Evaluación del proceso de extracción de compuestos fenólicos de la placenta de cacao para su aplicación como potencial agente inhibidor del pardeamiento enzimático

Abstract

Cocoa production and export in Ecuador show this fruit as a representative item in the country’s economy. Cocoa is commonly utilized to produce chocolate, but, nowadays, it is known that cocoa contains antioxidants capable of fight against diseases in humans. However, cocoa processing generates lots of waste which can be used, like cocoa placenta. The main goal of this work is to give an option to use this product and give it a value on the market. Obtaining an extract of phenolic compounds from cocoa placenta is formulated to be applied as an inhibitory agent of enzymatic browning. The process to obtain the extract of phenolic compounds was evaluated from a 32 experimental design, wherein the ethanol concentration and solid- liquid ratio varied, in order to determine a polyphenol concentration value. The extract under a concentration of 15,36 mg EAG/L was evaluated due to its polyphenol oxidase inhibition percentage, 97,93 %. Under these conditions, a process to obtain the extract was designed. This process yielded 197,40 kg of phenolic extract per day from 66,67 kg of cocoa placenta per day. Finally, the direct costs of the process were evaluated and determined the price per kilogram of phenolic extract of 1,40 USD. In conclusion, the evaluated variables affect significantly to the extract polyphenol concentration. When solvent ratio increase, a greater volume and quantity of extracted polyphenol are achieved; however, polyphenol concentration decreases due to dilution caused by a greater quantity of solvent.