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Cocoa and Its By-Products: Identification and Utilization

Authors:
  • Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (Ghana Cocoa Board)

Abstract

Cocoa pulp juice (sweatings) may be made into a fruit drink either alone or in combination with other fruit juices. It may also be used for making jam and marmalade. Moreover, commercial-grade pectin may also be extracted from it. Fermentation of the sugars in cocoa pulp juice (sweatings) leads to the production of alcoholic drinks (gin and brandy) and also the production of wine and vinegar. Dried cocoa pod husk may be used as a feed ingredient for poultry (10%), pigs (25%), and sheep (40%). Fresh/wet pod husk has been fed to pigs at 300 g/kg of the ration. Fermentation of cocoa pod husk with Pleurotus ostreatus improved its feeding value and increased its usage in broiler finisher diets to 20%. The ash produced when sun-dried cocoa pod husk is burnt contains about 40% potash, which can be used as the alkali for the making of soft soap and liquid soap. The ash may also be converted into a potassium-rich fertilizer by adding starch and then pelletizing the mixture. Cocoa butter can be extracted from discarded cocoa beans and may be used in the production of toilet soap, soft soap, and body pomade. A feasibility study, conducted as part of the ICCO/CFC/COCOBOD-funded cocoa by-products project, indicated that there is the potential for cocoa farmers to enhance their incomes through the processing of cocoa waste into the developed by-products.
... In terms of the content of nutrients, cocoa pods can be used as feed because they contain 11.71% crude protein, 20.79% crude fiber, 1.80% fat and BETN 34.90% (Nuraini & Mahata 2009). Meanwhile, according to Oddoye et al. (2013), the nutritional content of cocoa pods is Dry Matter 19.40% BETN 41.20% Crude Protein 7.35% Crude Fat 1.42% Crude Fiber 33.10% and Ash 9.89%. ...
... KCocoa fruit skin can be used as feed because it contains 11.71% crude protein, 20.79% crude fiber, 1.80% fat and 34.90% BETN (Nuraini & Mahata 2009). Meanwhile, according to Oddoye et al. (2013), the nutritional content of Cocoa skin is Dry Matter 19.40% BETN 41.20% Crude Protein 7.35% Crude Fat 1.42% Crude Fiber 33.10% and Ash 9.89%.However, cocoa skin has low digestibility and anti-nutritional compounds that affect the availability of nutrients. In addition, the availability of cocoa skin is only during the cocoa harvest season. ...
Article
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The improvement of the performance of native chicken needs to be balanced with the improvement of its ration. The ingredients of the ration used do not need to be expensive, but good quality, easy to obtain, and available throughout the year. One of the feed ingredients that is widely available and is waste is Cocoa skin. Fermented Cocoa skin has a nutritional content of 2.63%, crude fat 20.14%, crude fiber, 10.39% crude protein, calcium 7.18%, and phosphorus 2.06%. Cocoa skin, in addition to its high crude fiber, also contains antinutrients in the form of tannins. Therefore, fermentation is necessary. The design used in this study was a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with 5 (five) treatments and 3 (three) replications. The variables observed were Growth, ration consumption, protein consumption, Whole carcasses harvested when the chickens were 10 weeks old. The provision of fermented Cocoa skin up to 10% did not give a significant effect (P>0.05) on weight gain, final body weight, and whole carcass weight of native chicken aged 3-10 weeks. However, the provision of fermented Cocoa skin flour gave a significant effect on ration consumption, protein consumption, and energy consumption in native chicken aged 3-10 weeks. The best provision was obtained in the treatment of provision of fermented Cocoa skin flour as much as 5%
... Using organic materials or fertilizers often considered waste can enhance soil nutrients for optimal plant use (Valkila, 2009). Cocoa Pod Husk (CPH), a by-product of the cocoa industry, constitutes one-third of the fruit's weight and is often discarded by farmers due to a lack of knowledge about its benefits (Oddoye et al., 2013). However, CPH is a valuable source of macro and micronutrients for various crops in Nigeria (Ajayi et al., 2007;Akanbi et al., 2014). ...
Conference Paper
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This study determined the effects of Cocoa Pod Husk (CPH) and Cashew Leaf Powder (CLP) as soil amendments on the growth and yield of cucumber. The experiment was conducted at the screen house of the University of Abuja, Nigeria, using a Complete Randomized Design with five treatments which include the control treatment (no fertilizer), 1.08 t/ha CPH, 2.16 t/ha CPH, 1.08 t/ha CLP, and 2.16 t/ha CLP. The 2 cucumber seeds were sown and later thinned to 1 in 12.5kg topsoil filled 10L buckets. Fortnight morphological data collection commenced 2 Weeks after Sowing (WAS) for 10 weeks while yield data was collected at 10 WAS. The results indicated that while CPH and CLP did not significantly affect plant height, number of leaves, or branches, CPH at 1.08 t/ha increased leaf area. CPH at 2.16 t/ha significantly enhanced yield-related parameters, such as the number of tendons, flowers, and fruits, compared to the control. The study concludes that CPH and CLP could be effective, eco-friendly alternatives to inorganic fertilizers, with CPH being the most promising for improving cucumber yield. These findings suggest that locally sourced organic amendments can play a crucial role in sustainable agriculture by enhancing soil fertility and crop productivity.
