Doctorado en Biociencias, Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad de La Sabana, Campus Universitario del Puente del Común, Km 7 Autopista Norte de Bogotá, Chía, Cundinamarca, Colombia; Grupo de Investigación en Procesos Agroindustriales, Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad de La Sabana, Campus Universitario del Puente del Común, Km 7 Autopista Norte de Bogotá, Chía, Cundinamarca, Colombia.
Grupo de Investigación en Procesos Agroindustriales, Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad de La Sabana, Campus Universitario del Puente del Común, Km 7 Autopista Norte de Bogotá, Chía, Cundinamarca, Colombia.
Food Res Int. 2024 Nov;196:115109. doi: 10.1016/j.foodres.2024.115109. Epub 2024 Sep 20.
Fine-flavored chocolates are distinguished by their complex and distinct flavor profiles, which includes notes such as floral, fruity, nutty, and spicy. This study sought to modulate the flavor development of chocolates by establishing controlled processing conditions during the transformation from seed to bean in a laboratory setting, to produce superior quality chocolates. Our experimental setup comprised two varying temperature levels (30 °C and 45 °C) and three organic acids (OAs: acetic, lactic, and citric acids) at concentrations of 1-30 g/L to adjust the pH of the transformation system. Our study focused on how these conditions affect the development of distinct flavor profiles in chocolate bars, emphasizing the enhancement of fine-flavor notes. Flavor development was monitored through the untargeted metabolomics of cocoa beans and analyzing the volatile compounds and sensory profiles of the resultant chocolates. This study revealed that OA concentration markedly influenced metabolite formation, particularly affecting peptides, volatile organic compounds, and flavor notes. Chocolates derived from seeds processed with 30 g/L acid solutions demonstrated enhanced fruitiness and acidity, whereas those processed with 1 g/L acid solutions exhibited pronounced nuttiness and cocoa taste attributes but lower acidity. These findings underscore the significance of meticulously managing flavor development processes to produce fine-flavored chocolates with unique aromatic profiles. Crucially, variables in the controlling process, such as temperature and pH, are essential for fine-tuning flavor attributes, enabling the correlation and identification of key quality biomarkers to elucidate flavor development pathways.
优质巧克力的风味以其复杂而独特的风味特征为特征，其中包括花香、果香、坚果味和香料味等。本研究旨在通过在实验室环境中从种子到豆的转化过程中建立可控的加工条件来调节巧克力的风味发展，以生产出优质的巧克力。我们的实验设置包括两个不同的温度水平（30°C 和 45°C）和三种有机酸（OA：醋酸、乳酸和柠檬酸），浓度为 1-30 g/L，以调节转化系统的 pH 值。我们的研究重点关注这些条件如何影响巧克力棒中独特风味特征的发展，强调了精细风味的增强。通过对可可豆的非靶向代谢组学进行监测，并分析所得巧克力的挥发性化合物和感官特征，研究了风味的发展。这项研究表明，OA 浓度显著影响代谢产物的形成，特别是影响肽、挥发性有机化合物和风味特征。用 30 g/L 酸溶液处理的种子制成的巧克力表现出增强的水果味和酸度，而用 1 g/L 酸溶液处理的种子制成的巧克力则表现出明显的坚果味和可可味，但酸度较低。这些发现强调了精心管理风味发展过程的重要性，以生产具有独特芳香特征的优质巧克力。至关重要的是，控制过程中的变量，如温度和 pH 值，对于微调风味属性至关重要，这使得能够关联和识别关键质量生物标志物，以阐明风味发展途径。
