Abstract
Peru is home to six of the main genetic clusters of cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) and is an important exporter of fine-flavor cocoa varieties. Two varieties of Peruvian native cocoa, in high demand for the fine chocolate market, grow in the regions of Bagua (Amazonas) and Quillabamba (Cusco). The main chemical and organoleptic characteristics of these two varieties were determined. Cocoa pastes and chocolates made with cocoa from these regions were subjected to chemical proximate analysis and determination of fatty acid profile, theobromine, caffeine, total phenolics, total flavonoids, antioxidant activity, and main sensory attributes. A multiple factor analysis (MFA) was applied to the data. Samples from Quillabamba differ from those of Bagua mainly by having a higher fat and lower theobromine content. The main sensory attributes detected for Bagua samples that differ from, those of Quillabamba were fruity, acidic, astringent, and bitter notes.
Highlights
Cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) is the main ingredient for the manufacture of chocolate
The upper Amazon is considered the center of genetic diversity of T. cacao
The chocolates made from cocoa paste from Quillabamba had higher fat content than the ones from Bagua
Summary
Cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) is the main ingredient for the manufacture of chocolate. T. cacao was first domesticated in South America, 1,500 years before its cultivation began in Central America and Mesoamerica. Three independent lines of archeological evidence (cacao starch grains pottery, absorbed theobromine, and ancient DNA) demonstrated that the upper Amazon region is the oldest center of cacao initial use so far identified (Zarrillo et al, 2018). Iconographic representations of cocoa pods in ancient preColumbian ceramics found in Ecuador and Peru support this. The upper Amazon is considered the center of genetic diversity of T. cacao. Cocoa consists of 10 genetic clusters, of which six can be found in Peru (Motamayor et al, 2008)
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