Current context on chocolate flavor development — a review

Currently several factors/trends contribute to the approaches focused on flavor development in chocolate. In the current restructuring of the global cacao source chain, where more focus is on direct and transparent trade, sustainability, single origin and high quality cacao beans, more attention has been directed to activities performed at the country of origin. Thus, there is increasing understanding of the effect of genetics and growing conditions and post-harvest processes, performed at the country of origin, on flavor development of cacao beans and the potential application of the terroir concept on the chocolate industry. More attention has thus been paid to optimization of crop genetics, agricultural practices, and post-harvest processes. Once the cacao beans are ready for processing, other factors related to optimization of chocolate formulation and processing become important. The use of novel processing techniques in chocolate formulation and production requires optimization of processing to develop desired chocolate characteristics and potential industrial scale. The use of cocoa butter equivalents (CBE) to contrast the high price of cocoa butter, or to develop chocolate with desired melting characteristics, has increased utilization of several types of CBE with increased interest in flavor development or textural changes. Lastly, the increase in health conscious consumers, related to food behaviors, has increased the interest in sugar reduction in chocolate, requiring modification of the chocolate matrix with potential changes in flavor development.