Vol. 25, No. 3 (2026), Alim26793 https://doi.org/10.24275/rmiq/Alim26793

Optimization of fermentation and roasting parameters of fine-flavor cocoa using a Taguchi experimental design to improve the physicochemical and sensory quality of chocolate

 

Authors

S.N. Mero, J. N. Muñoz. W.P. Cedeño-Guzman

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate and optimize the physicochemical and sensory quality of chocolate produced from fine-flavor cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) originating from different cocoa production zones in Chone, Manabí province, Ecuador, by applying different fermentation and roasting protocols. A Taguchi L9 (3⁴) experimental design was employed using four factors at three levels: cocoa origin (low, medium, and high altitude), fermentation time (4, 5, and 6 days), turning intervals during fermentation (24 h/48 h, 48 h/24 h, 48 h/48 h), and roasting temperature (130, 135, and 140 °C). Physicochemical parameters (pH, titratable acidity, moisture, and fat content) were evaluated, and descriptive sensory analysis was performed using a trained panel. The results showed an average pH of 5.59, whereas the optimal combination reached a value of 6.02 under high-altitude cocoa and prolonged fermentation conditions. The highest fat content (42.50%) was obtained under moderate fermentation conditions, while the lowest acidity (0.11%) and moisture (1.20%) values were associated with specific fermentation and roasting combinations. Sensory evaluation indicated that treatments T1, T3, and T9 achieved the highest overall sensory quality. Taguchi contribution analysis showed that cocoa origin was the dominant factor affecting pH, fat content, and moisture variability, whereas fermentation turning intervals exerted the greatest influence on titratable acidity.

Keywords

Altitudinal zone, fermentation, roasting, physicochemical quality, sensory quality.

