Influence of cocoa origin on the nutritional characterization of chocolate

In the past few years, an increasing growth has been observed in the demand for premium or specialty chocolates, including single origin, produced exclusively from cocoa beans from selected regions, characterized by a specific chemical profile. A comparative study was made with commercial dark chocolates produced with cocoa from Brazil, Cuba, Madagascar, Mexico, Dominican Republic, São Tomé and Venezuela, including nutritional profile, bioactive compounds, mineral composition, organic acids and methylxanthines. Results presented a significant influence of geographical origin on the chemical profile, based on post-hoc single-step multiple comparison Tukey’s HSD test and principal component analysis (PCA). Brazil presented the highest content on PUFA and riboflavin. Brazil and Madagascar presented the highest content on γ-tocopherol, α-tocopherol, antioxidant activity and citric acid. Venezuela presented the highest niacin, Fe and caffeine content. Mexico presented the highest content on fructose. São Tomé presented the highest levels on minerals S and P. However, further investigations should aim for a higher standardization on critical stages, from the selection of varieties to industrial processing.