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Updated: Aug 29, 2025

Taste Exam: A Brief and Validated Test
Published on: August 17, 2018
Diversity and determinants of bitterness, astringency, and fat content in cultivated Nacional and native Amazonian
Kelly Colonges1,2,3,4, Edward Seguine5, Alejandra Saltos6
1CIRAD, UMR AGAP Institut, Montpellier, F-34398, France.
Abstract:
Cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) is the only tree that can produce cocoa. Cocoa beans are highly sought after by chocolate makers to produce chocolate. Cocoa can be fine aromatic, characterized by floral and fruity notes, or it can be described as standard cocoa with a more pronounced cocoa aroma and bitterness. In this study, the genetic and biochemical determinants of sensorial notes and nonvolatile compounds related to bitterness, astringency, fat content, and protein content will be investigated in two populations: a cultivated modern Nacional population and a population of cocoa accessions collected recently in the Ecuadorian South Amazonia area of origin of the Nacional ancestral variety. For this purpose, a genome-wide association study (GWAS) was carried out on both populations, with results of biochemical compounds evaluated by near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) assays and with sensory evaluations. Twenty areas of associations were detected for sensorial data especially bitterness and astringency. Fifty-three areas of associations were detected linked to nonvolatile compounds. A total of 81 candidate genes could be identified in the areas of the association.
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