In this study the quality of 26 fermented cocoa beans from 4 different countries (Vietnam, Indonesia, Peru and
Ghana) is assessed by means of both a compositional analysis (amino acids, reducing sugars, polyphenols and
lactic acid) and profiling of their volatile aroma composition (Mass Spectrometry (MS)-fingerprinting and
Headspace-solid Phase Micro-extraction-Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC–MS)) following
high roasting processing (30 min at 150 °C). Compared with the labour-intensive measurement of cocoa
precursors,MS-fingerprinting on the cocoa headspaces appeared to be a very powerful and fast classification technique.
Different cocoa groupswere researched having unique organoleptic characteristicswhichwere affected by
fermentation, roasting conditions and geographical origin. A clear separation of fine flavour cocoa (Criollo variety),
well fermented/roasted cocoa and lowquality cocoa could bemade. Additionally, the clusteringwas confirmed by
more conventional HS-SPME-GC–MS aroma analyses on the cocoa samples. Several markers for the bean origin/
quality were identified. Roasting degrees were also calculated based on typical pyrazine ratios.
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