Obtaining 70% cocoa dark chocolate enriched with ginger oleoresin obtained via supercritical CO2 extraction

Cárdenas-Toro F.; Medina-Mendoza M.; Torrejón-Valqui L.; Balcázar-Zumaeta C.; Castro-Alayo E. · Proceedings of the LACCEI international Multi-conference for Engineering, Education and Technology (2026) · DOI: 10.18687/laccei2026.1.1.2274

Resumen

The development of innovative products based on cocoa and natural additives with functional properties that benefit health has been studied in recent years. The use of natural extracts obtained with green technology is a sustainable alternative to be considered part of the chocolate production chain. Previous studies have shown that ginger oleoresin has a high antioxidant capacity; thus, its use in small quantities as a replacement for cocoa butter can improve the properties of chocolate. In this study, three formulations of 70% cocoa dark chocolate were developed with 0.026%, 0.078%, and 0.129% ginger oleoresin. The viscosity, texture, thermal properties, color, oxidative stability index, sensory properties, total polyphenol content, and antioxidant capacity were measured. The results revealed that the viscosity, melting point, and antioxidant capacity of the evaluated chocolates increased with increasing ginger oleoresin content, indicating that the thermal properties of the enriched chocolates improved. Furthermore, the color and whiteness index properties were not altered. On the other hand, the chocolate with 0.026% ginger oleoresin was the only formulation with sensory acceptability similar to that of the control; thus, it can be considered a technological prototype for industrial scaling.

Instituciones: Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú; Universidad Nacional Toribio Rodríguez de Mendoza de Amazonas