola, Cooking, Snacks, Baking, Salads, Jams, Smoothies, Compotes, Desserts, Blend / preparation |
| Chemical family | Polyol, Gum, Polysaccharide |
| Source | Goat's milk |
Results table
Each row in the list shows these columns:
| Column | Content |
|---|---|
| Name | Ingredient name, with the base tag when it's a base ingredient. |
| Category | Main category. |
| Brand | Brand or origin (hidden on small screens). |
| Allergens | Number of EU-14 allergens declared; a dash if the sheet declares none; Undeclared if the sheet doesn't confirm its allergens (hidden on narrow screens). |
| Details | View → link that opens the full sheet. |
Click any row to open the ingredient sheet.
Pagination
The list shows 50 ingredients per page. When there's more than one page, a footer appears with the visible range ("Showing X–Y of TOTAL"), the Previous page / Next page arrows, and the current page indicator.
Available actions
| Action | How |
|---|---|
| Search | Type in the search box; the list filters on its own after a short pause. |
| Filter by category | Pick a category in the selector. |
| Filter by allergens | Check the With allergens box. |
| Filter by tags | Click the chips in the Tags section (multi-select); use Clear (N) to remove them. |
| View a sheet | Click the row or its View → link. |
| Create your own ingredient | Click New ingredient. See Custom ingredients. |
| Define your own fields | Click Custom fields. |
| Import or export | Click Import / Export. |
Screen states
- Loading: skeleton rows while the list arrives.
- No results: "No ingredients match those filters."
- Load error: red banner with the system message or the notice "Couldn't load ingredients".
- Daily query limit: each account can request up to 2,000 catalog pages a day (list and search). If you go over it, the red banner says "You've queried the catalog more than 2,000 times today. It will be available again tomorrow; if you need the full catalog, write to support."
The global catalog is shared across the whole platform and isn't edited from the interface. If you need your own supplier data, use Custom fields to extend the information or Import / Export to maintain your custom catalog.
Next steps
Custom ingredients
Create your own private sheets and use them in your recipes.
Search ingredients
How do you quickly find what you need?
Ingredient sheet
What's included in an ingredient's full sheet?
Import and export
Export or import your custom catalog as JSON or CSV.
Custom fields
Define your own fields for your account.
Confidence level
Where does each sheet's data come from?
EU-14 Allergens
The 14 official ones and where they appear in the app.