Physicochemical characteristics of cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) butter with raw material pretreatment and variation of puffing pressure.

Roasting time and temperature affect the peroxide value of cocoa butter and the color and organoleptic properties of the cocoa powder. Cocoa beans roasted using puffing gun technology provide better nutrition and functional properties than conventional roasting methods. Although the yield of fat produced does not significantly differ from traditional roasting, the physicochemical characteristics of cocoa bean fat roasted using a puffing gun are not yet known. This study aimed to obtain the physicochemical characteristics of cocoa butter by analyzing the effect of pretreatment of raw materials (spontaneous fermentation, non-fermentation, and yeast-based fermentation of cocoa bean) and variations in puffing gun pressure (3, 4, and 5 kgf/cm²) to obtain an optimal cocoa bean processing in producing good quality of cocoa butter. The results showed that puffing pressure had a significant effect (p≤0.05) on water content, fat content, and saponification number. The higher the puffing pressure, the fat content, and the saponification rate will increase, while the water content will decrease. The type of raw material had a significant effect (p≤0.05) on the refractive index, fat content, and rancidity. The highest refractive index value was found in non-fermented cocoa butter, while the lowest was in spontaneously fermented cocoa butter. The highest fat content was found in spontaneously fermented fat, and the lowest value was in yeast-fermented fat. The longest storage time was found in yeast-fermented fat, while the fastest was in non-fermented fat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]