Author: Herr Dr. Amoneit
Last saved by: Saritas, Sevim
Company: Hewlett-Packard

Differences in Lipid Profile of Organic and Conventional Cocoa Butter Produced in Distinct Brazilian Regions
Luana Reis Vieira, Priscilla Efraim, Faculty of Food Engineering (FEA), University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil

In Brazil, the wide range of cocoa farming brings about diverse features to cocoa butter (chemical composition and crystallization behavior), affecting the quality of chocolate. Furthermore, organic handling can also produces variability in the properties of cocoa. Several researches have demonstrated the differences between the cocoa butter of Brazilian origin with that of other parts of the world. Most of them, however, assessed cocoa butter from merely one Brazilian state, Bahia, thus excluding the large distinctiveness deriving from the variety of cocoa farming states in the country. The aim of the project was to determine the fatty acid composition, solid fat content and consistency of raw cocoa butter obtained from six Brazilian States and evaluate the differences according to the type of management (organic and conventional). The analysis of the fatty acids composition followed the methodology proposed by the AOCS, the solid fat content was determined using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectrometer (NMR) and the consistency was determined by texturometer. The data were converted into penetration yield value second equation YV=(K x W)/ p^1,6. The fatty acid composition showed large variation between samples, where ΣSat ranged from 57.8 to 64.3% and ΣIns from 35.7 to 65.3%; some samples showed similarities with industrial blends and cocoa butters from Africa, which are generally considered more suitable for the production of chocolates compared to blends of Brazilian origin. The samples from the states of Amazonas and Pará presented for all temperatures examined, higher solid fat content and greater consistency at 30⁰C. The results obtained demonstrate a wide distinction in the characteristics of Brazilian cocoa not observed in any other producer country, and also, differences due to management. It brings the possibility of search for suitable materials depending on the demand of processing industries of cocoa and chocolate products.