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The market for fine-flavor cocoa provides significant benefits to farmers. However, identifying the sensory qualities of chocolate under specific environmental conditions and measuring how its chemical compounds may be affected by climate differences and postharvesting practices remain a challenge. This study investigates how fermentation time and agroclimatic conditions in Colombia's fine cocoa-producing region of Arauca influence the sensory profile and volatile compound composition (volatilome) of chocolate derived from cocoa beans. Sensory evaluation was conducted on chocolates fermented for 48, 72, 96, and 120 h, revealing that fermentation time critically affects the development of fine-flavor attributes, particularly fruitiness and nuttiness. The optimal fermentation period to enhance these attributes was identified at 96 h, a duration consistently associated with peak fruitiness under all studied climatic conditions. Analysis of 44 volatile compounds identified several key aroma markers, such as acetoin, 1-methoxy-2-propyl acetate, and various pyrazines, which correlate with desirable sensory attributes. These compounds exhibited varying amounts depending on fermentation time and specific agroclimatic conditions, with a 96 h fermentation yielding chocolates with a higher quantity of volatile compounds associated with preferred attributes. Our findings highlight the complex interaction between fermentation processes and agroclimatic factors in determining cocoa quality, providing new insights into optimizing the flavor profiles of chocolate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Cocoa quality plays a pivotal role in establishing denominations of origin, with genotypes, geography, climate and soil conditions being key variables. However, these factors have not been comprehensively explored in defining cacao denominations of origin. The present study addresses this gap by laying the foundation for cacao denomination of origin, focusing on the Buenaventura region on Colombia's Pacific coast. Our goal is to provide a holistic understanding of the elements underpinning cacao denomination of origin, emphasizing Buenaventura's unique cocoa quality and geographical significance. RESULTS: Through the Buenaventura case, we propose a robust framework applicable to other cacao‐producing regions, elevating the recognition and value of cacao denomination of origin. Our framework encompasses geography, agronomy, genetics, microbial diversity, pests and diseases and cocoa quality. In a pioneering move, we propose a cacao denomination of origin in Colombia, specifically examining Bajo Calima, Sabaletas and Cisneros within Buenaventura region. Buenaventura stands out for its cocoa quality, characterized by fruity flavors attributed to the rich biodiversity of the lowland rainforest. CONCLUSION: Our analysis indicates specific geographical indicators for each of the study zones, with Buenaventura identified as a region with natural characteristics to produce fine flavour cocoa products. Each zone exhibited a high differentiation and diversity of cacao cultivars. Buenaventura has the potential to be designated as a future denomination of origin for cacao from the Pacific region of Colombia, characterized by its unique fruity‐aroma chocolates. Our framework is adaptable to other cacao‐producing regions, facilitating the establishment of denominations of origin within the cocoa industry and agriculture. © 2023 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a study addressing the high risk of chronic diseases in people with diabetes and obesity linked to metabolic syndrome, the impact of a Golden Berry diet was investigated using a diabetic animal model. Obese rats with diabetic characteristics were fed a diet containing five percent Golden Berry for 16 days. This study focused on various parameters including organ weights, expression of metabolic genes, and urinary biomarkers. Post-Golden Berry intake, there was a notable decrease in the body, liver, pancreas, visceral, and subcutaneous adipose tissue weights in these obese, hyperglycemic rats. In contrast, an increase in brown adipose tissue (BAT) cell mass was observed. This diet also resulted in reduced blood glucose levels and normalized plasma biochemical profiles, including cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL, and HDL levels. Additionally, it modulated specific urinary biomarkers, particularly pipe-colic acid, a primary marker for type 2 diabetes. Bioinformatics analysis linked these dietary effects to improved insulin signaling and adipogenesis. Regular consumption of Golden Berry effectively prevented insulin resistance and obesity in rats, underscoring its significant health benefits and the protective role of an antioxidant-rich diet against metabolic syndrome. These findings offer promising insights for future therapeutic strategies to manage and prevent obesity and related chronic diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cross-flow microfiltration (CFM) combined with ultra-clean or aseptic packaging offers a promising solution to meet consumer demand for more natural, non-heat treated ready-to-drink fruit beverages. However, membrane fouling can significantly reduce the efficiency of CFM and increase the production cost. To address this issue, we studied the effect of backpulsing on the performance of a semi-industrial CFM equipment featuring 2 m2 of ceramic membranes with 0.2 μm pore size. Using an optimum transmembrane pressure of 150 kPa, we found that backpulsing with a high frequency (every minute) at the beginning of microfiltration and then slowing down the frequency (every 2 min) resulted in higher (+14%) and more consistent average fluxes (100 l.h−1.m−2) while reaching volumetric concentration ratio up to 11. Additionally, the overall specific energy requirements are reduced by 12.5% to 0.0376 kWh.l-1 of treated juice, which is the lowest value among all known de-bacterizing processes, including thermal pasteurization. Importantly, our results showed that backpulsing reduces the retention of the main bioactive compounds of blackberry, including anthocyanins and ellagitannins. These findings demonstrate that CFM with backpulsing is a more cost-effective process that allows for the production of stabilized fruit juices with higher content of bioactive compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cacao (Theobroma cacao L) is one of the most relevant crops in terms of economy and social rural development in Colombia. Cacao is also an important crop due to its potential to replace illicit crops and it is related to less deforestation and preserves the biodiversity. There are several cacao districts in Colombia, one of these being Arauca. The Department of Arauca is the second largest cocoa producing region in Colombia; however, it is heavily affected by armed conflict. To raise the knowledge and technology available in the region, integrating data on the occurrence of cacao farms with climatic variables becomes a powerful socioeconomic mapping tool for maintaining agrobiodiversity and food security in the region. Consequently, this type of agrodiversity data and agroclimatic approaches help to better manage agrobiodiversity, as in the cacao region of Arauca. These tools are even more relevant in biodiverse regions, such as flooded savannahs and tropical forest ecosystems, which are currently undergoing drastic changes due to agricultural expansion and climate change. One of the knowledge gaps in Colombia's cacao regions is that there are currently no agroclimatic maps made with a social and scientific approach. This study aimed to provide a database of the spatial distribution of cacao farms in Arauca, as well as agroclimatic maps that identify and locate cacao climate regions in Arauca. We also present a presence-only matrix consisting of twenty-six tree species, or agrobiodiversity, distributed across the study region and specifically associated with the cacao forestry systems in Arauca. New information: We present the first database of both climate and agrobiodiversity data related to cacao farms in Arauca, developed with a research and socioeconomic vision that generated a novel approach for the agroclimatic zoning of cocoa in the Arauca Region and Colombia. Using 1,538 cacao farms at the regional scale, we identified two national and six regionalscale climate and soil regions. The selection at the local scale allowed us to classify 180 cacao farms comprising nine agroclimatic clusters in Arauca. We found twenty-six tree species distributed across the cacao climate zones. This dataset and its related maps also represent the agrobiodiversity of cultivated cacao locally. This is the most complete climate and agrobiodiversity dataset of cacao farms distribution in one of the top cocoa-producing regions in the country. These outputs are crucial because they constitute a baseline for developing research in the biodiversity of agroforestry systems, pests and diseases, pollutant presence, genetics, post-harvest processing and cocoa quality and safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Short steam blanching coupled with flash-vacuum expansion (FVE) and de-pulping was used to obtain purée from purple passion fruits discarded from the export chain. Different steam blanching holding times (80, 95, 110 s) were tested at pressure of 130 kPa. After FVE and vacuum de-pulping, fibers, anthocyanins, carotenoids, rheological properties, and microbial reduction were evaluated in the purées. Fruit purées are obtained with a much higher content of cell-wall and bioactive compounds compared to the fresh arils since part of the fruit shell is incorporated into the purée (approximately 20%), which greatly increases the yield of production. Purées exhibited increasing shear-thinning flow behavior with blanching holding time, resulting in a smoothie-like beverage. A reduction greater than 5 log10 CFU/mL was obtained for molds, yeasts, aerobic mesophilic, and coliforms for all the treatments. The shelf life of smoothies based on nutritional and sensorial quality was extended up to 90 days at refrigeration temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Blackberries have a high content of bioactive compounds such as anthocyanins and ellagitannins, which are associated with health benefits against cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, and other inflammatory conditions. OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the effect of a tropical highland blackberry (Rubus adenotrichos Schltdl.) beverage (50% v/v) on lipids, glucose and antioxidant parameters of healthy individuals. METHODS: Thirteen healthy individuals of both sexes were assigned into two groups in a randomized crossover design. Each participant was subjected to a high fat and high carbohydrate diet challenge and drank 250 mL of either blackberry beverage or water with every meal, three times a day for 14 days. Total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, glucose level, superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) enzymatic activities were assessed from plasma. RESULTS: Plasma levels of triglycerides, total cholesterol, and glucose levels significantly decreased (p < 0.05) after consuming the blackberry beverage. Changes in LDL and HDL cholesterol levels were not statistically significant (p > 0.05). CAT and SOD enzymatic activities increased slightly, although not statistically significant (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Drinking a beverage from a blackberry micro-filtered juice improved plasma lipid and glucose profiles, as well as CATand SOD enzymatic activities in healthy participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Slices (1.5 mm thick) of green papaya were impregnated through osmotic dehydration with a blackberry juice–sucrose solution to produce an intermediate moisture product. The effect of processing temperature (T) and sucrose‐added molality (msucrose) on mass transfer during the operation was assessed, using a response surface methodology (RSM). The RSM was used to model water loss, sugar and anthocyanin gain during the process. Increasing sucrose molality resulted in increasing water loss and sugar gain, but decreasing anthocyanin gain. Water transfer therefore limits anthocyanin impregnation, but not sucrose incorporation. Afterwards, the impact of heat treatment at high temperatures was analysed, using numerical simulation. The conditions of the combined process, designed to achieve an anthocyanin‐rich final product, are low sucrose‐added molalities (sucrose molality < 1 mol kg–1) and high processing temperatures (T > 50 ºC) for osmotic dehydration, coupled with high‐temperature, short‐time (HTST) heat treatments for product stabilisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chocolate is a widely consumed product worldwide due to its exquisite flavor, which comes from the unique and fascinating cocoa flavor. This flavor depends on little controllable variables such as the genotype and the agroecological niche, and on the other side, on postharvest operations: (1) cocoa transformation from seeds to beans that comprises cocoa seeds preconditioning, fermentation, and drying, and (2) the production of chocolate from the bean in which roasting is highlighted. Postharvest transformation operations are critically important because during these, cocoa flavor is formed, allowing the differentiation of two categories: bulk and specialty cocoa. In this sense, this article presents an overview of cocoa postharvest operations, the variables and phenomena that influence and control the physical and biochemical transformation from seeds to cocoa beans, and their relation to the formation of chocolate flavor. Moreover, research perspectives in terms of control and management of postharvest practices in order to obtain cocoa with differentiated and specialty characteristics "from bean to bar" are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Blackberry fruits have recently gained attention because of their considerable amounts of polyphenols. OBJETIVE: The aim of this study is to compare the physicochemical composition and contents of the main polyphenolic compounds of nine tropical highland blackberry genotypes grown in Costa Rica, and to evaluate the effect of environmental conditions and farming practices on physicochemical composition of fruits of 'Wine red thorn', which is the most widely grown blackberry genotype in Costa Rica. METHODS: Nine blackberry genotypes were harvested at fully ripe stage. Environmental conditions (geographic location and harvest season) and farming practices (organic and conventional techniques) were evaluated to determine their effects on physicochemical composition and polyphenolic compounds of 'Wine red thorn' blackberries. Anthocyanins and ellagitannins contents were determined by HPLC-DAD. RESULTS: The tropical highland blackberries contained appreciable levels of polyphenols. Anthocyanin content ranged from 2.9±0.1 to 12±1 g cyanidin-3-glucoside equivalents/kg dry weight (DW); ellagitannin content ranged from 9.3±0.8 to 47±3 g ellagic acid equivalents/kg DW. The influence of environmental conditions and farming practices on physicochemical characteristics of 'Wine red thorn' blackberries was significant (p < 0.05). Blackberries harvested during the dry season had higher contents of sugars and anthocyanins than blackberries harvested during the rainy season. Organic blackberries had higher levels of ellagitannins than conventionally grown fruits. CONCLUSIONS: These data prove that Costa Rican blackberries are a good source of polyphenolic compounds, especially ellagitannins. Environmental and farming conditions can be exploited to obtain high quality blackberry fruits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The health benefits attributed to berries are largely dependent on their bioavailability. This study evaluated the antioxidant activity for different samples of blackberry juice submitted to an in vitro digestion. The HPLC analysis demonstrated that gastric conditions had only a slight impact on the phenolic composition, but the digestion simulating intestine conditions caused marked changes. The dialyzed fraction, which represents the serum available material, showed 33% and 35% less activity against nitrogen-derived radicals and a significant reduction of 46% in the inhibitory capacity against intracellular ROS. Other models used to evaluate the capacity to inhibit lipid peroxidation did not show significant differences in any of the digestion samples. Our results suggest that blackberry polyphenols could exert their antioxidant capacity after passage through the GIT. However, the dialyzed fraction suffers a partial depletion of its antioxidant ability, this could be attributed to the absence of ellagitannins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanofiltration membranes with molecular weight cut-off around 200 Da were evaluated to concentrate anthocyanins and ellagitannins in a blackberry juice. Temperature was 30°C and cross-flow velocity 0.3 m/s. Transmembrane pressures varied from 0.5 to 3 MPa. At volumetric reduction ratio (VRR) of 1, higher transmembrane pressures caused an increase