... La pectina encontrada en el jugo de la pulpa del cacao (1.33%) se compara con el de algunas frutas como manzanas y limones y se le considera de elevada calidad y valor comercial, por esta razón podría tener un potencial en la formulación de confituras, mermeladas, jugos mixtos que pueden permanecer estables en su almacenamiento. De igual manera su contenido de azúcares fermentables puede ser aprovechado en la elaboración de ginebra, brandy, vino y vinagre (Oddoye, Agyente-Badu, & Gyedu-Akoto, 2013). El inconveniente del aprovechamiento de la pectina de la pulpa del cacao es que ésta tiende a descomponerse durante el proceso de la fermentación por la presencia de enzimas de los microrganismos involucrados que lo degradan (Meersman et al., 2017). ...
Article
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Cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) is a native species of the Amazon region in South America. Its fruit weight fluctuates between 200 g to more than 1 kg. The cocoa industry mainly uses the seeds contained in de cocoa pod husk as the fraction with the highest commercial value for the production of chocolate. During the pre-processing stages, approximately 80% of the cocoa fruit is discarded as residual biomass. From the by-products generated, a series of chemical components with high-added value has been studied. They can be recovered through the use of sustainable technologies. This document explores the current uses and application prospects in the food industry of cocoa by-products and their bioactive compounds. The current situation in the cocoa market worldwide and in Ecuador will be briefly presented, followed by a description of the structural and chemical composition of cocoa fruits. Next, the process of transforming cocoa into a final product and the by-product streams generated will be detailed. Finally, current applications and prospects for applications through the use of sustainable technologies will be addressed.
... Cocoa shells are often regarded as waste from cocoa production, and thus, several applications have been proposed for their use. These include utilization as farm animal feed, a precursor for potassium salts and soap production, and energy recovery through thermal processes such as pyrolysis, gasification, and bioethanol production [3]. ...
Article
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Pyrolysis stands out as one potential route for valorizing abundant agro-industrial cocoa residues. However, the products of this reaction, particularly bio-oil, do not possess the required quality for direct use in many applications. Thus, this study explores the use of iron sulfate and zinc sulfate as potential catalysts in the pyrolysis of these residues. In this investigation, the biomass, previously ground and dried, was impregnated with varying percentages of ferric sulfate and zinc sulfate. The TG-FTIR technique was employed to ascertain the effect of these salts on the pyrolysis of cocoa shell. The results were fitted with the DAEM model with three pseudo-components. It was determined that both salts induced alterations in the DTG profiles of the thermal decomposition of cocoa shell. In the evolved gases, compounds such as CO2, H2O, CH4, CO, HCN, and oxygenated compounds like HCOOH and CH3COOH were detected. Ferric sulfate significantly influenced the activation energies governing the reactions of the three pseudo-components. Conversely, the presence of zinc sulfate did not alter the activation energies associated with the decomposition of cocoa shell pseudo-components. Both catalysts induced alterations in the infrared spectra of the evolved gases, which is primarily evident in the relative intensities of bands corresponding to the stretching vibrations of constituent groups within CO2, CO, water, and oxygenated compounds.
... The cocoa industry is a billion-dollar industry, the combined value of exported cocoa beans witnessed 8.6 billion USD in 2017 and the annual growth rate for the global cocoa market is estimated to be 7.3 % from 2019 to 2025 [6]. Cocoa pod husk (CPH), which is assumed as a wasted residue that constitutes 67 % of the cocoa fresh weight, has been utilized as fertilizer, feed for livestock, and an alkaline source for soap manufacturing [7]. However, these applications could not exploit the potential value of CPH although several previous studies have indicated the presence of bioactive compounds in this material. ...
