Abstract
The main ingredients of chocolate are usually cocoa powder, cocoa butter, and sugar. Both the powder and the butter are extracted from the beans of the cacao tree (Theobroma cacao L.). The cocoa butter represents the fat in the beans and possesses a unique fatty acid profile that results in chocolate’s characteristic texture and mouthfeel. Here, we used a linkage mapping population and phenotypic data of 3,292 samples from 420 progeny which led to the identification of 27 quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for fatty acid composition and six QTLs for fat content. Progeny showed extensive variation in fat levels and composition, with the level of palmitic acid negatively correlated to the sum of stearic acid, oleic acid, and linoleic acid. A major QTL explaining 24% of the relative level of palmitic acid was mapped to the distal end of chromosome 4, and those higher levels of palmitic acid were associated with the presence of a haplotype from the “TSH 1188” parent in the progeny. Within this region of chromosome 4 is the Thecc1EG017405 gene, an orthologue and isoform of the stearoyl-acyl carrier protein (ACP) desaturase (SAD) gene in plants, which is involved in fatty acid biosynthesis. Besides allelic differences, we also show that climate factors can change the fatty acid composition in the beans, including a significant positive correlation between higher temperatures and the higher level of palmitic acid. Moreover, we found a significant pollen donor effect from the variety “SIAL 70” which was associated with decreased palmitic acid levels.
Highlights
The cacao tree (Theobroma cacao L.) provides the essential raw materials for the manufacture of chocolate, with the unique fatty acid (FA) profile of cocoa beans contributing to the desirable textural characteristics of chocolate and other confections
Extensive variation was found in the progeny of the MP01 population: The effect of genotype was highly significant in the multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) (p < 0.0001) with Wilk’s λ = 0.01 and in the univariate case and was found to be significant in all the FAs and percentage of fat content (Table 1)
Total fat content in the progeny ranged from 32.2% to 70.7% and from 50.2% to 62.4% when averaged per genotype (Table 2 and Figure 3)
Summary
The cacao tree (Theobroma cacao L.) provides the essential raw materials for the manufacture of chocolate, with the unique fatty acid (FA) profile of cocoa beans contributing to the desirable textural characteristics of chocolate and other confections. Factors Controlling Cacao Fatty Acids fermentation promotes the development of flavor and color to the beans, which are dried in the sun. Manufacturers clean and roast the dried beans, during which decortication of the fibrous testa occurs and is removed through winnowing to extract the cotyledon. Husked and winnowed beans are cracked into smaller pieces (“nibs”) that are ground to produce cocoa liquor, which is roughly 45% to 55% cocoa butter, i.e., fat. Hydraulic presses or millstones extract the cocoa butter from the liquor, with the remaining cake becoming cocoa powder
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
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 call
