Abstract
The fine flavor cocoa (FFC) market offers cocoa farmers better monetary and nonmonetary benefits than the bulk market. In this work, during cocoa fermentation, flavor formation was studied at different fermentation times based on sensory profiles, volatile compound contents and untargeted metabolomics. It was observed that chocolate quality is influenced by fermentation time. Thus, at 72 h, the sensory profiles showed no outstanding attributes, while at 96 h, the global quality presented a stronger influence of fine attributes, such as fruitiness, florality, spices and nuttiness. Finally, at 120/144 h, these FFC features diminished. Metabolomic fingerprint of cocoa beans (related to peptides, sugars, amino acids, and phenolic compounds) and the volatile fingerprint of chocolate showed a change according to the fermentation time. This allowed the proposal of 96 h as the optimal fermentation time to produce FFC beans. Additionally, 20 volatiles and 48 discriminating metabolites were defined as potential quality biomarkers.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
