Chemical and sensory profiles of Peruvian native cocoas and chocolates from the Bagua and Quillabamba regions

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.

Antioxidants and total polyphenols of a black chocolate whit incorporation of unroasted cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.)

“…La incorporación de cacao crudo al proceso de elaboración de chocolate oscuro, es una técnica novedosa que junto a técnicas de adición de extractos ricos en fenoles (Martini et al, 2018), son las alternativas más valoradas para la elaboración de chocolates con elevado potencial bioactivo teniendo en cuenta además que el cacao producido en la región Amazonas, tiene bajo contenido de grasa (Mejía et al, 2021) y elevado contenido fenólico.…”

“…recientes han demostrado una alta diversidad genética de cacao cultivado en el Perú (Oliva & Maicelo, 2020), reportando hasta seis grupos genéticos con elevado potencial industrial y nutricional (Mejía et al, 2021).…”

Use of sensors for mathematical modeling during the roasting of cocoa beans (Theobroma cacao) of the Chuncho variety

“…Las empresas chocolateras utilizan hornos con sus debidos controles de tiempo y temperatura. Una investigación sobre las propiedades sensoriales del chocolate utilizó 118-122 °C/11 min y 110-120 °C/9 min para el tostado de granos de cacao de Quillabamba y de Bagua, respectivamente, sin datos de lugar de medición ni tipo de termómetro utilizado (Mejía et al, 2021). La temperatura de los procesos de transformación de alimentos en hornos convencionales es controlada visualmente o con termómetros analógicos, lo que dificulta un debido tostado.…”

Genetic diversity and population structure of fine aroma cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) from north Peru revealed by single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers

“…Five groups of cacao (Bagüinos, Cajas, Indes, Toribianos, Utkus) were identified according to these sensory features, in addition to productivity and morphological descriptors (Oliva-Cruz, 2020). Sensory evaluation of Bagua type cacao determined that this upper Amazon variety differed from the native "Chuncho" cacao found in Quillabamba, Cusco (Céspedes-Del Pozo et al, 2018;Mejía et al, 2021). The Indes and Bagüinos morphotypes had the best floral and fruity sensory characteristics and the highest dry weight and number of seeds (Oliva-Cruz, 2020).…”

“…The cocoa industry recognises "bulk cocoa" and "fine or flavour cocoa" with the latter garnering a higher premium price. While bulk cacao still contributes to more than 80% of worldwide production (Wickramasuriya and Dunwell, 2018), there has been an increase in demand for fine or flavour chocolate, along with consumer appreciation for the traditional histories and origin of native cacao varieties (Mejía et al, 2021). Peru has been designated a 75% producer and exporter of fine flavour cocoa (International Cocoa Organization [ICCO], 2021) and is thus well poised to capitalise on this consumer base.…”