Chemical Characterization of Quality-Related Compounds in Cocoa Matrices: An Overview of Analytical Methods Applied for Their Analysis

Abstract

Cocoa currently faces differentiation processes toward niches of specialty products, leading to greater competitiveness for producers who must compete with products differentiated by their integral quality regarding their organoleptic characteristics, such as fine-flavor cocoa and their functional characteristics. Quality is influenced by the genetic variety of the cultivars on the one hand, and the correct postharvest processing operations of cocoa seeds, on the other. During the transformation operations, the native chemical compounds of the seeds, especially proteins, carbohydrates, and polyphenols, are transformed and generate other compounds called flavor precursors, which are responsible for defining the product quality. In this sense, the analysis of the most relevant chemical compounds in cocoa is essential to guarantee higher overall quality. Similarly, understanding the fundamental aspects that affect fine-flavor cocoa production is crucial for improving transformation processes. Therefore, reliable and robust analytical techniques are required to detect and quantify these chemical compounds. This review highlights the main techniques used to analyze essential cocoa metabolites and derived products throughout all postharvest transformation stages: from cocoa seeds to chocolate bar, offering an overview of the sample preparation methods and the analytical and imaging methodologies often employed to characterize qualifying cocoa products.

Keywords:

• Analytical methods
• bioactive compounds
• fine-flavor cocoa
• flavor compounds
• flavor precursors

Acknowledgments

Authors express their gratitude to Corporación Colombiana de Investigación Agropecuaria (Agrosavia), and Universidad de La Sabana (project ING-226-2019) for financial support. L.D.B. gratefully acknowledges support from the Carlos Jordana Scholarship by Universidad de La Sabana.

Conflicts of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest that could have influenced the work reported in this paper.

Additional information

Funding

Corporación Colombiana de Investigación Agropecuaria, AGROSAVIA.