Chocolate Flavor Research Articles

Comparative study of instrumental properties and sensory profiling of low-calorie chocolate containing hydrophobically modified inulin. Part II: Proton mobility, topological, tribological and dynamic sensory properties

The aim of the present work was to evaluate the changes in instrumental measurements and dynamic sensory properties of chocolate as affected by the partial and total substitution of sucrose by dodecenyl-succinylated inulin upon storage. The results of textural, surface topology, and tribological properties of non-stored chocolates were found to be a function of modified inulin replacement, where an increase in modified inulin ratio allowed an increase in hardness, roughness, and friction coefficient. Compared to non-stored samples, the deterioration of textural properties after storage was inhibited in chocolate containing higher levels of modified inulin. Higher modified inulin ratios did not also induce an important change in NMR proton mobility, roughness, and friction coefficient upon storage. Confocal Raman microscopy revealed modified inulin located around sucrose and cocoa particles dispersed in fat phase, especially at the higher ratios. Temporal Dominance of Sensations (TDS) curves of non-stored samples elucidated that firmness was a dominant perception at the beginning of mastication, followed by melting rate, while cocoa flavor was experienced at the end of evaluation. However, these attributes were not perceived in stored chocolate with the lowest modified inulin. A PCA was performed to compare TDS scores and instrumental readings, showing a high correlation between instrumental measurement of hardness, friction coefficient, and NMR relaxation times and TDS score of firmness, bitterness, astringency, and melting rate. This work shows a new perspective to use biopolymeric surfactant for producing low-calorie chocolate, considering that hydrophobically modified inulin can diminish production costs and facilitate low-calorie product development.

Impact of Fermentation and Roasting on the Gut Health Protective Effects of Cocoa in High-Fat Diet Fed Mice

Abstract Objectives Chronic inflammation is an important driver of co-morbidities of obesity. Studies have indicated that cocoa (Theobroma cacao) and cocoa polyphenols can exert anti-inflammatory and anti-obesity properties in animal models. Fermentation and roasting are important for flavor and aroma development of cocoa but have been reported to decrease total phenolic content (TPC). The effect of these processing steps on anti-inflammatory bioactivity has not been examined in vivo. We examined the impact of fermentation and roasting on the anti-obesity and gastrointestinal protective effects of cocoa in high fat diet (HFD)-fed mice. Methods Male and female mice were fed HFD for 9 wks to induce obesity and then randomized to receive either HFD or HFD supplemented with one of seven cocoa powders (80 mg/g diet) for an additional 8 wks. The cocoa powders differed in terms of roasting (no roast or 30 min at 120°C or 170°C) and fermentation (no, cool, or hot). Body weights were measured weekly. Following euthanasia, serum and cecal digesta were collected. Visceral fat, liver, and spleen were collected and weighed. Small intestine and colon were collected and measured. Prior to euthanasia, gut permeability was measured in a subset of mice from each group. Results Mice treated with cocoa-supplemented diets had lower rate of weight gain: final body weights were 9–13% and 5–19% in males and females, respectively. Cocoa treatment also resulted in longer colon lengths (18–26% in males and 11–24% in females) and reduced gut permeability (50–75% lower) compared to HFD-fed controls indicating reduced colonic inflammation. While fermentation and roasting did impact chemistry and bioactivity, the unfermented, unroasted cocoa was not necessarily the most effective, and some combinations resulted in equivalent or improved bioactivity. Cytokine and microbial composition analysis are ongoing. Conclusions Our results show that all treatments mitigated weight gain, colon inflammation, and gut permeability induced by HFD. The degree of fermentation and roasting and TPC may not predict efficacy. This indicates that it may be possible to develop processing steps to optimize both cocoa flavor and health-related bioactivity. Funding Sources This work was funded by USDA AFRI.

KAJIAN NILAI TAMBAH AGROINDUSTRI OLAHAN KEDELAI MENJADI KEDELAI BUBUK DI CV. DODO-MIS MARGA ASIH KABUPATEN BANDUNG

Soybean is one of the important food commodities in Indonesia. Soybean consumption in Indonesia is expected to increase every year. Soybean cannot be consumed directly, but it must be processed first. The increasing consumption of soybean makes soybean processing agroindustry has a great opportunity to develop. Product from processed yellow soybean into soybean powder has the highest added value than the other products, but there are still few companies that process soybean into soybean powder. CV. Dodo-Mis is the first agroindustry that produce soybean powder especially in Bandung Regency area. The design of this study uses qualitative design and research techniques as case studies. The analysis tools used is using income analysis and value added analysis of the Hayami method. The purpose of this study was to determine the income and added value of the processing of soybeans into soybean powder.. The process of soybean processing into soybean powder at CV. Dodo-Mis is focused on 3 flavor that are natural flavor, vanila flavor, and chocolate flavor. The production process is still simple. The income of CV. Dodo-Mis from the sale of Alamina soybean powder is Rp 3.742.693 so it can be said this business is profitable with the R/C score is 1,56. The biggest added value is obtained from natural flavored soybean powder products. This is because the output of natural soybean powder is higher and natural soybean powder does not require supporting materials in the manufacturing process.