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Cocoa pod husk (CPH) is a major residue of cocoa processing industry, while medicinal plant H. hirsuta is used for treatment of malaria and diabetes mellitus in folk medicine. This study aimed to produce microencapsulated powders from saponin-enriched CPH and H. hirsuta extracts and assess their physicochemical, phytochemical, antioxidant, and α-glucosidase inhibition properties. The findings show that the microencapsulated powders were achieved diserable physicochemical properties (moisture of 3.22–4.76 %, water activity of 0.43–0.46, water solubility index of 74.18–88.77 %, particle size of 254.2–719.7 nm, and zeta potential from −6.97 to −15.1 mV). The phytochemical content of microencapsulated CPH powders gained at high levels (total saponin content of 151.87–193.46 mg EE/g DS, total flavonoid content of 33.80–46.05 mg CE/g DS), total alkaloid content of 15.20–24.23 mg AA/g DS, and total phenolic content of 5.41–6.49 mg GAE/g DS). The antioxidant potential of microencapsulated CPH powders using ARSC and FRAP assays was 15.51–18.20 and 9.61–11.89 mg TE/g DS, respectively, while their α-glucosidase inhibition capacity at 100 μg/mL was found at 51.74–52.16 %. The phytochemical content (except total alkaloid content), antioxidant, and α-glucosidase inhibitory potential of microencapsulated CPH powders were smaller than those of microencapsulated H. hirsuta and combined powders. This study reveals that the microencapsulated CPH and H. hirsuta powders were prospective in reducing hyperglycemia activity. Therefore, this study provided an evidence for further application of CPH and H. hirsuta plant for functional food development.
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A cocoa pod has a thick, rough, and tough surface, which is usually filled with mucilaginous pulp that coats and protects cocoa beans. This mucilaginous pulp is sweet and allows growth of fungal contaminants. This study determined antifungal activity of some fungi obtained from some cocoa pods. Isolated organisms were cultured, identified using their macroscopic and microscopic characteristics, compared with those of compendium of soil fungi, pictorial atlas of soil, and seed fungi. Antifungal activity assay was conducted using agar-well diffusion method containing nystatin, fluconazole, ketoconazole or griseofulvin at 200 mg/mL, 100 mg/mL, and 50 mg/mL concentrations. The results revealed the presence of twelve fungal genera that include Aspergillus, Aureobasidium, Byssochlamys, Chrysosporium, Cladosporium, Colletotrichum, Curvularia, Epicoccum, Fusarium, Geomyces, Syncephalastrum, and Trichoderma. Aspergillus species had the highest percentage of occurrence (14.3%). The findings showed that all tested antifungal agents had varied degrees of inhibition against isolated organisms and that fluconazole had the highest inhibition zone of 40 mm against A. niger and S. racemosum (at a concentration of 200 mg/mL). Nystatin had the least antifungal activity against C. xerophilum (10 mm at 50 mg/mL) while griseofulvin had little or no activity against tested organisms. The findings underscore the need for proper monitoring to safeguard cocoa quality and to prevent likely cocoa beans spoilage via fungal contamination. The study recommends the use of nystatin, ketoconazole, and fluconazole for the control of fungal contaminants.
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Chocolate production faces nutritional, environmental and socio-economic challenges present in the conventional cocoa value chain. Here we developed an approach that addresses these challenges by repurposing the often-discarded pectin-rich cocoa pod endocarp and converting it into a gel. This is done using cocoa pulp juice concentrate to replace traditional sugar from sugar beets. Although swelling of fibres, proteins and starches can limit gel incorporation, our proposed chocolate formulation contains up to 20 wt% gel. It also has comparable sweet taste as traditional chocolate while offering improved nutritional value with higher fibre and reduced saturated fatty acid content. A cradle-to-factory life cycle assessment shows that large-scale production of this chocolate could reduce land use and global warming potential compared with average European dark chocolate production. The process also provides opportunities for diversification of farmers’ income and technology transfer, offering potential socio-economic benefits for cocoa-producing regions.
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Cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) is the main ingredient in the manufacture of chocolates and confectionery undergoes different unit operations, viz. fermentation, drying and roasting for a quality product. Fermentation followed by drying is an important farm level processing of cocoa. Fermentation studies were conducted by holding the cocoa beans (mixed F1 progeny varieties) in the bamboo basket, heaping on the floor and wooden box, and allowed to ferment for 6 days. During fermentation, the fermenting mass was manually turned at 12, 24 and 48h interval with a control. During the fermentation, pH of the pulp and beans, quantity of sweat collected temperature of the fermenting mass, moisture content of the mass and microbial population were determined following the standard procedures. After fermentation, the beans were dried by sun-drying, and the physical and biochemical qualities of dried cocoa beans, viz. bean count, number of beans per 100 g, bean texture, cut test, pH, titratable acidity and free fatty acid were determined. The method of fermentation and tuning intervals were non-significant on pH of pulp, moisture content, sweat produced, microbial population and free fatty acid. The method of fermentation and tuning intervals were significant on temperature profile, bean count, cut test and pH of bean. The microbial population varied with fermentation duration in all fermentation methods. In heap method with 48-h turning interval, pH, temperature and hardness (texture) were found higher than other fermentation methods. The per cent brown beans, considered as healthy beans, were at par with the turning interval and significant with the method of fermentation and were higher under the heap method at 12 and 24 h of turning intervals. Turning at 12h interval in heap method resulted in less acidic nature (titratable acidity) and desirable quality attributes, which is considered as optimum.
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