BE1027209B1 - PROCESS FOR EXTRACTING COMPONENTS OF CACAOPEUL SHELLS AND CACAOPLACENTA, AND USING CACA FRUIT-SOLUBLE EXTRACT OBTAINED FROM THESE AND ITS USES - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for optimizing the full utilization of cocoa pod shells, comprising the steps of de-bacterizing the surface of the pods and opening cocoa pods, separating the cocoa pod shells from cocoa pulp, cocoa placenta, cocoa beans and cocoa bean shells, and drying separated cocoa pod shells wherein separated and dried cocoa pod shells are further processed by a method comprising the steps of a) grinding the cocoa pod shells; b) optional acidic extraction; c) a first enzymatic treatment; d) alkaline solubilization; e) a first decantation with centrifuge; f) ultrafiltration; g) acid extraction; h) a second decantation with centrifuge; i) a second enzymatic treatment; j) ultrafiltration and extract purification; k) concentration of the extract; l) drying the concentrated extract. The invention also relates to the extracts and compositions obtained therefrom and their uses.

Description

PROCESS FOR EXTRACTING COMPONENTS OF CACAOPEUL SHELLS AND CACAOPLACENTA, AND FOR USING AND USING CACA FRUIT-SOLUBLE EXTRACT OBTAINED FROM THIS APPLICATIONS

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to methods of optimizing for the full utilization of cocoa by-products such as cocoa pod shells. In a second aspect, the invention relates to products obtained through full use of said cocoa by-products. In a third aspect, the present invention relates to uses of obtained products.

BACKGROUND Theobroma cacao L., also known as a cocoa tree, is a small tree in the family Malvaceae. A cocoa tree produces about 20 usable pods per year. The cocoa pods contain seeds, also known as cocoa beans, surrounded by pod shells, placenta and pulp. The cocoa seeds are used as cocoa mass, powder or butter in various food applications. Given the value and high demand for the cocoa seeds, the harvesting and processing of cocoa is mainly focused on minimizing damage to the cocoa seeds while very little care and attention is given to the pulp, placenta and pod shells surrounding the seeds. Traditionally, cocoa pods are removed from the trees and immediately cut in half using machetes. The seeds are saved, while the husk and stem are discarded. Despite the importance of cocoa as an agricultural export commodity, only about 10% of the gross weight of the cocoa pod is used for cocoa mass, cocoa powder and cocoa butter production, while most of the total pod weight (cocoa pulp, cocoa placenta and cocoa pod husks) is discarded as cocoa waste . Cocoa pulp typically contains 80-90% water, 10-15% sugar, 0.4-2.0% citric acid, 1% pectin and other ingredients including pentosans and polyphenols. Cocoa pulp is generally rich in fermentable sugars such as glucose, fructose and sucrose and has a low pH of 3.0-3.5 mainly due to the presence of citric acid, making cocoa pulp a suitable medium for microbial growth. For this reason, cocoa pulp is conventionally used to aid the fermentation of cocoa beans.

Cocoa placenta represents another byproduct of cocoa beans. However, the use of cocoa placenta has been reported only to a limited extent. FR 2 828 379 describes the partial use of cocoa placenta together with cocoa pod shells and the juice extracted from cocoa beans for nutritional compositions. Said placenta and cocoa pod shells were used fresh or dried according to the invention. However, attempts for use in confectionery applications have never been successful, as cocoa placenta has been shown to be a more expensive raw material than sugar beet, sugar cane or other sources of glucose and fructose.

