Comprehensive Evaluation of Cocoa Sensory Quality

Quality is the consumer’s expectation that a product will adequately and acceptably meet a need. Thus, the food industry must guarantee 100% product quality, as any lower level of quality could jeopardize safety and the opportunity for customer loyalty. An example of this is the quality control of cocoa, a food product with high consumption potential and a wide range of derived products in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food industries. This increasing demand has led to various initiatives to increase the production of special cocoa based on its origin or quality. With this in mind, this book presents five chapters designed to help readers acquire or reinforce their knowledge about cocoa quality in a simple way. It starts with general information about cocoa and explores three critical aspects of any food product: its physical, chemical, and sensory quality. The post-harvest process is also discussed, as it has a significant impact on the final quality of cocoa beans for producing table chocolate, fine chocolate, and confectionery. It also examines key issues in the physical assessment of dried cocoa beans during marketing. Additionally, the book explains sensory quality evaluation as a food science and provides guidance for the development of objective final quality ratings of cocoa liquor obtained from dried cocoa beans. The authors hope that you enjoy this book and that it will contribute to the development of the cocoa-producing sector. We look forward to a future publication on the exciting topic of transforming dry cocoa beans.