Comparação da eficiencia do processo convencional de torração de cacau frente ao processo por microondas

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

1998

RESUMO

The roasting process of cocoa is crucial to the production of the flavour characteristics of chocolate. It is during this thermal treatment that the most important components of the complex aromatic system of cocoa develop. The roasting of cocoa in the form of nibs (fragmented cotyledons) was an important evolution in cocoa roasti.ng. However, for a variety of technical reasons, not whole beans, resulting in a great lack of uniformity in the distribution of the energy applied during this treatment. When roasting whole beans, temperature differences of up to 5 DEGREES C can occur between the surface and centre of the bean, which can result in an adequate roasting at the surface but inadequate at the centre, or adequate at the centre and over-roasting at the surface. It is known that very high temperatures at the centre of the bean result in losses of cocoa butter, due to migration to the surface. In view of the difficulties in guaranteeing uniform cocoa roasting conditions, this study aimed at evaluating the application of microwave energy to the roasting of cocoa. Both whole beans and nibs were roasted in a rotary electric oven and in a continuous rotary microwave oven. In the conventional process the variable was the roasting time (36, 40, 42 and 44 minutes for the whole beans and 30, 34, 36 e 38 minutes for the nibs), the oven jacket temperature being fixed at 1500e in both cases. In the microwaves process, the variable was the power density applied (236.15, 254.31, 272.48 and 290.64 Wh/kg for the whole beans and 218.53, 227.27, 244.75 and 262.24 Wh/kg for the nibs) the processing time being approximately 8 and 9 minutes respectively. The products obtained were first evaluated by three experts in a sensory evaluation which indicated the best four samples. These four samples were subsequently evaluated by ataste panel trained at UNICAMP, using the quantitative descriptive analysis technique. In addition the following seven aromatic compounds, important in roasted cocoa, were quantified by gas chromatography in order to determine their behaviour during the thermal processes applied and relate the results to those of the sensory analysis: 2-methylpyrazine, 2,5-dimethylpyrazine, 2,6-dimethylpyrazine, ethylpyrazine, 2,3-dimethylpyrazine, 2,3,5- trimethylpyrazine and 2,3,5,6-tetramethylpyrazine. The results showed that it is possible to roast cocoa using microwave energy, allowing for normal development of the Maillard Reaction and the formation of methylpyrazines, important volatile compounds present in the aromatic fraction of cocoa. In the roasting of whole beans, better results were obtained using microwave energy, whereas in the case of nibs, similar results were obtained using both conventional and microwave roasting processes

ASSUNTO(S)

microondas avaliação sensorial cacau

ACESSO AO ARTIGO

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