of permeate flux and of retention of total anthocyanins (>94%) and total soluble solids (44-97%). Every membrane presented 100% of total ellagitannin retention. Results were represented using the solution-diffusion model. NF270 membrane at 3 MPa showed the highest potential for concentration of blackberry's main polyphenolic compounds (highest permeate flux and solute retention). Nevertheless, a simulated increase of VRR showed that permeate flux declined as the concentration of the feed solution increased. NF270 membrane may also be of interest to deacidify the juice, since at high pressures, sugars were completely retained and retention of acids was under 90%. Practical Applications The concentration of phytochemicals by means of membrane technologies is of interest to the food industry, because the operations replace evaporation processes that are energy-intensive and use high temperatures that can reduce the compounds' bioactivities. The results presented in this study may be valuable for processors that aim to concentrate fruit juices and extracts enriched with phytochemicals (such as anthocyanins and ellagitannins), by using nanofiltration. Furthermore, results show that nanofiltration membranes at specific operating conditions may not only be employed to concentrate, but also to deacidify fruit juices and extracts. This operation provides advantages when compared to other technologies such as calcium salt precipitation, ion-exchange resins and electrodialysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Consumption of dietary ellagitannins (ETs) has been associated with different health benefits. Nonetheless, ETs are not bioavailable as such and are metabolized in vivo. They are partially converted into ellagic acid (EA) in the upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract, but this first metabolite is also poorly bioavailable. In the lower GI tract, EA and residual ETs are metabolized by gut microbiota to produce urolithins, which, together with their conjugate relatives, persist at relatively high concentrations in plasma and urine for days after ingestion of dietary ETs. Thus, ETs and EA may exert local health benefits on the GI tract but systemic health benefits are more likely to result from urolithins. Cellular models suggest that, at physiological concentration, urolithins are active against chronic degenerative diseases. Health benefits have been proven in animal models and during clinical studies. Even so, the crucial involvement of gut microbiota in ET bioconversion induces important variability of physiological response among humans, giving rise to the concept of high and low urolithin producers. This variability among consumers in obtaining potential health benefits from dietary ETs raises new challenges for the functional food industry. Different research perspectives are discussed to tackle this significant issue for nutritionists, food technologists, and consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar ultraviolet ( UV) radiation, particularly its UVB (280-320 nm) spectrum, is the primary environmental stimulus leading to skin carcinogenesis. Several botanical species with antioxidant properties have shown photochemopreventive effects against UVB damage. Costa Rica's tropical highland blackberry ( Rubus adenotrichos) contains important levels of phenolic compounds, mainly ellagitannins and anthocyanins, with strong antioxidant properties. In this study, we examined the photochemopreventive effect of R. adenotrichos blackberry juice ( BBJ) on UVB-mediated responses in human epidermal keratinocytes and in a three-dimensional (3D) reconstituted normal human skin equivalent ( SE). Pretreatment (2 h) and posttreatment (24 h) of normal human epidermal keratinocytes ( NHEKs) with BBJ reduced UVB (25 mJ cm−2)-mediated (1) cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs) and (2) 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG) formation. Furthermore, treatment of NHEKs with BBJ increased UVB-mediated (1) poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage and (2) activation of caspases 3, 8 and 9. Thus, BBJ seems to alleviate UVB-induced effects by reducing DNA damage and increasing apoptosis of damaged cells. To establish the in vivo significance of these findings to human skin, immunohistochemistry studies were performed in a 3D SE model, where BBJ was also found to decrease CPDs formation. These data suggest that BBJ may be developed as an agent to ameliorate UV-induced skin damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. Several studies have demonstrated that food processing affects nutrients such as bioactive compounds, protein, starch, fat, fiber, minerals and antioxidant capacity. Our study examined how heat changes the physicochemical composition and antioxidant capacity of peach-palm fruit (Bactris gasipaes H.B.K.) during flour production. Materials and methods. Five commercial batches of fruit were assessed for total contents of phenolic compounds and carotenoids, and hydrophilic oxygen radical absorbance capacity (H-ORAC). The fruit was then cooked and eventually processed into flour. Results and discussion. No significant changes were found for contents of fat, protein, starch and dietary fiber during flour production. Cooked peach-palm fruit is a source of Mg, Mn, Cu and K, with 100 g of fruit containing between 5% and 13.5% of the recommended daily intake. Cooking also increased carotenoids by 17%, thus helping to compensate for the 28% loss during drying. No stage of processing affected polyphenol contents or H-ORAC. Conclusion. Because of its high bioactive compound content, peach-palm flour shows potential for use in the development of functional foods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]