References
  • Ackah, E., & Dompey, E. (2021). Effects of fermentation and drying durations on the quality of cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) beans during the rainy season in the Juaboso District of the Western-North Region, Ghana. Bulletin of the National Research Centre, 45(1), 175. https://doi.org/10.1186/s42269-021-00634-7
  • Anita-Sari, I., Murti, R. H., Misnawi, Putra, E. T. S., Setyawan, B., & Susilo, A. W. (2023). Flavor characteristics of three Indonesian cocoa clones in four environments. Agronomy, 13(10), 2658. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13102658
  • Association of Official Analytical Chemists. (2005). Official method 970.21: Titratable acidity and pH of foods. In W. Horwitz (Ed.), Official methods of analysis of AOAC International (18th ed.). AOAC International.
  • Association of Official Analytical Chemists. (2016). Official method 963.15: Fat in cacao products (20th ed.). AOAC International.
  • Awaliyah, F., Langkong, J., & Syarifuddin, A. (2023). An overview: The effect of fermentation and roasting methods on cocoa quality. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 1230(1), 012160. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/1230/1/012160
  • Barberán, A., & Moreira, M. (2023). Efecto de condiciones de tostado en dos variedades de cacao sobre las propiedades fisicoquímicas y sensoriales del licor [Tesis de Ingeniería Agroindustrial, Escuela Superior Politécnica Agropecuaria de Manabí Manuel Félix López]. https://repositorio.espam.edu.ec/bitstream/42000/2065/1/TIC_AI27D.pdf
  • Barrientos, L. D. P., Oquendo, J. D. T., Garzón, M. A. G., & Álvarez, O. L. M. (2019). Effect of the solar drying process on the sensory and chemical quality of cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) cultivated in Antioquia, Colombia. Food Research International, 115, 259–267. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2018.08.084
  • Bioversity International. (2020). Protocol for measuring moisture content in cocoa beans. In International Standards for the Evaluation of Cocoa Quality and Flavor (ISCQF).
  • Calvo, A., Botina, B., García, M., Cardona, W., Montenegro, A., & Criollo, J. (2021). Dynamics of cocoa fermentation and its effect on quality. Scientific Reports, 11(1), Article 16746. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-95703-2
  • Cartas, J., Alvarenga, N., Partidário, A., Lageiro, M., Roseiro, C., Gonçalves, H., & Dias, J. (2024). Influence of geographical origin in the physical and bioactive parameters of single-origin dark chocolate. European Food Research and Technology, 250(10), 2569–2580. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00217-024-04558-0
  • Engeseth, N. J., & Pangan, M. F. A. (2018). Current context on chocolate flavor development: A review. Current Opinion in Food Science, 21, 84–91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cofs.2018.07.002
  • Erazo Solorzano, C. Y., Disca, V., Muñoz-Redondo, J. M., Tuárez García, D. A., Sánchez-Parra, M., Carrilo Zenteno, M. D., & Rodríguez-Solana, R. (2023). Effect of drying technique on the volatile content of Ecuadorian bulk and fine-flavor cocoa. Foods, 12(5), 1065. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12051065
  • FAO. (2021). FAOSTAT database. https://www.fao.org/faostat/
  • Garay-Peralta, I., Villarruel-Fuentes, M., Díaz-Peón, A. L., Chávez-Morales, R., & Herrera-Alarcón, J. (2024). Climatic factors in the development and production of cocoa in Ursulo Galvan, Veracruz, Mexico. Agronomía Mesoamericana, 35(1). https://doi.org/10.15517/am.2024.54337
  • González, A. F. R., García, G. A. G., Polanía-Hincapié, P. A., López, L. J., & Suárez, J. C. (2024). Fermentation and its effect on the physicochemical and sensory attributes of cocoa beans in the Colombian Amazon. PLOS ONE, 19(10), e0306680. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0306680
  • Hirko, B., Mitiku, H., & Getu, A. (2023). Role of fermentation and microbes in cacao fermentation and their impact on cacao quality. Systems Microbiology and Biomanufacturing, 3(4), 509–520. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43393-023-00160-9
  • Instituto Ecuatoriano de Normalización. (2021). NTE INEN 176: Cacao en grano—Requisitos (6.ª ed.). https://anecacao.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/NTE-INEN-176-SEXTA-REVISION-1.pdf
  • Koyuncu, D., & Duran, A. (2024). Optimization of process parameters affecting glycoalkaloids in potato chips using the Taguchi method. Potato Research, 67(4), 1247–1263. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11540-023-09689-7
  • López, M., & Morales, R. (2022). Efecto de la enzima transeliminasa sobre la calidad física y sensorial del grano de cacao [Tesis de Ingeniería Agroindustrial, Escuela Superior Politécnica Agropecuaria de Manabí Manuel Félix López]. https://repositorio.espam.edu.ec/bitstream/42000/1875/1/TIC_A11D.pdf
  • Lucero, M. (2021). Técnicas de fermentación del cacao CCN-51 y nacional usando la enzima pectin trans eliminasa como precursor sensorial de la almendra y licor de cacao [Tesis de Ingeniería Agroindustrial, Escuela Superior Politécnica Agropecuaria de Manabí Manuel Félix López].
