Cocoa (<i>Theobroma cacao</i>), as a major economical fruit in tropical America, is well known for its beans used in the production of chocolate. The flavor development of cocoa is extremely important for the quality and value of chocolate, which have been studied for many years. Four cultivars of cocoa beans (Criollo, Forastero, Trinitario, and Nacional) provide different source of the flavor precursors in aspects to the chemical composition of protein, polysaccharides and polyphenols. Together with the post-harvest fermentation, drying, roasting and conching process, the characteristic flavor of chocolate is generated and developed under complex biochemical and chemical reactions of the metabolites. There are more than 600 volatile compounds being identified in the cocoa products including cocoa liquor, cocoa butter, cocoa powder, and chocolate. These flavor-active compounds are primarily organic acids, pyrazines, esters, amines, and hydrocarbons. With the practice as thermal processing and alkalization, the preferable aroma are retained or increased, while the undesirable volatiles are reduced. In order to improve the flavor quality of chocolate and potential economic value, factors that influence the flavor formation and their relationships to the final character and perception needs to be reviewed. Therefore, this presentation discusses the sources and formation of the flavor precursors, the development of flavor compounds during post-harvest treatments, and the transformation of flavor compounds into desirable notes in cocoa and chocolate.

Flavor development in cocoa and chocolate: A review

2019 Spring National Meeting

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