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 °C 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, 25.56, and 12.46 wt%, respectively. Organic acids—citric, malic, lactic, tartaric, and fumaric—represent 5.12, 3.01, 0.20, 0.16, and 0.002 wt%, respectively. Although the heating treatment results in the formation of 5‐(hydroxymethyl)furfural (HMF) (12.8–13.7 mg L−1), 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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]