Evaluation of the yield of fermented cocoa (Theobroma cacao L) beans by spray drying

Abstract

In the agricultural and food industry, different preservation techniques have been generated for raw materials and finished products, such as spray drying, which allow maintaining the organoleptic characteristics and phytochemical properties of the desired food; for its part, cocoa is one of the most important crops for export in Colombia, figures that in 2023 were close to 5600 tons of cocoa beans marketed, hence the need to ensure product quality and competitiveness of the cocoa regions of the country. The objective of the research was to evaluate the yield of the production of powder (microcapsules) of fermented cocoa beans and cocoa beans fermented and inoculated with probiotics under different conditions. The operating conditions of the spray drying process were proposed according to previous trials which resulted in: inlet air temperature 100 - 110 - 120°C, outlet air temperature 90-95°C, solids in the dispersion of (5.825 - 6.607%), with a constant feed of 15%, using 2% maltodextrin in a Buchi B-290 Mini spray dryer. The treatments evaluated were: natural fermented cocoa (T0), cocoa fermented and inoculated with probiotic at initial time (T1) and cocoa fermented and inoculated with probiotic at 48 hours (T2); which were defatted prior to use. The results showed that the fat-free cocoa bean powder for T0 and T1 presented a higher yield at a temperature of 100°C, respectively. The yield is mainly influenced by the air inlet temperatures, the cocoa fermented with probiotic insertion for 48 hours was not affected by the variation of temperatures, the treatments evaluated had no significant effect on the yield.