Use of Lactobacillus fermentum for improving fermentation degree of smallholder dried cocoa beans

In an attempt to improve the quality of dried cocoa beans produced from small holder farming in Indonesia, experiment of cocoa beans and Lactobacillus fermentum (LF) was conducted. LF culture at concentration 5% w/w was added into dried cocoa beans and incubated for four days. Treated beans were sun dried and evaluated for slaty and purple appearance on the nibs, as well as defects and sensory quality. This study reports a significant decrease in the proportion of slaty and purple beans in the treated groups either in smaller (30 kg) or in the larger (150 kg) scales. The moulded bean number surged, but moulded beans was already present in the untreated group. The sensory profile was obtaining higher scores on the chocolate flavor, bitterness and astringency attributes. It is concluded that LF culture could be used for improving the physical and sensory qualities of cocoa beans from small holder farmers.

Effects of Nanoencapsulated Carotenoid of Spirulina platensis on the Sensory Profiles of Dark and Milk Chocolate

The addition of Spirulina platensis in chocolate bar was reported to be able to increase the carotenoid content. Unfortunately, the fortified dry biomass generated fishy odor. In recent years, we succeeded to extract carotenoid from S. platensis, which was then encapsulated using a mixture of gum arabic and WPC by nanoemulsion technique. It helped reduce the fishy odor and concentrate carotenoid content in the nanocapsules. This study aimed to determine the effect of S. platensis’s carotenoid nanocapsules on the flavor profiles of dark and milk chocolate. The S. platensis’s carotenoid nanocapsules were added at a dose of 0.37% (w/w). Flavor profiles were detected using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry. A total of 79 aroma active were detected. The dark chocolate had a specific aroma of strong acidic chocolate, enriched with creamy and sweet. Meanwhile, the milk chocolate was dominated by creamy, cheesy, and sweet. The fortified chocolate had lower concentration of acids and aldehydes but had higher pyrazines and alcohols. Volatile compound that responsible for the fishy odor in Spirulina platensis was not detected in fortified chocolate. In conclusion, the fortification increased the intensity of sweet and chocolate flavor, decreased the bitter and sour flavor, and did not generate any unpleasant odor.

Microbiology, Chemical, and Sensory Characteristics of Cocoa Powder: The Effect of Lactobacillus plantarum HL-15 as Culture Starter and Fermentation Box Variation

<div>Cocoa powder is made from fermented cocoa beans which are separated from fat, grounded and sifted to produce a powder. The fermentation stage is an important stage in processing cocoa beans for chocolate flavor formation. The traditional fermentation done by farmer triggers fungal growth that can produce a toxin called mycotoxin. The use of lactic acid bacteria in cocoa beans fermentation has been known to inhibit the growth of mycotoxin-producing fungi. The addition of Lactobacillus plantarum HL 15 as a culture starter has known as an antifungal.  The objective of this research is to study the effect of Lactobacillus plantarum HL 15 as culture starter and fermentation box variation on microbiology, chemical and sensory characteristics of cocoa powder. Cocoa beans fermentation was conducted by starter culture addition and without starter culture addition and then using a new fermentation box and old fermentation box. The analysis of cocoa powder was carried out include water content, pH, fungi contamination, and sensory evaluation on color, flavor and taste of the cocoa powder. The result showed that water content (3.85 % to 4.55%), pH (4.85 to 4.95), and sensory evaluation is not significant differences for all treatment. The addition of Lactobacillus plantarum HL 15 as a culture starter in old and new fermentation boxes has a smaller lever of fungi contamination compare to the treatment without Lactobacillus plantarum HL 15 as culture starter.</div>

RP-HPLC-DAD determination of free amino acids in cocoa samples during fermentation and roasting

