Influence of cocoa origin on the nutritional characterization of chocolate

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

5 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

In the past few years, an increasing growth has been observed in the demand for premium or specialty chocolates, including single origin, produced exclusively from cocoa beans from selected regions, characterized by a specific chemical profile. A comparative study was made with commercial dark chocolates produced with cocoa from Brazil, Cuba, Madagascar, Mexico, Dominican Republic, São Tomé and Venezuela, including nutritional profile, bioactive compounds, mineral composition, organic acids and methylxanthines. Results presented a significant influence of geographical origin on the chemical profile, based on post-hoc single-step multiple comparison Tukey’s HSD test and principal component analysis (PCA). Brazil presented the highest content on PUFA and riboflavin. Brazil and Madagascar presented the highest content on γ-tocopherol, α-tocopherol, antioxidant activity and citric acid. Venezuela presented the highest niacin, Fe and caffeine content. Mexico presented the highest content on fructose. São Tomé presented the highest levels on minerals S and P. However, further investigations should aim for a higher standardization on critical stages, from the selection of varieties to industrial processing.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2569-2577
Number of pages9
JournalEuropean Food Research And Technology
Volume248
Issue number10
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Oct 2022

Keywords

  • Chocolate
  • Fatty acids
  • Methylxanthines
  • Nutritional value
  • Vitamines

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Influence of cocoa origin on the nutritional characterization of chocolate'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this