Impact of the pre-drying process on the volatile profile of on-farm processed Ecuadorian bulk and fine-flavour cocoa varieties

José Manuel Moreno-Rojas; Cyntia Yadira Erazo Solorzano; Diego Armando Tuárez García; Gema Pereira-Caro; José Luis Ordóñez Díaz; José Manuel Muñoz-Redondo; Raquel Rodríguez-Solana

doi:10.1016/j.foodres.2023.112938

Impact of the pre-drying process on the volatile profile of on-farm processed Ecuadorian bulk and fine-flavour cocoa varieties

Food Res Int. 2023 Jul:169:112938. doi: 10.1016/j.foodres.2023.112938. Epub 2023 May 11.

Authors

José Manuel Moreno-Rojas¹, Cyntia Yadira Erazo Solorzano², Diego Armando Tuárez García³, Gema Pereira-Caro⁴, José Luis Ordóñez Díaz⁵, José Manuel Muñoz-Redondo⁶, Raquel Rodríguez-Solana⁷

Affiliations

¹ Department of Agroindustry and Food Quality, Andalusian Institute of Agricultural and Fisheries Research and Training (IFAPA), Alameda del Obispo, Avda. Menéndez Pidal s/n, 14004 Córdoba, Spain; Foods for Health Group, Instituto Maimónides de Investigación Biomédica de Córdoba (IMIBIC), Córdoba, Spain. Electronic address: josem.moreno.rojas@juntadeandalucia.es.
² Faculty of Industry and Production Sciences, State Technical University of Quevedo, Av. Walter Andrade, km 1.5 via Santo Domingo, C.P. 73, Quevedo, Ecuador. Electronic address: cerazo@uteq.edu.ec.
³ Faculty of Industry and Production Sciences, State Technical University of Quevedo, Av. Walter Andrade, km 1.5 via Santo Domingo, C.P. 73, Quevedo, Ecuador. Electronic address: dtuarez@uteq.edu.ec.
⁴ Department of Agroindustry and Food Quality, Andalusian Institute of Agricultural and Fisheries Research and Training (IFAPA), Alameda del Obispo, Avda. Menéndez Pidal s/n, 14004 Córdoba, Spain; Foods for Health Group, Instituto Maimónides de Investigación Biomédica de Córdoba (IMIBIC), Córdoba, Spain. Electronic address: mariag.pereira@juntadeandalucia.es.
⁵ Department of Agroindustry and Food Quality, Andalusian Institute of Agricultural and Fisheries Research and Training (IFAPA), Alameda del Obispo, Avda. Menéndez Pidal s/n, 14004 Córdoba, Spain. Electronic address: josel.ordonez@juntadeandalucia.es.
⁶ Department of Agroindustry and Food Quality, Andalusian Institute of Agricultural and Fisheries Research and Training (IFAPA), Alameda del Obispo, Avda. Menéndez Pidal s/n, 14004 Córdoba, Spain. Electronic address: josem.munoz.redondo@juntadeandalucia.es.
⁷ Department of Agroindustry and Food Quality, Andalusian Institute of Agricultural and Fisheries Research and Training (IFAPA), Alameda del Obispo, Avda. Menéndez Pidal s/n, 14004 Córdoba, Spain; MED-Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development & CHANGE-Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade do Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal. Electronic address: raquel.rodriguez.solana@juntadeandalucia.es.

PMID: 37254362
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2023.112938

Abstract

Aiming to improve the quality of cocoa, preconditioning of cocoa after harvesting and before fermentation has become an on-farm processing step of great interest in recent times. The present work aimed to evaluate the influence of a pre-drying process on the volatile composition of Ecuadorian bulk (Forastero and CCN-51) and fine-flavour (ETT103 and LR14) cocoa at the end of primary processing. A total of 63 volatile compounds including aldehydes, alcohols, acids, ketones, esters, terpenes, lactones and other miscellaneous compounds were identified in cocoa samples by HS-SPME-GC-MS. The use of a pre-drying step revealed a varietal homogenization and a reduction in the fermentation time, making this preconditioning step an inexpensive and attractive option for farmers. Moreover, different varietal behaviour was observed after pre-drying, the fine-flavour varieties obtaining a clear improvement in aromatic quality with higher levels of compounds imparting positive notes.

Keywords: Aroma quality; HS-SPME-GC–MS; Pre-drying process; Preconditioning; Theobroma cacao L.; Volatiles.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Cacao*
Chocolate* / analysis
Ecuador
Farms
Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry