Ricerc@Sapienza

Chocolate is not a basic food product and follows consumption trends are directly related to the growth of disposable income. In advanced countries, in fact, the increase in spending on the purchase of chocolate is not necessarily correlated to an increase in the quantities consumed, but more likely to the consumption of better-quality products. Cocoa is a raw material coming largely from developing countries, and the evaluation of the quality of cocoa derivatives is a very complex issue to deal with, as it is influenced by a variety of factors.

The connection between chocolate and cocoa is studied. As cocoa is produced in different countries, samples coming from the same geographical region are analysed. The analyses focus on the characterisation of the considered samples for different aspects of quality and to individuate the original locations of production, also connecting this with the nutritional aspects. For this purpose, qualitative and quantitative traditional analysis and determination of fatty acid content are performed. The obtained experimental data show interesting correlations.