Amino acids (AA) composition in cocoa beans can predict the synthesis of compounds which affect cocoa flavor. Thus, their determination is of great interest for the community implied in the commercialization and production of cocoa. In consequence, in this work, the analysis of AA produced during cocoa beans fermentation and roasting was carried out. A high-performance liquid chromatographic method with DAD detection at 254 nm was optimized and validated for their selective determination in six varieties of cocoa beans with different genotypes, all of them grown in Venezuela. AA were extracted by defatted milled cocoa powder ultrasonication using purified water at 70 ºC. Then, they were derivatized with phenyl isothiocyanate, and their derivatives were separated, using a reversed-phase column with gradient elution, achieving a satisfactory resolution among the peaks (greater than 1.0) in less than 29 min. 110 cocoa samples were analyzed. Results showed a significant content of free AA, ranging from 3.87 to 5.97 g/kg in absence of fermentation with a predominance of acidic AA. Moreover, there is a progressive increase in the AA content while fermentation process occurs, with a predominance of hydrophobic AA such as alanine, valine, isoleucine, leucine, phenylalanine, and tyrosine. On the other hand, all cocoa types showed a partial degradation of free AA during the roasting step, especially the hydrophobic ones.

The effect of fermentation and roasting on free amino acids profile in Criollo cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) grown in Venezuela

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.

Amelioration of cocoa organoleptics using A.oryzae cysteine proteases

The A.oryzae strains isolated from coffee were screened to evaluate their potential for production of acid aspartic protease. The strains with highest activity were then subjected to UV-mutagenesis and the lethality was determined by spore spread plate method. The mutant strain CPO 025 produced 1.3 × 104 U/ml, which is 1.53 fold higher than the parent with survival rate of 76 ± 2%. The Central Composite Rotatable Design(CCRD) based Response Surface Methodology(RSM) was employed to optimize the parameters for Aspartic protease production. The mutant strain subjected to solid-state fermentation (SSF) using wheat bran as substrate yielded 1820 U/mg specific activity with functional conditions of moisture (35%), inoculum (6.5 CFU/ml), fermentation duration (108 h), and temperature (28 °C). The partially purified proteases by DEAE-Sepharose had attributes with 6082 U/mg specific activity, optimum pH 3.6, temperature 35 °C and MW of 35 kDa. Enhanced activity by β-mercaptoethanol and inhibition by iodoacetic acid confirmed cysteine protease. Application of cysteine protease with cocoa beans upsurged flavour profile compared to the untreated beans. The elevated level of dimethylpyzarine and ketone3,5-Bis(tert-butyl)-4-hydroxy-propiophenone indicated efficient protein hydrolysis with desirable cocoa flavour. Thus cocoa organoleptic enhancement with flavourzyme can camouflage poorly fermented cocoa and economy of the industry.

Stability of chocolate bars fortified with nanocapsules carotenoid of Spirulina platensis

A chocolate bar and products is a universal product, suitable as a vehicle for fortified spirulina to enhance premium nutrition. This study was conducted to determine the stability of milk and dark chocolate fortified nanocapsule carotenoids of Spirulina platensis. The base of chocolate formula was designed by community industry of chocolate bar in Kulon Progo, Yogyakarta. Two types of chocolate (milk and dark) are fortified with nanocapsules carotenoid of Spirulina. The composition of chocolate paste: cocoa butter is 27.5:25 (milk) and 58:24,5 (dark), nanocapsule was added amount 0.372%. Fortified and control product were tested on 80 untrained panelists. The results showed that fortified chocolate did not show differences in aroma, taste, and texture with control. The dominant profile of aroma and chocolate flavor between fortified products and controls in the milk or dark chocolate was detected similar components but the intensity is slightly different. Fortified chocolate with nanocapsules spirulina showed the flat bloom development was lower than control. The equation of regression of milk chocolate stated linear regression curve (y = 1.5655 + 27,611) and dark chocolate (y = 1.2713 x + 26.559). Fat blooming reaches the limit of the white index number (> 31.5) in milk chocolate appear at the 6th month of storage and the dark one start at the 9th. The results showed dark chocolate has a shelf life 1.5 times longer than milk.

