Effect of Genotypic and Processing on Antioxidant and Chemical Characteristics of Indonesian Cocoa Beans as Revealed by ATR-FTIR Fingerprint and Multivariate Data Analysis

Nanda Marizky; Noor Ariefandie Febrianto; Endang Prangdimurti; Nancy Dewi Yuliana

doi:10.22146/ijc.111910

Effect of Genotypic and Processing on Antioxidant and Chemical Characteristics of Indonesian Cocoa Beans as Revealed by ATR-FTIR Fingerprint and Multivariate Data Analysis

https://doi.org/10.22146/ijc.111910

Nanda Marizky⁽¹⁾, Noor Ariefandie Febrianto⁽²⁾, Endang Prangdimurti⁽³⁾, Nancy Dewi Yuliana^(4*)

(1) Food Science Study Program, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, IPB University, IPB Dramaga Campus, Bogor 16680, Indonesia
(2) Indonesian Coffee and Cocoa Research Institute (ICCRI), Jl. PB Sudirman No. 90, Jember 68118, Indonesia
(3) Food Science Study Program, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, IPB University, IPB Dramaga Campus, Bogor 16680, Indonesia
(4) Food Science Study Program, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, IPB University, IPB Dramaga Campus, Bogor 16680, Indonesia
(*) Corresponding Author

Abstract

Indonesia has a diverse range of cocoa genotypes. However, research on how these genotypes and post-harvest processing affect the antioxidant activity of cocoa beans remains limited. This research aimed to identify the infrared (IR) spectral regions of Indonesian cocoa beans affected by genotype and post-harvest treatments (fermentation and roasting) and to determine which IR regions are associated with in vitro antioxidant activity (DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP assays). The study combined an ATR-FTIR spectrophotometer, antioxidant assays, and multivariate analyses (PCA, OPLS-DA, and OPLS). PCA revealed significant variation due to post-harvest processing, whereas genotypic differences were not distinguishable in the IR spectra. OPLS-DA and OPLS identified IR spectral markers for unfermented, fermented, roasted, and antioxidant-rich cocoa beans. C–H out-of-plane deformation (986–989 cm⁻¹) marked unfermented and antioxidant-rich samples. Fermented beans showed alkyl ketones (1222–1230 cm⁻¹), aromatic aldehydes (1387–1389 cm⁻¹), and carboxylic acid C=O vibrations (1649–1651 cm⁻¹) signals. Roasted beans exhibited alkyl pyrazine peaks at 1508, 1518, 1557, and 1598–1600 cm⁻¹. These findings confirm that ATR-FTIR fingerprinting combined with multivariate analysis effectively identifies antioxidant-related functional groups and processing-specific markers. This approach provides a practical tool for quality control in the cocoa industry across various genotypes and post-harvest treatments.

Keywords

foodomics; infrared fingerprint; post-harvest processing; principal component analysis; discriminant analysis

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.22146/ijc.111910