Study of the chemical, physical and organoleptic parameters to establish the difference between fine and bulk cocoa

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Brief Description

The main activities carried out during project implementation were fermentation and drying trials; chemical assessment of quality parameters; preparation and chemical analysis of cocoa liquor; organoleptic assessment of sensory characteristics; and DNA profiling and spectral image analysis.

Project Objectives

The main objective of the project was to provide universally acceptable criteria to differentiate between fine/flavour and bulk cocoa, thereby improving the marketing of fine or flavour cocoa. The specific objectives of the project were to establish and disseminate physical, chemical and organoleptic parameters for the evaluation of cocoa quality in relation to genotype and environment.

Project Results

The fermentation and drying trials showed that all parameters measured (temperature, pH, shell percentage, bean index and colour), with the exception of colour of the white Criollo from Venezuela, were useful in determining the good quality of cocoa. However, these parameters could not differentiate fine or flavour from Bulk cocoa.
The results of the chemical assessment of quality parameters and analysis of cocoa liquor indicated that theobromine/caffeine ratio had the potential to differentiate between fine and bulk cocoa. The fructose/glucose ratio showed some promising potential to also differentiate between fine and bulk cocoa. Results also showed that pyrazines and other volatile compounds could be used to differentiate different fine cocoa origins.
Organoleptic assessment of sensory characteristics confirmed that in general, cocoas from different origins have distinct flavour profiles, thus eliminating market competition among them. The results of organoleptic analysis also showed the influence of the environment on the flavour profiles of the same genotype in different countries.
The results of the DNA and spectral image analysis indicated that molecular markers could be used to distinguish different cocoa genotypes. In particular, it was possible to determine if a certain batch of cocoa contains mixture of different types of cocoa.

Click here to download the Project Completion Report (PCR)