Theobroma cacao and Theobroma grandiflorum: Botany, Composition and Pharmacological Activities of Pods and Seeds

Abstract

Cocoa and cupuassu are evergreen Amazonian trees belonging to the genus Theobroma, with morphologically distinct fruits, including pods and beans. These beans are generally used for agri-food and cosmetics and have high fat and carbohydrates contents. The beans also contain interesting bioactive compounds, among which are polyphenols and methylxanthines thought to be responsible for various health benefits such as protective abilities against cardiovascular and neurodegenerative disorders and other metabolic disorders such as obesity and diabetes. Although these pods represent 50–80% of the whole fruit and provide a rich source of proteins, they are regularly eliminated during the cocoa and cupuassu transformation process. The purpose of this work is to provide an overview of recent research on cocoa and cupuassu pods and beans, with emphasis on their chemical composition, bioavailability, and pharmacological properties. According to the literature, pods and beans from cocoa and cupuassu are promising ecological and healthy resources.

Biological activity an in silico toxicity of phenolic compounds found in cupuaçu seed (Theobroma grandiflorum)

“…The fruit contains around 20 to 60 ovoid or ellipsoid-ovoid grains, reasonably flat, ranging from 20 to 30 mm in length and 20 to 25 mm in width (Serejo et al, 2021). This grain is composed of the almond (two cotyledons and an embryo) and the shell (thin layer that surrounds it), with the germ (seed) corresponding to 43% to 57% of the total fruit (Jean-Marie et al, 2022).…”

Optimization of a drink with cacao Theobroma cacao L. CCN51 exudate and lactic serum using surface response

“…Los líderes mundiales en la producción de cacao en grano son Costa de Marfil, Ghana, Indonesia, Nigeria, Camerún, Brasil, Ecuador, República Dominicana y Malasia, que suministran el 90% de la producción mundial. La mayoría de los granos de cacao se producen en granjas pequeñas o medianas; solo el 30% de la producción de cacao en bruto proviene de la agricultura de alta gama según (Jean-Marie et al, 2022). En cuanto a la producción internacional Perú exporta del 50 al 75% de su cacao en grano o sea corresponde al 7% de la producción internacional (Vásquez-García et al, 2022).…”

Assessing the Effectiveness of Chemical Marker Extraction from Amazonian Plant Cupuassu (Theobroma grandiflorum) by PSI-HRMS/MS and LC-HRMS/MS

“…T. grandiflorum has brown-colored fruit with a length of around 12–25 cm, and a weight of 1 to 2 kg per fruit. The pulp presents a yellowish-white color and is highly appreciated due to its excellent texture and intense flavor [ 1 , 2 ]. Cupuassu is of great economic importance, since the pulp is of great interest in the cosmetics industry in the preparation of fragrances and widely used in food technology due to its nutritional value and commercial applications in the preparation of juices, sorbets, ice creams, jams, liquors, sweets, and derived products [ 3 , 4 , 5 ].…”