Cocoa pod shells make up the majority of the cocoa by-products obtained during the production of cocoa beans. For every tonne of dried beans produced, about 16 tonnes (on a fresh weight basis) of cocoa pod husks are left on the plantations, representing a serious waste problem. The proportion of the cocoa pod husk in the pod mass is in the range of 68-75% by weight. Therefore, efforts were made to convert the peel into a beneficial by-product. The relatively high potassium content allows partial use of cocoa pod shells as a soil fertilizer. However, rotting pods quickly become a source of infection with microorganisms such as black pod rot. That's why most cocoa pod shells are burned or buried. US 4,206,245 discloses a nutritious animal feed, especially for small animals, comprising squeezed cocoa pulp. This invention describes the use of the parenchyma-like portion of cocoa pod shells (pressed as cocoa meat juice or use as such) after removing the outer shell and / or without removing the outer shell of said cocoa pod shells. Said parenchyma-like moiety is used as a source of a hydrocolloid which is an emulsifying, stabilizing, suspending agent and protective hydrocolloid. The resulting cocoa meat juice is characterized by a high stabilizing effect, water binding ability, high viscosity when added to products, and improved rheological properties. The applications described relate to different types of nutrition.

Another way to use cocoa pods is to use them as a source of insoluble and soluble fiber. Insoluble fibers such as cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin represent an average of 60-70% of the total fiber in cocoa shells. Pectin is a water-soluble fiber and complex polysaccharide that occurs naturally in higher plants. Pectin consists mainly of galacturonic acid units linked by α- (1-4) compounds. Pectin is widely used for its gelling properties in the food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. In the food industry, pectin is mainly extracted from by-products such as lemon peel, apple fruit pulp and sugar beet pulp.

Several studies have described the use of cocoa pod shells as a source of pectin. Chan & Choo, Food Chemistry, 2013, 141, 3752-3758, found that temperature, extraction time and substrate-extractant ratio are the yields, galacturonic acid levels, degree of methylation (DM) and degree of acetylation (DA) of the pectin obtained from cocoa husks , affected. The above descriptions only focus on the partial use of the by-products related to cocoa bean production. In addition, the obtained by-products have very limited use in the food industry. Some of the methods described are characterized by the use of non-green extraction solvents or expensive extraction conditions, which limit their industrial applicability.

The present invention seeks to solve at least some of the problems associated with the efficient and useful processing of cocoa by-products. The invention seeks to provide an efficient use of cocoa by-products for multiple purposes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention and its embodiments serve to solve one or more of the aforementioned problems related to excess cocoa by-product waste. The object of the present invention is the full use of cocoa by-products such as cocoa pod shells. The present invention seeks to discover a green, inexpensive and efficient industrial process that avoids the use of organic solvents to extract nutritional components from cocoa by-products. In a first aspect, the present invention is directed to a method for optimizing the full utilization of cocoa pods by processing cocoa pod shells separately from cocoa pulp, cocoa placenta and cocoa beans. The method for optimizing the full utilization of cocoa pod shells includes the steps of de-bacterizing the pod surface and opening the cocoa pod, separating the cocoa pod shells from the cocoa pod, cocoa placenta, cocoa beans and cocoa bean hulls, and drying separated cocoa pod shells with separated and dried cocoa pod shells are further processed by a method comprising the steps of a) grinding the cocoa pod shells; b) optional acidic extraction; c) a first enzymatic treatment; d) alkaline solubilization; e) a first decantation with centrifuge; f) ultrafiltration; g) acid extraction; h) a second decantation with centrifuge; i) a second enzymatic treatment; j) ultrafiltration and extract purification; k) concentration of the extract; |) drying the concentrated extract. To this end, the present invention relates to the use of the discarded cocoa pod husks to obtain a water-soluble cocoa pod husk extract in high yield. The methods of the invention have further advantages such as minimal processing times and minimal use of organic solvents and other environmentally harmful chemicals. Thus, products comprising the cocoa pod husk extract of the present invention are clean label products. In particular, the method as described herein allows the preparation of cocoa pod husk extract enriched with water soluble fibers and protein hydrolysates, wherein said extract is produced in a process comprising multi-step refinement and enzymatic / chemical treatment of said cocoa pod husks.

