From controlled transformed cocoa beans to chocolate: Bioactive properties, metabolomic profile, and in vitro bioaccessibility

Lili Dahiana Becerra; María Ximena Quintanilla-Carvajal; Sebastián Escobar; Ruth Yolanda Ruiz Pardo

doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2023.137321

From controlled transformed cocoa beans to chocolate: Bioactive properties, metabolomic profile, and in vitro bioaccessibility

Food Chem. 2024 Feb 1:433:137321. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2023.137321. Epub 2023 Aug 29.

Authors

Lili Dahiana Becerra¹, María Ximena Quintanilla-Carvajal², Sebastián Escobar³, Ruth Yolanda Ruiz Pardo⁴

Affiliations

¹ Doctorado en Biociencias, Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad de La Sabana, Campus Universitario del Puente del Común, Km 7 Autopista Norte de Bogotá, Chía, Cundinamarca, Colombia; Grupo de Investigación en Procesos Agroindustriales, Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad de La Sabana, Campus Universitario del Puente del Común, Km 7 Autopista Norte de Bogotá, Chía, Cundinamarca, Colombia.
² Grupo de Investigación en Procesos Agroindustriales, Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad de La Sabana, Campus Universitario del Puente del Común, Km 7 Autopista Norte de Bogotá, Chía, Cundinamarca, Colombia.
³ Process & Quality Cocoa Laboratory, Centro de Investigación Palmira, Corporación Colombiana de Investigación Agropecuaria (Agrosavia), Palmira, Valle del Cauca, Colombia.
⁴ Grupo de Investigación en Procesos Agroindustriales, Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad de La Sabana, Campus Universitario del Puente del Común, Km 7 Autopista Norte de Bogotá, Chía, Cundinamarca, Colombia. Electronic address: ruth.ruiz@unisabana.edu.co.

PMID: 37683468
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2023.137321

Abstract

This study aimed to characterize the changes in bioactive compounds associated with health benefits during the transformation of cocoa seeds into chocolate and in vitro gastrointestinal digestion. Flavan-3-ols (catechin, epicatechin), methylxanthines (theobromine, caffeine), total phenolic content, antioxidant activity, and metabolomic fingerprint were analyzed. The results indicated that processing stages led to a general decrease in bioactive compound content, attributed to factors such as temperature, pH, and diffusive phenomena. Roasting and chocolate processing particularly affected epicatechin and caffeine contents. In vitro digestion released compounds in response to enzymatic activity and system conditions, with a significant release of amino acids and peptides in the intestinal phase. Catechin and theobromine exhibited higher effective bioaccessibility. The antioxidant activity mirrored the quantification of individual compounds. This research provides valuable insights into the dynamic changes of chemical compounds in cocoa matrices throughout the transformation of cocoa seeds into chocolate and in vitro gastrointestinal digestion.

Keywords: Bioactive compounds; Controlled cocoa postharvest transformation; In vitro digestion; Metabolomic fingerprint.