  • Mancera-Castro, P., González-Cruz, L., Juárez-Goiz, J. M. S., Flores-Martínez, N. L., & Bernardino-Nicanor, A. (2024). Influence of geographical location and type of thermal treatment on the nutritional and physicochemical properties of pacaya inflorescences. Revista Mexicana de Ingeniería Química, 23(2), Alim24220. https://doi.org/10.24275/rmiq/Alim24220
  • Marseglia, A., Musci, M., Rinaldi, M., Palla, G., & Caligiani, A. (2020). Volatile fingerprint of unroasted and roasted cocoa beans (Theobroma cacao L.) from different geographical origins. Food Research International, 132, 109101. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2020.109101
  • Moreno Miranda, C., Paredes Escobar, M. L., Escobar Guerrero, J. E., & Molina Sánchez, J. I. (2021). Evaluación de la sostenibilidad socioeconómica en fincas productoras de cacao en el centro-norte de Ecuador: Una propuesta de estrategias inter-organizacionales. Acta Agronómica, 70(2), 171–179. https://doi.org/10.15446/acag.v70n2.85876
  • Mougang, N. N., Tene, S. T., Zokou, R., Kohole, H. A. F., Solefack, E. N., Mboukap, A. N., & Womeni, H. M. (2024). Influence of fermentation time, drying time and temperature on cocoa pods (Theobroma cacao L.) marketability. Applied Food Research, 4(2), 100460. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.afres.2024.100460
  • Moussoyi Moundanga, S., Petit, J., Ndangui, C. B., Scher, J., & Nzikou, J. M. (2024). Impact of cocoa variety on merchant quality and physicochemical characteristics of raw cocoa beans and roasted cocoa mass. Discover Food, 4(1), 115. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44187-024-00188-3
  • Campues, R., & Valencia, N. (2022). Análisis de la oferta del sector cacaotero de la provincia de Manabí y su competitividad en los mercados internacionales [Tesis de Licenciatura en Comercio Exterior, Universidad Politécnica Estatal del Carchi]. https://repositorio.upec.edu.ec/items/09066f88-813b-421e-8b7a-e3837670faba
  • Patel, N. S., Parihar, P. L., & Makwana, J. S. (2021). Parametric optimization to improve the machining process by using the Taguchi method: A review. Materials Today: Proceedings, 47, 2709–2714. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2021.03.005
  • Peña, R., Ataç, B., & Fogliano, V. (2022). The impact of roasting on cocoa quality parameters. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2022.2141191
  • Quelal, O. M., Hurtado, D. P., Benavides, A. A., Alanes, P. V., & Alanes, N. V. (2023). Key aromatic volatile compounds from roasted cocoa beans, cocoa liquor, and chocolate. Fermentation, 9(2), 166. https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation9020166
  • Quevedo, J., Romero, J., & Tuz, I. (2018). Calidad físico-química y sensorial de granos y licor de cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) usando cinco métodos de fermentación. Agroecosistemas, 6(1), 115–127. https://aes.ucf.edu.cu/index.php/aes/article/view/172
  • Quintana-Fuentes, L. F., García-Jerez, A., Rodríguez-Negrette, A. C., Hoyos-Merlano, N. T., & Alvis-Bermúdez, A. (2025). Impact of spontaneous fermentation on the physicochemical and sensory qualities of cacao. Fermentation, 11(7), 377. https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation11070377
  • Santander, M., Leguizamón, L., Vaillant, F., Boulanger, R., Zuluaga, M., Maraval, I., Rodríguez, J., Llano, S., Sommerer, N., Meudec, E., Meter, A., & Escobar, S. (2025). Influence of driven fermentation of cacao in bioreactors on quality: Decoding the effect of temperature, mixing, and pH on metabolomic, sensory, and volatile profiles. LWT, 231, 110313. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lwt.2025.118313
  • Sornoza Vélez, L., Valencia Carreño, L., Corozo-Quiñónez, L., Sánchez Mora, F., Salas-Macías, C., & Peña Monserrate, G. (2022). Recursos genéticos de cacao tipo Nacional en Ecuador: Una revisión sistemática. Ciencia y Tecnología, 15(2). https://doi.org/10.18779/cyt.v15i2.582
  • Torres-Moreno, M., Tarrega, A., Costell, E., & Blanch, C. (2012). Dark chocolate acceptability: Influence of cocoa origin and processing conditions. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 92(2), 404–411. https://doi.org/10.1002/jsfa.4592
  • Vargas, E. M., Valle, J. B., & Fuentes, N. M. (2021). Impacto socioeconómico de la producción y comercialización del cacao de los pequeños productores del cantón Quevedo. Revista Científica Ecociencia, 8, 255–272. https://doi.org/10.21855/ecociencia.80.603
  • Vera-Chang, J., Vásquez-Cortez, L., Zapata-Quevedo, K., & Rodríguez-Cevallos, S. (2024). Caracterización morfológica, fisicoquímica y microbiológica del cacao Macambo (Theobroma bicolor Humb. & Bonpl.) en Ecuador. Revista Agrotecnológica Amazónica, 4(2), e657. https://doi.org/10.51252/raa.v4i2.657
  • Yalçın, H., & Ertürkmen, P. (2024). Characterization of Turkish dry fermented sausage produced with spontaneous microbiota and some lactic acid bacteria mixed culture. Revista Mexicana de Ingeniería Química, 23(2), Alim24183. https://doi.org/10.24275/rmiq/Alim24183