The term "cocoa pod shell", as used herein, means the outer shell, i.e. shell of the cocoa fruit, substantially free of cocoa beans, cocoa bean hulls,

cocoa pulp and placenta. In intact cocoa pods (fruit), cocoa pod husks encapsulate cocoa beans, cocoa bean husks, slimy cocoa pulp and placenta. Usually, the cocoa fruit is cut open to separate the cocoa pod husk from cocoa bean, cocoa bean husk, cocoa pulp and placenta which are collected and further used in the production of chocolate. Cocoa pod shells are usually discarded and as such are the most common by-product in chocolate production.

The term "cocoa placenta", as used herein, means the extension of the stem in the fruit.

The term "water soluble fiber", as used herein, means the sum of the water soluble carbohydrates and carbohydrate components, including pentosans, gums, pectins, hemicellulose breakdown products, etc. Soluble dietary fiber provides the bulking effect commonly associated with fiber. . The term "hydrolyzate", as used herein, means a product of an enzymatic breakdown of a particular substance, such as protein, polysaccharide, etc.

Preferred embodiments of the method are shown in claims 2-8. The preferred embodiments make it possible to obtain a total use yield greater than 80% by weight, preferably greater than 85% by weight, and most preferably greater than 90% by weight, based on a dry cocoa pod shell weight.

In a second aspect, the present invention relates to the cocoa pod husk extract obtainable from cocoa pod shells.

Cocoa pod shells account for about three-quarters of the weight of cocoa pods, allowing them to be used as an inexpensive and abundant source of dietary fiber, proteins and polyphenols. The cocoa pod husk extract obtained according to the present invention comprises water-soluble fibers such as pectin, which is a suitable stabilizing, thickening and gelling agent for the food industry, xylo-oligosaccharides with prebiotic properties, galactomannans with gelling properties and glucomannans suitable for use in the dietetic food compositions. The cocoa pod husk extract obtained according to the present invention also includes proteins, peptides and other protein hydrolysates of high nutritional value. Furthermore, the cocoa pod shell extract of the invention is a good source of polyphenols.

The nutritional compositions obtained from cocoa by-products of the present invention are particularly suitable for confectionery such as chocolate, dietary fiber sources, texturizers and stabilizers and cocoa powder substitutes.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to solving some of the problems associated with the optimization for the full utilization of cocoa by-products, especially cocoa pod shells. The present invention describes optimized methods for full utilization of the cocoa by-products such as cocoa pod shells to obtain nutritional extracts using green and inexpensive industrial extraction methods. The present invention describes the chemical compositions of the extracts obtained by such methods.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms used in the description of the invention, including technical and scientific terms, have the meaning commonly understood by one of skill in the art to which this invention pertains. Furthermore, the definitions of the terms are included to better understand the description of the present invention.

As used herein, the following terms have the following meanings: "A", "the" and "the" as used herein refer to both the singular and the plural unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

“Include”, “comprising” and “includes” and “consisting of” as used herein are synonymous with “contain”, “containing” or “contains” and are inclusive or open terms specifying the presence of what follows eg a component and do not preclude the presence of additional, unnamed components, features, elements, parts, steps well known in the art or described therein.

Furthermore, the terms first, second, third and the like are used in the specification and in the claims to distinguish between similar elements and not necessarily to describe consecutive or chronological order, unless otherwise specified. It will be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances and that the embodiments of the invention described herein may be used in different sequences than described or illustrated herein; The terms "wt%", "wt%", "wt%", "% by weight" or "% weight" refers here and throughout the description, unless otherwise defined, to the relative weight of the respective component based on of the total weight of the formulation.

References throughout this specification to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or feature described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. The occurrence of the terms "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" in different places throughout this specification do not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment, but may do so. Furthermore, the particular functions, structures or features may be combined in any suitable manner, as will be apparent to one of skill in the art from this description, in one or more embodiments. Furthermore, while some embodiments described herein incorporate some, but not other functions included in other embodiments, combinations of functions of different embodiments are intended to be within the scope of the invention, and constitute different embodiments, as is understood. will be for the expert. For example, in the following claims, any of the described embodiments can be used in any combination.

