Volatile organic compound profile of roasted and unroasted fine aroma cocoa genotypes from Peru

Abstract Cocoa ( Theobroma cacao L.) is one of Peru’s main export products. In the last years, the production of fine aroma cocoa has increased, and the market has preference for them instead of cultivar clones like CCN51. Fine aroma cocoa is a heterogeneous population, but some genotypes has started to be selected. This study aimed to evaluate the chemical properties and volatile organic compound (VOC) profile of different fine aroma cocoa genotypes and CCN51. The chemical composition—including moisture, fat, protein, ash, carbohydrate, pH, fermentation index and total phenolic compounds—was determined using standard analytical procedures. VOC were analyzed using SPME/GC-MS. Protein content varied among genotypes, with ABL01 showing the highest percentage. Fat content also ranged widely, with ABL01 and JBB04 representing the highest and the lowest values, respectively. Significant differences in ash and carbohydrate contents were also observed. The pH values suggested that fermentation was generally adequate, although some genotypes showed potential deficiencies. Fine aroma cocoa (FAC) genotypes exhibited lower phenolic compound content compared to the commercial clone CCN51. VOC analysis revealed compositional differences, with certain compounds contributing more prominently to the variation of specific genetic groups profile. These findings suggest that there exists a huge variability in VOC and other chemical properties of fine aroma cocoa genotypes and it is expected that data generated about roasted and no roasted beans will be useful for future research.