Differentiation of Criollo and Trinitario Cocoa Beans: Study Case Santander Farms, Colombia

High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide Cocoa trade plays a fundamental role in Colombian’s agricultural economy; however, small-scale cocoa producers require useful information to demonstrate the high quality of their product. In this research, beans and liquors from Criollo (CRL) and Trinitario (TRT) varieties, collected from a farm in Santander, were analyzed using sensory evaluation and instrumental techniques. Sensory evaluation revealed that CRL cocoa liquor has a delicate floral aroma and an acidic profile, while TRT cocoa liquor has an intense green note and a bitter taste. Analysis of volatile compounds by headspace, solid-phase microextraction, and gas chromatography- mass spectrometry (HS, SPME, GC-MS) allowed the identification of 21 metabolites. The presence of 2-heptanol, benzaldehyde, 1-octanol, 3-methylcyclo-2-hexen-1-one, ethyl acetate and linalool corroborates the quality of samples and classifies them as fine-flavor cocoa varieties. NIR spectroscopy enabled efficient varietal discrimination via PCA (lipid bands), outperforming MIR which required extensive preprocessing. In addition, cadmium content was determined, and the results indicated that cadmium levels were significantly lower in CRL (0.59–1.31 mg/kg) than in TRT (1.14–4.54 mg/kg), confirming CRL’s compliance with EU export limits. The NIR-based approach proved to be the most viable for field applications, as it requires minimal sample preparation compared to GC-MS. These findings demonstrate that the combination of sensorial, chromatographic, and spectroscopic data could help small farmers to add value to their fine-flavor cocoa from Santander, Colombia.