Cocoa beans are produced through on-farm processing where residual biomass is discarded, including cocoa pod husks (CPH), cocoa bean shells and cocoa sweatings. CPH represents about 80% of these residues that are generated during the initial cocoa bean processing steps and their disposal occupies large areas, causing social and environmental concerns. In the last decades, the lignocellulosic composition of CPH has attracted the attention of the scientific and productive sector. Recently, some studies have reported the use of CPH in the production of medium to high value-added molecules, with potential applications in food and feed, agriculture, bioenergy, and other segments. This review presents biotechnological approaches and processes for the exploitation of CPH, including pre-treatment methods for the production of different biomolecules. Great perspectives and innovations were found concerning CPH exploitation and valorisation, but still more efforts are needed to valorise this potential feedstock and give support to producers in-development countries.
Keywords: Biomolecules’ production; Cocoa biorefnery; Cocoa pod husks; Feedstock valorization; Pretreatment techniques.
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