Chocolate is a popular food, but cocoa beans made into chocolate bars or other candies sometimes have an unpleasant taste or smell, making the final product taste bad. However, almost no one knows what the compounds related to these odors are. After the cocoa beans are properly fermented, they will have a sweet floral fragrance. But if the fermentation process goes wrong, or the storage conditions are not good, and microorganisms grow on it, they will emit an unpleasant smell. If these coffee beans enter the production process, the resulting chocolate will emit an unpleasant smell, which will eventually lead to consumer complaints and recalls. Researchers used gas chromatography, olfactory assays, and mass spectrometry to identify 57 molecules that constitute the odor characteristics of common cocoa beans and moldy cocoa beans. Among these compounds, 4 have higher concentrations in off-flavor samples. After testing, the research team determined that geosmin—related to moldy and beetroot odors, and 3-methyl-1H-indole—related to the odor of feces and camphor balls, is responsible for the moldy and musty odor of cocoa major factor. Finally, they found that geosmin is mainly in the bean husk and can be removed during processing; 3-methyl-1H-indole is mainly in the tip of the bean, which is made into chocolate.
Post time: Jun-18-2021