Non enzymatic browning during cocoa roasting as affected by processing time and temperature

Melanoidins increased with roasting time following an asymptotic kinetic. Moisture content being equal, HTST processes maximized the melanoidins formation. The energy of activation of melanoidin formation (132 kJ mol−1) was higher than those of colour changes and polyphenol oxidation (between 60 and 80 kJ mol−1), thus NEB during roasting is not solely dependent on Maillard reaction occurrence. Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) increased exponentially with roasting time but its final content was low (0.1-0.8 g kg−1). HTST processes minimized the HMF formation, which was not temperature dependent and was influenced by concentration.