It should be noted that the English terms “cocoa” and “cocoa” are both often used to refer to the same things. E.g. cocoa beans are often referred to as “cocoa beans”. In the present application, the term "cocoa" is commonly used to refer to the materials used from Theobroma cacao.

The term "cocoa pod" refers to a cocoa fruit, which includes cocoa pod shells, cocoa pulp, cocoa placenta and cocoa beans.

The term "acidic," as used herein, means a pH range of pH 7.0 and below. The term "extraction" refers to the process of extracting soluble cocoa components from a raw material, here cocoa by-products. In certain embodiments of the present invention, the terms "extract", "dissolve", "recover" "solubilize" or "solubilize" are used synonymously. Thus, the term "solubilization" in this context refers to a process of solubilizing a soluble component from a starting material, here cocoa by-products. The term "soluble", as used herein, means that the product, extract or composition that is "soluble" has a solubility of at least 50% in an aqueous solvent at a temperature of 20 ° C.

The term "protein" refers to proteins, polypeptides and their hydrolysates, such as peptides and amino acids. The term "protein content" refers to the content of proteins, polypeptides and their hydrolysates, such as peptides and amino acids. The present invention relates to the finding that the "extraction" and "solubilization" of cocoa by-product components can be increased by a process of employing various techniques, including a combination of enzymatic treatment, pH treatment under elevated pressure and temperature treatment. it relates to the finding that the improved extraction of cocoa by-product components can be increased by a process employing various techniques including enzymatic treatment, pH treatment, temperature treatment and the like.

In certain embodiments of the present invention, the terms "solubilization" and "yield" are used synonymously. For example, a solubilization or yield of 70% indicates that 70% of the cocoa components present in a starting material (a cocoa by-product) are solubilized or as a whole. is soluble and is recovered by a method according to the invention.

The present invention relates to an optimized method for full utilization of cocoa pods comprising the steps of debacterizing the surface of the cocoa pod, opening said pods and separating cocoa pod shells from cocoa pulp, cocoa placenta, cocoa beans and cocoa bean hulls.

In a first aspect, the present invention relates to a method for optimizing the full utilization of cocoa pod shell comprising the steps of de-bacterizing the pod surface and opening the cocoa pods, separating the cocoa pod shells from cocoa pod, cocoa placenta and cocoa beans and cocoa bean hulls. , and drying the separated cocoa pod shells, wherein separated and dried cocoa pod shells are further processed by a method comprising the steps of a) grinding the cocoa pod shells; b) optional acid extraction; c) a first enzymatic treatment; d) alkaline solubilization; e) the first decantation with centrifuge; f) ultrafiltration; g) acid extraction; h) the second decantation with centrifuge; i) the second enzymatic treatment; j) ultrafiltration and extract purification; k) concentration of the extract; |) drying the concentrated extract.

After shredding the cocoa pod husks into cocoa pod husk flakes of uniform size, the product is transferred to a batch or continuous dryer at temperatures less than 60 ° C, preferably less than 50 ° C for about 6 hours, preferably less than 3 hours.

The time and temperature depend on the capacity of the dryer and the performance of the dryer.

The drying temperature and time is limited to prevent the deterioration of the taste of the product as well as the polymerization of phenolic compounds.

The dried and shredded cocoa pod shells were subjected to extraction processes using solvents such as, but not limited to, water, ethanol, methanol, isopropanol, hexane, ether, ethyl acetate, acetonitrile or any other suitable solvent or combination thereof.

The extraction process of the invention is carried out as a one or multi-step extraction process.

In one embodiment, the extraction was performed as a one-step process using a mixture of ethanol and water (70: 30%, v / v, respectively). In another embodiment, the extractions were performed as a one-step process using hexane as the solvent.

In another embodiment, the one-step extraction process was performed using the mixture of hexane (30%) and a 70% solvent mixture of ethanol and water (70%: 30%, v / v, respectively).

