Flavor Chemistry of Cocoa and Cocoa Products—An Overview

Abstract

Cocoa originates from beans of the cocoa tree (Theobroma cacao L.) and it is an important commodity in the world and the main ingredient in chocolate manufacture. Its value and quality are related to unique and complex flavors. Bulk cocoas (Forastero type) exhibit strong basic cocoa notes, whereas fine varieties (Criollo, Nacional) show aromatic, floral, or smoother flavor characteristics. About 600 various compounds (alcohols, carboxylic acids, aldehydes, ketones, esters, and pyrazines) have been identified as odor-active components. The specific cocoa aroma arises from complex biochemical and chemical reactions during the postharvest processing of raw beans, and from many influences of the cocoa genotype, chemical make-up of raw seeds, environmental conditions, farming practices, processing, and manufacturing stages. There has been much research on cocoa flavor components. However, the relationships between all chemical components that are likely to play a role in cocoa flavor, their sensory properties, and the sources and mechanisms of flavor formation are not fully understood. This paper provides an overview on cocoa flavor from a compositional and a sensory perspective. The nonvolatile and volatile chemical components of cocoa and chocolate flavor, and their sensory properties correlated to the main influences involved in flavor formation, are reviewed.

Organoleptic quality assessment of Theobroma cacao L. in cocoa farms in northern Huila, Colombia

“…Moreover, other compounds that were identified in samples analyzed were observed in lower amounts, but have been previously reported as characteristic for cocoa (Aprotosoaie, Luca & Miron, 2016).…”

“…On the other hand, antioxidant activity found in cocoa samples was high, results that agree with other studies (Albertini, Schoubben, Guarnaccia, Pinelli, Della Vecchia, Ricci & Blasi, 2015), due to presence of phenolic compounds, especially catechins and epicatechins. Finally, special sensory attributes (fruity and floral) were found, possibly attributed to the presence of esters, which have notes of fresh-fruity odor, while the floral odor impression can be attributed to linalool and its oxides (Aprotosoaie, Luca & Miron, 2016), giving importance to the cocoa samples analyzed.…”

“…Likewise, unfavorable sensorial attributes such as astringency, acidity and green were caused by incomplete processing practices (Vera, Vallejo, Párraga, Morales, Macias & Ramos, 2014). Nonetheless, when drying process in beans is interrupted, chemical processes will be affected; this in turn influences the high values of acidity and bitterness found during the tasting process (Aprotosoaie, Luca & Miron, 2016). However, specific flavors were also found in lower proportion (cocoa, fruit, floral) that altogether cataloged the product as medium level.…”

The Cardiovascular Effects of Cocoa Polyphenols—An Overview

“…The polyphenols profile in cocoa varies depending of several factors, such as: plant genotype, geographic area, ripeness degree of beans, cocoa processing [4]. Alongside with ground cocoa, green tea and wine, dark chocolate contains high amounts of polyphenols (460–610 mg/kg) [5,9].…”

Colour and Antioxidant Properties of Cocoa Beans From Pods Storage and Fermentation Using Shallow Box

“…The variations of colour and unpleasant taste of the cocoa seeds are reported to be associated with the fact that cocoa is rich in polyphenols compound ( Aprotosoaie, Luca, & Miron, 2016;Cakirer et al, 2010). The polyphenols are stored in the polyphenolic cells, which encompassed about 12% to 20% dried weight of the defatted cotyledons.…”