GC-MS detection of chiral markers in cocoa beans of different quality and geographic origin

Fermented cocoa beans (Theobroma cacao L., Sterculiaceae) from different countries of origin (Ecuador, Ghana, Trinidad) and cocoa beans roasted under defined conditions (industrial roasting; 150-220 degrees C for 20 min, dry roasting in conventional oven) were analyzed for their contents of certain chiral hydroxy acids, catechins, and amino acids. Cocoa beans are fermented, dried, and industrially transformed by roasting for the production of chocolate, cocoa powders, and other cocoa-related products. Fermentation and roasting conditions influence the contents of chiral compounds such as hydroxy acids, amino acids, and polyphenols, depending on technological procedures as well as some technical parameters. The aim of this work was to check if the content and nature of the named chiral compounds present both in fermented and roasted cocoa beans could be related to the traditional parameters used to classify the variety of seeds and the degree of fermentation. The extent of racemization of amino acids in fermented cocoa beans was low while it slowly increased during roasting, depending on the temperature applied. L-lactic acid was always higher than the D-form while citric acid was generally the most abundant hydroxy acid detected in beans. A correlation was found between polyphenol content and degree of fermentation, while epimerization of (-)-epicatechin to (+)-catechin was observed during roasting. On the whole, results showed that several chiral compounds could be considered as good quality markers for cocoa seeds and cocoa-related products of different quality and geographic origin.