Factors affecting compliance of drug therapy in outpatient children

Background: Adherence to a medical treatment regimen is an essential determinant of clinical success and professional success of doctor as well. Compared with the thousands of trials for individual drugs and treatments, there are few relatively rigorous trials of adherence interventions. Our study is a small effort towards understanding reasons for poor compliance among paediatric patients.Methods: The 256 cases that were selected for study had various clinical conditions. Compliance definition was applied only for those who received antibiotics. For other cases who received drugs other than antibiotics, we asked number of skipped doses. Data collected by paediatrician during follow-up or next visit because of some other illness and by telephone call to parents by assistant. Parents and kids were asked about the reasons for skipping the doses and also about their personal preferences towards medicines.Results: Out of 256 children 93 were prescribed antibiotics, 37.63% had good compliance and 62.36% had poor compliance.7% never skipped any medicine, 62% skipped less often (≤5 times) and 31% skipped. Very often (≥6 times), taste (67%), quantity (52%), apparent recovery (62%), school (65%), sleeping (56%), timing with food (47%) and bottle getting finished (49%) were the most common reasons for missing the dose of any medicine. Adherence was better when less number of doses were given less often. Chocolate flavor was liked by most kids.Conclusions: Prescribing medications should involve parents, children and practitioners in an open discussion around the most suitable, palatable formulations for successful treatment outcomes.

Impact of Natural and Artificial Sweeteners Compounds in the Sensory Profile and Preference Drivers Applied to Traditional, Lactose-Free, and Vegan Frozen Desserts of Chocolate Flavor.

The study developed traditional and light chocolate-flavor frozen dessert formulations, aimed at the general public, lactose intolerants, and vegans, and evaluated influences on quantitative sensory profiles and consumer acceptance with the replacement of sucrose by sweeteners in low-calorie versions. Twelve samples with different matrices were studied, sweetened with sucrose, sucralose, and stevia. The ideal concentration of sucrose (9%: dairy samples and 15%: vegan samples) was determined by the JAR scale. The sweetness equivalence was determined by the magnitude estimation method. The physical-chemical parameters were evaluated: pH, overrun, melting, and texture. The sensory profile evaluated through Quantitative Descriptive Analysis (QDA). The QDA data were correlated with acceptance data by partial least squares regression (PLS). The results showed that the substitution of traditional milk by lactose-free milk in the formulation did not change the characteristics of the chocolate ice cream. The use of sweeteners presented differences for milk flavor, bitter taste, bitter residual, and melting. The use of stevia extract was characterized by the presence of bitter taste, residual sweet and bitter that inhibited the perception of milk flavor, but not directly impacting the acceptance by consumers. The sucralose presented a profile closer to the sucrose, presenting lower intensity for the undesirable attributes such as bitter taste and residual bitter. There was no significant difference in the use of soy or rice protein in vegan versions, however, the use of sweeteners and body agents negatively impacted consumers' acceptance by attenuating the flavor of vegetable protein and raising gummy coating during the melting. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: This study shows the development and sensory profile of frozen chocolate desserts. Traditional and modified samples have also been produced for consumers with dietary restrictions such as vegans, vegetarians, lactose intolerants, and diabetics. Throughout the sensory and statistical analysis, it was identified how to replace sucrose by the natural glycoside sweetener of steviol, as well as the impact on the sensory profile and the acceptance of the different formulations. The results found may provide important information for researchers in food industries who need to produce frozen chocolate desserts for vegans, vegetarians, lactose intolerant, and diabetic consumers. Stevia and sucralose were good substitutes for sucrose in the formulation of frozen desserts without lactose, but not in vegan versions (with rice and soy protein).

A multipronged flavor comparison of Ecuadorian CCN51 and Nacional cocoa cultivars

Two cocoa types are predominantly being cultivated in Ecuador, the highly appreciated fine Nacional and the high-yielding and disease-resistant CCN51, classified as bulk. With the introduction of foreign germplasm in Ecuador and the international demand for high-quality Nacional cocoa, the present study aims to characterize and compare the flavor profile of Nacional hybrids (EET103, EET559, EET576 and EET577) and CCN51, and to assess the effect of the genotype. The fermented dried beans were processed into liquor and their sensory properties, volatile composition and odor fingerprint were analyzed by trained panelists, headspace–solid phase microextraction gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (HS–SPME–GC–MS), and GC electronic nose (e-nose), respectively, combined with multivariate statistics. Seventy volatiles were identified and semi-quantified, among them, 16 and 14 volatiles conferring fruity and floral aroma notes, respectively. CCN51 was mainly characterized by undesirable odor-active volatiles, whereas the EET cultivars contained the highest concentration of most fruity and floral volatiles, with differences in between EET cultivars. Sensory data highlighted organoleptic differences between the fine and bulk liquors, i.e. the fruity and acid EET flavor strongly differed from the bitter, astringent and off-flavor attributes of CCN51. Principal component analysis (PCA) discriminated firstly between fine and bulk, and secondly between EET identity. Partial least squares analysis identified possible correlations between sensory attributes and volatile compounds. Besides, e-nose proved its usefulness for rapid assessment of the liquors’ sensory profile. The results provide a foundation for understanding the genotype’s contribution to and the compositional basis of Ecuadorian fine and bulk cocoa flavor.

