Aroma and Flavor Sensory Profiles of Superior Cocoa Liquors from Different Region in Indonesian

Abstract

Cocoa is one of main agricultural commodities in Indonesia. Cocoa beans produced in Indonesia are bulk and edel cocoa beans. Some of the superior Cocoa beans in Indonesia are found in South Sulawesi, Bali and East Java. The objective of this research was to compare the flavor profiles and flavor sensory qualities of three cocoa liquors obtained from different regions in Indonesian namely East Java, South Sulawesi and Bali. The Ghanaian cocoa liquor was used as a reference. The aroma compounds of cocoa liquors were extracted by using a Solid Phase Microextraction (SPME), followed by measurement of the odor active compounds using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry/ Olfactometry (GC-MS/O) with Nassal Impact Frequency (NIF) method. The aroma sensory attributes were including nutty, acid, caramel, earthy and chocolate, while the taste sensory attributes included astringency, bitterness and acidity. The sensory profile analysis was carried out by applying a Quantitative Descriptive Analysis (QDA) method. The preference and ranking tests were also conducted. A total of 28 aroma active compounds in the cocoa liquors were identified. There were 21, 19, 22 and 18 compounds detected in East Java, Bali, South Sulawesi and Ghana liquors, respectively. The flavor profiles of these three liquors were different from each other as well as with the reference, Ghanaian cocoa liquor. East Java liquor had specific aroma with a strong chocolate, creamy, caramel and coffee bean. Bali liquor was dominated by creamy, caramel and sweet aroma, while South Sulawesi was specified by sweet and green aroma. Among the three liquors, flavor sensory profile of South Sulawesi was the most similar to that of Ghanaian cocoa liquor. The cocoa liquor from Bali and East Java cocoa were more preferred than cocoa liquor from South Sulawesi.