Influence of temperature and pH during cacao mucilage exudate concentration on cacao syrup composition

Summary

Cacao mucilage exudate (CME) is a highly nutritious by‐product of cacao fruit processing containing up to 15 wt% simple sugars and organic acids. We investigate the CME dehydration process to produce cacao syrup (CS) under varying temperatures (60 and 70°C) and pH (4.0 and 5.0) using a 2²‐factorial design with a central point (65°C, pH 4.5). Neither temperature nor pH significantly (p<0.05) impacts CS chemical composition. Average concentrations of fructose, glucose, and sucrose in the syrups reached 27.79 wt%, 25.56 wt %, and 12.46 wt %, respectively. Organic acids ‐citric, malic, lactic, tartaric, and fumaric‐ represent 5.12 wt%, 3.01 wt%, 0.20 wt%, 0.16 wt%, and 0.002 wt%, respectively. Although the heating treatment results in the formation of 5‐(hydroxymethyl)furfural (HMF) (12.8‐13.7 mg/L), its concentration remains below the limits of the regulatory standard. These findings have significant implications for using CME as a sustainable and nutritious source of ingredients for the food industry.