Quality control of Amazonian cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) by-products and microencapsulated extract by thermal analysis

Cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) and its by-products are widely used by the pharmaceutical, cosmetics and food industries because they contain secondary metabolites with high levels of antioxidants. The objective of this study was to evaluate the thermal profile of cocoa by-products extract and its microparticles, obtained by spray drying to preserve its biological activity. The thermal analyses showed that the events of greater mass loss occurred in the temperature range of 407–455 °C (oil), 370–429 °C (cocoa waste), 175–302 °C (cocoa extract), 299–314 °C (microparticles) and 239–329 °C (microencapsulated extract). Through differential scanning calorimetry analysis, it was possible to detect a positive effect on microencapsulation of the extract, an increase in the stability of the active principles and similar bands both for the spectra of the extract and microparticles. The extract obtained, despite being derived from the solid residue (waste), showed high values of polyphenols content and antioxidant activity. These results suggest that the spray drying technology employed for encapsulation of the active principles was also effective for their preservation.