Effect of fermentation stages on the nutritional and mineral bioavailability of cacao beans (Theobroma cacao L.)

Analysis of the complex composition of cacao beans during the fermentation stages provided critical information for evaluating its quality and nutritional attributes. In this work, the effect of fermentation on cacaos' nutritional, mineral, and bioavailability was established from day 0 (d0) to day 8 (d8). Standard AOAC method was used to determine the proximate composition. Total mineral content was determined using the cost-effective MP-AES. Simulation of the human digestive process from the mouth to the small intestine was used to establish the mineral bioavailability. As a result, increasing fermentation days reduces the amount of nutritional content and increases its fat content. Fermentation causes an outward migration, which reduces total mineral content while having a positive effect on reducing potential heavy metals such as Pb and Ni at about 60 % and 50 %, respectively, in d6 at pH 4.84. Mobility of the minerals increases as the pH level decreases due to the penetration of organic acid in the beans. The high bioavailability of Mn, Ca, Fe, and Zn was noted in d5 and d6. Aside from flavor precursor development, results suggest that fermenting cacao beans to its optimum day reduces the risk of heavy metals and positively enhances the bioavailability of minerals necessary for human nutrition.