Compositional and Metabolomic Characterization of Major On-Farm Side Streams and Derived Products of Industrial Fine-Flavor Cocoa Processing
4 affiliations
- 1Universidad de Cundinamarca , , ,
- 2Universidad de Los Andes , , ,
- 3CasaLuker S.A. , ,
- 4Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology (IATA-CSIC) , , ,
Abstract
The fine-flavor cocoa agro-industrial chain generates on-farm side streams with distinct origins and processing histories, yet their compositional diversity remains insufficiently characterized under industrial conditions. Here, we performed an integrated compositional and metabolomic characterization of cocoa pod husk, cocoa pulp juice, and cocoa syrup generated within a large-scale monoclonal fermentation system (Luker 40; ∼500 kg per fermentation box) operating within an industrial fine-flavor cocoa production system exceeding 73,000 tons annually. Metabolomic characterization was performed using three independent industrial production batches as biological replicates (n = 3), whereas proximate and mineral analyses were performed on composite samples prepared from the three batches. Mineral composition showed the largest relative differences among matrices, with cocoa syrup reaching an ash content approximately 12 times that of cocoa pulp juice. Complementary LC-MS and GC-MS analyses enabled the annotation of 82 metabolites (46 by LC-MS and 36 by GC-MS), revealing distinct matrix-resolved profiles, including caffeic acid, epicatechin, and procyanidin B1 in cocoa pod husk; glutamine, glutathione, and indole carboxaldehyde in cocoa pulp juice; and N-(deoxyfructosyl) amino acid derivatives in cocoa syrup. To our knowledge, this is the first joint compositional and metabolomic description of a thermally concentrated, fermentation-derived cocoa syrup together with prefermentation cocoa pulp juice recovered from the same production batches. These results provide a compositional baseline for subsequent targeted quantification, extraction/recovery, and functional validation, supporting the rational prioritization of cocoa side streams and derived products for future valorization studies.
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BibTeX
@article{burgostoro2026compositional,
title = {{Compositional and Metabolomic Characterization of Major On-Farm Side Streams and Derived Products of Industrial Fine-Flavor Cocoa Processing}},
author = {Daniela Burgos-Toro and Ana M. León-Inga and María J. Chica and José M. Guillamón and Mónica P. Cala and Miguel Fernández-Niño},
journal = {ACS omega},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1021/acsomega.6c06084},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13670318},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Compositional and Metabolomic Characterization of Major On-Farm Side Streams and Derived Products of Industrial Fine-Flavor Cocoa Processing
AU - Daniela Burgos-Toro
AU - Ana M. León-Inga
AU - María J. Chica
AU - José M. Guillamón
AU - Mónica P. Cala
AU - Miguel Fernández-Niño
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/30
JO - ACS omega
DO - 10.1021/acsomega.6c06084
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13670318
AB - The fine-flavor cocoa agro-industrial chain generates on-farm side streams with distinct origins and processing histories, yet their compositional diversity remains insufficiently characterized under industrial conditions. Here, we performed an integrated compositional and metabolomic characterization of cocoa pod husk, cocoa pulp juice, and cocoa syrup generated within a large-scale monoclonal fermentation system (Luker 40; ∼500 kg per fermentation box) operating within an industrial fine-flavor cocoa production system exceeding 73,000 tons annually. Metabolomic characterization was performed using three independent industrial production batches as biological replicates (n = 3), whereas proximate and mineral analyses were performed on composite samples prepared from the three batches. Mineral composition showed the largest relative differences among matrices, with cocoa syrup reaching an ash content approximately 12 times that of cocoa pulp juice. Complementary LC-MS and GC-MS analyses enabled the annotation of 82 metabolites (46 by LC-MS and 36 by GC-MS), revealing distinct matrix-resolved profiles, including caffeic acid, epicatechin, and procyanidin B1 in cocoa pod husk; glutamine, glutathione, and indole carboxaldehyde in cocoa pulp juice; and N-(deoxyfructosyl) amino acid derivatives in cocoa syrup. To our knowledge, this is the first joint compositional and metabolomic description of a thermally concentrated, fermentation-derived cocoa syrup together with prefermentation cocoa pulp juice recovered from the same production batches. These results provide a compositional baseline for subsequent targeted quantification, extraction/recovery, and functional validation, supporting the rational prioritization of cocoa side streams and derived products for future valorization studies.
SN - 2470-1343
ER -