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Abstract
Abstract The development of cocoa flavor and aroma is a complex phenomenon that depends on how the fermentation and roasting processes are carried out. During fermentation, the formation of some compounds so-called “aroma and flavor precursors” takes place, which are finally expressed during the roasting stage. Therefore, the evaluation of aroma precursors such as the amino acids formed during fermentation is crucial in order to determine the quality of the cocoa. In this context, we developed and validated a method for the study of these compounds in cocoa samples. The amino acids were quantitatively converted into their trimethylsilyl derivatives before their determination by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry detection. The results were verified performing precision and accuracy studies. The inter and intra assay coefficients of variation (C.V, n = 5) were lower than 4.7% and 4%, respectively. The analytical recoveries (95% to 108% with C.V < 4.2, n = 5) demonstrated the high performance of the extraction procedure. The method was successfully applied to the analysis of the amino acids in 110 samples of Venezuelan Criollo cocoa during the three days of fermentation and roasting (110 °C for 25 min). All samples had an appreciable content of free amino acids ranging between 3.87 and 5.97 g/kg in the absence of fermentation. We observed degradation of the acidic amino acids during the first day of fermentation, while the rest of amino acids increased progressively during the fermentation process with a predominance of the hydrophobic ones, mainly leucine, phenylalanine, valine, alanine and isoleucine. Additionally, during the roasting stage a fraction of the amino acids, especially the hydrophobic ones, was partially degraded through Maillard reaction to form the compounds associated with the cocoa aroma and flavor.
Highlights
Cocoa was first cultivated in Central and South America
Precision study results, expressed as the coefficient of variation (CV), were CVs < 4.67% (n = 5) for the analyses performed during the same day, and CVs < 4.67% (n = 5) for the analyses carried out between days
Cocoa samples enriched with different concentration levels of the amino acids were analyzed to perform recovery studies and estimate the accuracy of the method
Summary
Cocoa was first cultivated in Central and South America. Currently, there are three widely recognized varieties of cocoa: Forastero, Criollo and Trinitario (Afoakwa et al, 2015; Parra et al, 2002). According to the International Cocoa Organization (2017), another category is known as fine aroma cocoa, a classification that describes a cocoa of exquisite aroma and flavor, which represents around 8% of the cocoa production in the world Countries such as Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela and Peru produce about 76% of the world’s fine aroma cocoa. Venezuela is the only country in the world where Porcelana Criollo cocoa is produced and harvested. The chocolate flavor demand is the factor that propels the production and consumption of cocoa For this reason, the whole procedure implied in the development of cocoa flavor and aroma has been studied profusely. One of the critical factors to obtain a good quality product is the use of technological tools, highlighting among others the use of reliable genetic material in terms of its origin and quality, as well as an appropriate post-harvest management (Kongor et al, 2016)
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