Molecular, biochemical, and sensorial characterization of cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) beans: A methodological pathway for the identification of new regional materials with outstanding profiles
Andrea Zapata-Alvarez,
Carolina Bedoya-Vergara,
Luis D. Porras-Barrientos,
Jessica M. Rojas-Mora,
Héctor A. Rodríguez-Cabal,
Maritza A. Gil-Garzon,
Olga L. Martinez-Alvarez,
Carlos M. Ocampo-Arango,
Maurem P. Ardila-Castañeda,
Zulma I. Monsalve-F
Affiliations
Andrea Zapata-Alvarez
University of Antioquia, Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences, Institute of Biology, Agrobiotechnology Research Group, Calle 67 N°. 53 - 108, A.A 1226, Medellín, Colombia; Corresponding author. University of Antioquia, Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences, Institute of Biology, Agrobiotechnology Research Group, Calle 67 No. 53 - 108. A.A 1226, Medellín, Colombia.
Carolina Bedoya-Vergara
La Sallista University Corporation, Caldas, Antioquia, Colombia, Food Engineering Research Group, GRIAL, Carrera 51 N°.118 sur 57, Caldas, Antioquia, Colombia
Luis D. Porras-Barrientos
University of Antioquia, Faculty of Pharmaceutical and Food Sciences, Sensory Science Research Group, Calle 67 N°. 53 - 108, A.A 1226, Medellín, Colombia
Jessica M. Rojas-Mora
Metropolitan Technological Institute, Faculty of Exact and Applied Sciences, Medellín, Colombia
Héctor A. Rodríguez-Cabal
University of Antioquia, Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences, Institute of Biology, Agrobiotechnology Research Group, Calle 67 N°. 53 - 108, A.A 1226, Medellín, Colombia; Corresponding author. University of Antioquia, Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences, Institute of Biology, Agrobiotechnology Research Group, Calle 67 No. 53 - 108. A.A 1226, Medellín, Colombia.
Maritza A. Gil-Garzon
La Sallista University Corporation, Caldas, Antioquia, Colombia, Food Engineering Research Group, GRIAL, Carrera 51 N°.118 sur 57, Caldas, Antioquia, Colombia; Metropolitan Technological Institute, Faculty of Exact and Applied Sciences, Medellín, Colombia
Olga L. Martinez-Alvarez
University of Antioquia, Faculty of Pharmaceutical and Food Sciences, Sensory Science Research Group, Calle 67 N°. 53 - 108, A.A 1226, Medellín, Colombia
Carlos M. Ocampo-Arango
University of Antioquia, Faculty of Pharmaceutical and Food Sciences, Sensory Science Research Group, Calle 67 N°. 53 - 108, A.A 1226, Medellín, Colombia
Maurem P. Ardila-Castañeda
University of Antioquia, Faculty of Pharmaceutical and Food Sciences, Sensory Science Research Group, Calle 67 N°. 53 - 108, A.A 1226, Medellín, Colombia
Zulma I. Monsalve-F
University of Antioquia, Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences, Institute of Biology, Agrobiotechnology Research Group, Calle 67 N°. 53 - 108, A.A 1226, Medellín, Colombia
Cocoa is an economically important product in Colombia. On-farm germplasm evaluations enable the selection of superior genotypes for propagation and distribution across the country. This study examined 12 cocoa samples from Antioquia along with five reference materials, employing 96 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers. Furthermore, these genetic findings were correlated with physical, chemical, and sensory attributes. Primary coordinate analysis revealed that the majority of samples were hybrids derived from five original germplasm pools, including Criollo, Amelonado, and three Upper Amazon Forastero cocoas. The integral profile of the 12 selected materials was classified into Modern Criollo (Rodriguez-Medina et al., 2019) [3], Forasteros (Rodriguez-Medina et al., 2019) [3], and Trinitarios (Borja Fajardo et al., 2022) [6]. Three key factors were identified to best account for the sample classification: type of variety, functional properties, and quality.
