| Summary: | The effects of moisture content and alkali treatment
on cocoa butter extraction using supercritical fluid were studied. Ground cocoa nibs were examined at moisture contents of 1.95 %, 3.91 %, 5.87 %, 9.79 % and 17.64 % and the pH ofthe cocoa liquor was maintained at 5.0–5.9, 6.8–7.2 and 7.5–7.9. Cocoa butter was successfully extracted, using supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) for the moisture content study and SC-CO2 with 25 % ethanol as a cosolvent for the pH-level alkali treatment study, at 35 MPa, 60 °C and 2 ml/min. The results showed that increases in moisture content and pH level significantly (p<0.05) increase the yield efficiency. A moisture content of 9.79 % and pH-alkali treatment at 7.5–7.9 produced the highest yield (60.36 % and 73.70 % at 20 and 18 h extraction
time, respectively). Triglycerides (TG) and fatty acids (FAs)were similar to those found in cocoa butter obtained using the Soxhlet method. Saturated and short-chain TG and FA constituents were more soluble than unsaturated and long-chain constituents.
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