@article{ajfst20261451,
author={{OUALI, Marl¨¨ne and OUATTARA, Hadja Djeneba and NIAMK¨¦, S¨¦bastien},
title={Effects of Fermentation on Phytochemical Profile and Biological Activities of Cocoa Pericarp and Rachis},
journal={American Journal of Food Science and Technology},
volume={14},
number={5},
pages={149--158},
year={2026},
url={https://pubs.sciepub.com/ajfst/14/5/1},
issn={2333-4835},
abstract={This study evaluates the effect of fermentation duration on the phytochemical profile and bioactivities of the pericarp and rachis of cocoa beans. The residues were fermented for periods ranging from 0 to 120 hours, prior to the analysis of bioactive compounds and antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. The results show a significant increase in polyphenols between 0 and 48 hours, reaching, for example, 23.39% and 23.41 % in the pericarp and rachis respectively, followed by stabilisation. As for antioxidant activity, it reached high levels of around 95 %. At the same time, antinutritional compounds decreased significantly, with phytates falling from around 29 % to 11 %. These results indicate that fermentation promotes the release of bioactive compounds. Finally, the fermentation time that maximises the functional value of cocoa residues is between 48 and 72 hours.},
doi={10.12691/ajfst-14-5-1}
publisher={Science and Education Publishing}
}