In another embodiment, the extraction was performed as a multi-step process with 30% hexane and a 70% mixture of ethanol and water (70%: 30%, v / v, respectively). Moreover, the extraction is enhanced by a pretreatment step such as by an ultrasonic system, a microwave system, dynamic cavitation, electric field treatment, combiflash fractionation (streamlined flash and preparative HPLC chromatography in one compact), or any other cell tissue destroying process.

In the preferred embodiment, dry cocoa pod shells are extracted by a water extraction process, in particular by sub-critical water extraction.

In a further preferred embodiment, the extraction processes are combined with a mechanical treatment, such as, but not limited to, high pressure, microwave treatment, ultrasonic treatment, dynamic cavitation.

Any pH modifying agent can be used to improve the solubilization process.

Such pH modifier can be any acid or base or buffer such as, but not limited to, hydrogen chloride, citric acid, acetic acid, sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, potassium carbonate and the like.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the cocoa pod shell material is subjected to optional acid extraction, to extract pectin, followed by the alkaline extraction in combination with appropriate enzymatic treatment to extract a fraction enriched in proteins, polyphenols and other soluble fibers.

By optimizing the pH, it is possible to make maximum use of cocoa pod shells for the production of phytochemically rich extracts.

Cocoa pod shells make up the bulk of cocoa fruit pod and are usually discarded after being split from cocoa pulp, cocoa placenta, cocoa beans and cocoa bean hulls.

Cocoa pod shells have a unique phytochemical profile.

It has not been possible to fully utilize the phytochemical components of cocoa pod shells using the prior art methods, mainly due to a high level of insoluble fiber.

The process of the invention surprisingly allows for maximum extraction of valuable cocoa pod husk phytochemical components such as proteins, soluble fibers and polyphenols by subsequent change of pH and enzymatic treatment.

The process of the invention only requires the use of green chemical solvents that pose no risk to consumers or the environment, so the extracts are safer and less expensive because they do not require further purification prior to applications.

Any suitable enzymatic treatment can be used to increase the yield of soluble fraction. Said enzymatic treatment can be performed by an enzyme selected from a group such as, but not limited to, pectinase, polyphenolases, amylases, proteases, trypsin, pentosanases, glucanases, cellulases, hemicellulase, trypsin, carbohydrases, xylanases, pectinases, tannase, beta- amylase and alpha-amylase. The described method ensures a high extraction yield of the extracted components. The optimized extraction process ensures that the extraction yield is greater than 15% by weight, preferably greater than 25% by weight, most preferably greater than 30% by weight, based on the dry cocoa pod shell weight. Each step has been optimized in order to increase yield and minimize parameters such as processing time and temperature, extreme conditions and the use of non-green reagents such as organic solvents. Thus, cocoa pod husk extract obtained according to the present invention is a green product with a cleaner label.

In a preferred embodiment, the extract is further processed by a method comprising the steps of a) grinding the cocoa pod shell extract; b) the first enzymatic treatment; c) alkaline solubilization; d) the first decantation with centrifuge; e) ultrafiltration; f) acid extraction; g) the second decantation with centrifuge; h) the second enzymatic treatment; i) ultrafiltration and extract purification; j) concentration of the extract; k) drying the concentrated extract.

By this step, the optimized full utilization of the cocoa pod shells is achieved, where the utilization yield is higher than 80 wt.%, I.e., the utilization yield calculated on the basis of the weight of dry cocoa pod shells is 81 wt.%, 82 wt.%, 83 wt. %, 84wt%, 85wt%, 86wt%, 87wt%, 88wt%, 89wt%, 90wt%, 91wt%, 92wt%, 93wt% %, 94wt%, 95wt%, 96wt%, 97wt%, 98wt%, 99wt% and 100wt%. In the preferred embodiment, the yield is greater than 85 wt.%, In the most preferred embodiment, the yield is greater than 90 wt.%.

In a preferred embodiment, the invention relates to an optimized method for full utilization of cocoa pods, comprising the steps of de-bacterizing the surface of cocoa pods,

opening said pods and separating cocoa pod shells, cocoa pulp, cocoa placenta and cocoa beans.

