CHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF CACAO (Theobroma cacao L.) CLONES PASTE

Abstract

Throughout history, cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) has been characterized by being a food with high nutritional value; recent studies have proven that chocolate is a high source of antioxidants that benefit health by preventing cardiovascular diseases. This study evaluated the importance of antioxidants from 15 cacao pastes elaborated with cacao clone seeds, based on pH, acidity, soluble solids, and antioxidant content, from Tecpatán, Chiapas, México. Significant differences were found between pastes, for the case of soluble solids (range of 1.74% to 6.5%), pH of 4.88 to 6.19, acidity from 0.34% to 0.62% of acetic acid, and in the antioxidant activity, values were found of 62.25 to 237.68 mM g^-1 in fresh weight of ascorbic acid. The antioxidant activity was determined by using the ABTS method (2,2’-azino-bis (3 ethylbenzothiazoline- 6-sulphonic acid) and the pastes that presented highest content were obtained from clones 246 and 269. These results allowed identifying and differentiating the clones studied, making them into a differentiator of quality.