Analisis Perhitungan HPP Metode Full costing dalam Menentukan Harga Jual Menggunakan Cost Plus Pricing

This research aims to analyze the calculation of the production baseusing full costing method and sale price calculation using cost pluspricing. The research methods used in this study are qualitativedescriptive methods. The data used in this study are primary andsecondary data. Data collection methods are observations,interviews and documentation. Results of data analysis obtainedthat calculation of the price of production of UD bread. Dian Putriused a full costing method of Rp 77.306.834. Selling price accordingto company for Rp 670.00 less than cost plus pricing method forchocolate flavor Rp 730.00, peanut flavor Rp 680.00, coconut flavorRp 720.00, and cheese Rp 780.00 As for strawberry flavor RP620.00, and the taste of Birendrakumar RP 660.00 larger. As for thebig bread according to the company for Rp 1,300 greater than according to cost plus pricing for chocolate flavor Rp 840.00, tastechocolate cheese Rp 1.110, banana chocolate Rp 1.060 and vanillaRp 1.070.

The Chemistry behind Chocolate Production.

Chocolate production is a complex process during which numerous chemical reactions occur. The most important processes, involving most of the reactions important for development of the proper chocolate flavor, are fermentation, drying and roasting of cocoa bean, and chocolate conching. During fermentation, formation of important precursors occurs, which are essential for further chemical reactions in the following processes of chocolate production. Roasting is one of the most important processes due to the occurrence of Maillard’s reactions, during which aroma compounds are formed. In this paper, we have reviewed the most important chemical reactions that occur with proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, and polyphenols. Additionally, we present other components that may be naturally present or form during the production process, such as methylxanthines, aldehydes, esters, ketones, pyrazines, acids, and alcohols.

Metagenomics analysis of cocoa bean fermentation microbiome identifying species diversity and putative functional capabilities

Fermentation of Theobroma cacao L. beans is the most critical stage in the production of cocoa products such as chocolates and its derivatives. There is a limited understanding of the complex response of microbial diversity during cocoa bean fermentation. The aim of the present study was to investigate microbial communities in the cocoa bean fermentation heap using a culture-independent approach to elucidate microbial diversity, structure, functional annotation and mapping unto metabolic pathways. Genomic DNA was extracted and purified from a sample of cocoa beans fermentation heap and was followed by library preparations. Sequence data was generated on Illumina Hiseq 2000 paired-end technology (Macrogen Inc). Taxonomic analysis based on genes predicted from the metagenome identified a high percentage of Bacteria (90.0%), Yeast (9%), and bacteriophages (1%) from the cocoa microbiome. Lactobacillus (20%), Gluconacetobacter (9%), Acetobacter (7%) and Gluconobacter (6%) dominated this study. The mean species diversity, measured by Shannon alpha-diversity index, was estimated at 142.81. Assignment of metagenomic sequences to SEED database categories at 97% sequence similarity identified a genetic profile characteristic of heterotrophic lactic acid fermentation of carbohydrates and aromatic amino acids. Metabolism of aromatic compounds, amino acids and their derivatives and carbohydrates occupied 0.6%, 8% and 13% respectively. Overall, these results provide insights into the cocoa microbiome, identifying fermentation processes carried out broadly by complex microbial communities and metabolic pathways encoding aromatic compounds such as phenylacetaldehyde, butanediol, acetoin, and theobromine that are required for flavour and aroma production. The results obtained will help develop targeted inoculations to produce desired chocolate flavour or targeted metabolic pathways for the selection of microbes for good aroma and flavour compounds formation.

