Diversity in Composition of Bioactive Compounds Among 26 Cocoa Genotypes

Composition of bioactive compounds in cocoa beans is critical to the sensory and nutritional quality of cocoa based products. Twenty-six cocoa bean genotypes were freshly collected from the same plantation location in Indonesia. The bioactive compounds in these raw cocoa genotypes were identified and quantified. The results showed a great diversity in the composition of bioactive compounds among the 26 cocoa samples. The concentrations of methylxanthines, epicatechin, proanthocyanidin (PA) B-type oligomers, clovamide, and anthocyanins were important variables that differentiated these genotypes. MCC 01, SUL 3, ICCRI 03, and ICS 60 genotypes had the highest contents of flavan-3-ols including PAs and have the potential to be developed for “healthy” product formulations. Some genotypes such as DR 1, DR 2, DR 38, ICS 13, KPC 1, KW 617, RCC 71, and TSH 858 could be favored by industries due to the potential to be made into end-products with brighter appearance.