After shredding the cocoa pod husks into cocoa pod husk flakes of uniform size, the product is transferred to a batch or continuous dryer at temperatures less than 60 ° C, preferably less than 50 ° C for about 6 hours, preferably less than 3 hours. The time and temperature depend on the capacity of the dryer and the performance of the dryer. The drying temperature and time is limited to prevent the deterioration of the taste of the product as well as the polymerization of phenolic compounds. The first step of the full utilization of cocoa by-products process of the present invention is the pretreatment of cocoa pod shells to debacterize the surface of the pod. Cocoa pods are spoilage products and rotting pods quickly become a source of infection with microorganisms. Therefore it is necessary to ensure their microbiological quality prior to the production process. For such pretreatment, according to the present invention, unopened cocoa pods are treated with a preservative for a time sufficient to neutralize any harmful substances on the surface of the cocoa fruit and to prevent the lignification of the outer layer (shell) of the cocoa fruit. stabilize. Almost any known preservative that is effective at a low concentration can be used in this process, such as sorbic acid and its salts, sulfur dioxide, chlorine, chlorides, nitrates, hypochlorites, preferably those of the alkali metals, disulfites, ozone, methyl formate, diphenyl, sodium orthophenyl phenolate , nitrogen trichloride and others. Usually the preservative is used in the form of an aqueous solution of a low but effective concentration. The concentration of the preservative, of course, depends on its effectiveness and varies considerably. Optimal concentrations that do not adversely affect the quality of the cocoa fruit can be readily determined by one of skill in the art through routine experimentation. It is also possible to apply the preservative by exposing the unopened cocoa pod shells to the vapors of evaporable preservatives, preferably diluted in air or inert gases. Treatment with the preservative varies depending on the concentration and effectiveness of the agent and may last for a period of between 1 hour and up to sixty days, preferably between 8 hours and 8 days, although it is not limited to such a period of time. The "whole", harvested cocoa fruit is placed directly in a bath or atmosphere containing a preservative, usually with a low but effective concentration of the preservative, for example between 0.2 and 10%, and for a period of time sufficient to remove any toxic substances. on the surface of the fruit and to stabilize the lignification of the outer layer (skin) of the fruit. Achieving this generally requires between 10 minutes and 3 or more months, preferably between 30 minutes and 24 hours, most preferably between 30 minutes and 3 hours exposure to the bath or atmosphere, depending on the effectiveness and type of preservative. that is used. Any known preservative can be used in this step of the process, for example, sorbic acid, sorbic acid salts, sulfur dioxide, chlorides, nitrates, chlorine, hypochlorite, formaldehyde, disulfides, ozone, methyl formate, diphenyl, ammonia, sodium o-phenyl phenate, nitrogen trichloride and others. The preferred preservatives are sorbic acid, sulfur dioxide, chlorine, sodium chloride and hypochlorite because many other known agents, while useful, tend to affect the taste and nutritional value of the treated cocoa pods. According to the present invention, cocoa pod husk extract can be obtained by using the extraction process to extract cocoa pod husks with or without removal of the outer shell of the cocoa fruit. The present invention has shown that the content of water-soluble fiber is particularly high in the outer shell of the cocoa fruit. The outer shell is preferably not removed in order to achieve the high yield of water-soluble fibers by the said extraction method.

In accordance with the method of treating the cocoa fruit and in order to make full use of the various components, according to the present invention, the outer shell or shell of the harvested cocoa fruit may optionally be removed before opening the fruit to remove the cocoa beans and cocoa bean shells. remove along with mucus pulp and placenta. In many varieties of cocoa fruit, and in particular in younger fruit pods, the skin can be removed by conventional techniques without first subjecting said fruit pod to any special treatment. However, an average blend of harvested fruits contains a significant percentage of certain varieties and / or older fruits that require pretreatment before removing the skins. In the case of removing the outer skin, to facilitate peeling of the pods, cocoa pod shells are steamed and / or treated with an alkaline solution.