Evaluación de las características físicas y sensoriales de licor de cacao asociadas a modelos de siembra

El fomento de cultivos comerciales de cacao ha conllevado el aumento del uso de modelos de siembra, ha favorecido la organización genética y la estandarización del proceso de fermentación, y ha optimizado la calidad, según las necesidades del mercado y del consumidor. Teniendo en cuenta esto, se realizó la evaluación física y sensorial de cuatro modelos de siembra en dos municipios: Arauquita, del departamento de Arauca, y San Vicente de Chucurí, del departamento de Santander. Los modelos evaluados fueron los siguientes: Modelo 1 (M1), autocompatibles: FSV41, FTA2, FEAR5; Modelo 2 (M2), tamaño de grano: FSA12, FSA13, FLE3, FLE2; Modelo 3 (M3) tolerancia monilia: CCN51, FEC2, CAU39; Modelo 4 (M4) monoclonal: CCN51. La evaluación física y sensorial se llevó a cabo por el panel de catación, donde se analizaron: humedad (%), índice de grano (I.G), fermentación (%); y para el licor de cacao se describieron las características sensoriales de sabores básicos: cacao, acidez, amargor, astringencia; específicos: fruta fresca, fruta seca, floral, nuez, dulce y otros. Se hizo la prueba no paramétrica de Wilcoxon, para determinar si existían diferencias significativas entre cada una de las variables de los modelos evaluados. Adicionalmente se hizo un análisis de componentes principales (ACP) para evaluar la relación entre las variables evaluadas y las características de los modelos. Según los resultados, el índice de grano más alto fue dado al M1. Sensorialmente, el M1 se caracterizó por tener altos valores en sabor cacao, fruta fresca, fruta seca, nuez y dulce. El M4 se destacó por altas intensidades de acidez, amargor y sensación de astringencia. La calidad física y sensorial de los modelos de siembra en las dos localidades no presentó diferencias significativas.

Dynamics of volatile compounds in TSH 565 cocoa clone fermentation and their role on chocolate flavor in Southeast Brazil.

The effects of indigenous fermentation on volatile compound profiles in a Theobroma cacao L, TSH565 clone, resistant to Moniliophtora perniciosa and Phytophthora spp. were evaluated in Southern Brazil. Sixty-three volatile flavor compounds in pulp and 36 in grains were identified by SPME-HS/GC-MS and classified as terpenes, alcohols, esters, ketones and aldehydes, among others. The relative amount of these compounds and their evolution until the end of the fermentation process were assessed in both fresh and fermented grains/pulp masses. β-myrcene and β-cis-ocimene, among terpenes, were detected in high amounts and are associated to a fine chocolate aroma. The sensory evaluation of chocolates manufactured from the fermented cocoa was performed by trained panelists, which defined 15 sensory descriptors. Chocolates from the TSH565 cultivar were characterized by a rich, fruity, intense cocoa flavor and bitterness, which are valuable sensorial and commercial attributes.

Traceability of Functional Volatile Compounds Generated on Inoculated Cocoa Fermentation and Its Potential Health Benefits.

Microbial communities are responsible for the unique functional properties of chocolate. During microbial growth, several antimicrobial and antioxidant metabolites are produced and can influence human wellbeing. In the last decades, the use of starter cultures in cocoa fermentation has been pushed to improve nutritional value, quality, and the overall product safety. However, it must be noted that unpredictable changes in cocoa flavor have been reported between the different strains from the same species used as a starter, causing a loss of desirable notes and flavors. Thus, the importance of an accurate selection of the starter cultures based on the biogenic effect to complement and optimize chocolate quality has become a major interest for the chocolate industry. This paper aimed to review the microbial communities identified from spontaneous cocoa fermentations and focused on the yeast starter strains used in cocoa beans and their sensorial and flavor profile. The potential compounds that could have health-promoting benefits like limonene, benzaldehyde, 2-phenylethanol, 2-methylbutanal, phenylacetaldehyde, and 2-phenylethyl acetate were also evaluated as their presence remained constant after roasting. Further research is needed to highlight the future perspectives of microbial volatile compounds as biomarkers to warrant food quality and safety.

Quality of Chocolate Bar from Fermented Cocoa Beans from Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara

About 500 kgs cocoa beans have been fermented using box fermentation. The fermentation experiments were conducted at the Gangga district North Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara - Indonesia. The starter culture, which contains yeast, lactic acid bacteria, and acetic acid bacteria (107/mL) was added to cocoa beans mass in box fermentation. The fermentation was conducted for 5 days and every 24 hours were mixed. After fermentation, the cocoa beans were dried for 5 days to reduce the moisture content using a sun drying. Dried fermented cocoa beans were processed to be a chocolate bar. The quality of cocoa liquor was determined using organoleptic score. Chocolate aroma, chocolate flavour, and caramelly score were 8.25. The texture and colour score were 8.00 and off flavours score was 0.00. Overall quality of cocoa liquor score was excellent. Analysis of proximate and microbiological properties was carried out to obtain the chocolate bar qualities. The result showed that quality of chocolate bar from fermented cocoa beans appropriate with SNI 7934:2014 about chocolate and chocolate products.