For this, the cocoa fruit is treated with an alkaline bath such as an alkali metal hydroxide or, preferably, an alkali metal carbonate bath at a temperature between 50 ° C and about 100 ° C for a short period, for example generally from 2 minutes to 30 minutes, preferably from 3 minutes to 8 minutes. Then the alkaline treated fruits are passed through a heating zone, preferably through an infrared heated channel. The alkaline treatment at 50 ° C to 100 ° C for a short period causes the cocoa fruit to swell to a certain extent. This swelling facilitates subsequent removal of the outer layers of the fruit, such as the fruit peel. These outer layers are removed, for example, by means of scrapers, knives, rollers, discs or other such / similar means. The preferred means of this type are high speed rotating discs, emery rolls, serrated or corrugated rubber or plastic rollers. It will be clear that lower temperatures and longer treatment times can also be used. After the outer skin has been removed in this way, i.e. using an alkaline pre-treatment, the remaining fruit is neutralized and the action of enzymes on the fruit surface is reduced or completely eliminated by treating the fruit with a suitable acid. Said acid is preferably an edible acid, such as, but not limited to citric, malic, tartaric, ascorbic and the like. Phosphoric acid and hydrochloric acid can also be used. Sulfur dioxide treatment is also possible and often offers significant benefit. The amount of acid added is such that the pH value of the treated cocoa fruit is lower than a pH of 7.0, preferably a pH between 5.0 and 6.0. The next step described in the present invention involves opening the cocoa fruit and removing cocoa beans along with pulp and placenta. Opening of the cocoa pods is done by a cocoa pod splitting machine or other suitable instrument. The cocoa pod husk is shredded in any slicer or disintegrator. The object of the present invention is to develop a process to use components of separated cocoa pod shells, use mainly water extraction processes and avoid the use of organic solvents.

The first step of the process is grinding the cocoa pod shells. This step aims to obtain a very fine and homogeneous paste. Some additional treatment, such as, but not limited to, an ultrasonic or high pressure system may additionally be used to disrupt tissues and cells and to recover the intracellular liquid phase. Grinding the resulting cocoa pod husk is performed with a standard hammer mill or any other suitable grinding system. Optionally, this is done with a grinding device specialized in obtaining fine particle size distributions. The next step is enzymatic treatment. The degrading enzymes used during enzymatic treatment are those capable of degrading insoluble molecules present in cocoa pod shells, such as polysaccharides, proteins, cellulose and other insoluble components. Any degradative enzyme proven to be efficient in the art of cocoa pod husk extraction can be used in the present invention. Examples of degrading enzymes used in the art include polyphenolases, amylases, proteases, trypsin, pentosanases, glucanases, cellulases, hemicellulase, trypsin, carbohydrases, xylanases, pectinases, tannase, beta-amylase and alpha-amylase. One or more of these can be used in the enzymatic treatment of the suspension in the present invention. The present invention includes the separate and sequential treatment with different classes of enzymes. In particular, the present process comprises a first enzymatic treatment which is applied to the above described aqueous suspension of ground cocoa pod shells in water and forms a treatment with one or more enzymes that break down insoluble fibers. Said fiber degrading enzyme is preferably selected from the group consisting of cellulase and xylanase. The goal of this step is to break down insoluble fiber, which is indigestible, into soluble fiber with multiple health benefits. In another embodiment, the enzymatic treatment can be performed with one or more protein degrading enzymes. Its purpose is to break down complex proteins, which can be difficult to extract, into peptides and peptide

hydrolysates using protein degrading enzymes, e.g. proteases. A non-limiting example of such a protease is trypsin. A shortage of protein in food is becoming a global problem and there is a great need for new protein sources for human and animal consumption. Besides the isolation as natural proteins, it is possible to extract proteins in different forms from the raw material. Hydrolyzed proteins such as peptides provide improved water solubility as well as many functional and nutritional properties depending on their size, amino acid profile and composition. The protein degradation can be performed at neutral pH to solubilize most of the hydrolyzed proteins obtained by protein lysis. Optionally, this can be done under mild acidic or basic conditions, optimized to improve peptide extraction. The parameters of hydrolysis must be adapted to this enzymatic hydrolysis. The temperature is controlled to be no more than 80 ° C, preferably no more than 70 ° C, most preferably no more than 65 ° C. The pH value is in the range of pH 5-9, preferably pH 6.5-7.5. The duration of hydrolysis is 1-6 hours, preferably 1-4 hours, most preferably 2-3 hours. The concentration of the enzyme used in the enzymatic treatment will depend on its activity and also the type of conditions of the extraction process. The concentration can be optimized by the skilled person according to standard laboratory procedures. In general, the amount of enzyme used is 0.1% dry solids by weight, although higher or lower concentrations are equally possible given the many factors available. Preferably, the concentration of the enzyme is between 0.01 and 0.10% by weight of dry solids. The enzymatic treatments aimed at breaking the proteins into peptides are optionally repeated more than once, according to the present invention.

The extraction mixture is generally constantly agitated during the enzymatic treatment. This is achieved, for example, by using a stirrer, jets, an agitated vessel, or any other means known in the art.

After enzymatic treatment, the reaction can be stopped. This can be achieved, for example, by heating to an inactivation temperature (e.g. 95 ° C) or by adding an enzyme inhibitor to the mixture.

Alternatively, cocoa pod husk powder can be treated with a suitable protease, such as, but not limited to Bacillus licheniformis protease, to enhance the peptide extraction process. Said bacterial protease can be used in a concentration range determined by one of skill in the art and is generally 0.1% by weight of dry solids, although higher or lower concentrations are equally possible given the many factors available. The next step is the solubilization of the cocoa pod shell material under alkaline conditions. This treatment could be completed by adding a suitable base to adjust the pH to the range pH 7.5-11.5, preferably pH 8.5-11.0, most preferably pH 9.5 -10.5 at a temperature not higher than 85 ° C, preferably at a temperature between 60 and 70 ° C. In a preferred embodiment, a suspension of cocoa pod husk powder, 10 to 30% w / w, is subjected to mild soaking in an aqueous solution in water or water ethanol with the addition of sodium hydroxide at a concentration of 5 to 50% w / w (dry basis), for up to 2 hours, preferably for 1 hour, to carry out the claimed process. The pH value of this suspension differs per type of cocoa pod suspension. This is followed by processes in which cocoa pod shells are re-extracted and the resulting extracts are collected. Alternatively, other bases can be used in this process, but bases for adjusting the pH must be of the correct type and safe for foodstuffs. The bases used include, but are not limited to, potassium hydroxide and calcium hydroxide.

The liquid phase extract and the solid residue are separated by centrifugation, decantation or any suitable industrial method. On an industrial scale, a decanter has been adapted to clarify the liquid phase and to obtain a raw residual material with a high dry matter.

A water wash with mixing of the solid phase can be used to recover any remaining protein from the crude residue. These steps can optionally be followed by refining the raw residual material with a plate refiner. This makes it possible to reduce the volume of waste water and essentially breaks down the large fibers and facilitates their subsequent extraction.

Finished raw material obtained is optionally dispersed and homogenized to improve protein and soluble fiber extraction at this stage.

Application of alternative thermal and mechanical energy generating processes using the appropriate devices is possible, such as, but not limited to, high intensity ultrasonication, extrusion, cooked extrusion, instant decompression, and the like. These can drastically change the structure of the cocoa pod husk constituents and thereby improve their extraction. The suspension present at the end is subjected to ultrafiltration. Such ultrafiltration processes include, but are not limited to, pressure filtration, using conventional pressure filtration equipment, continuous centrifugation, using a horizontal centrifuge, and the like. A water wash with mixing of the solid phase can be used to extract any soluble components in the extract from the crude residual material.

The extracted parts are collected and excess solvent is evaporated under reduced pressure or lyophilized using a lyophilizer, or subjected to any other suitable system to obtain concentrated extract.

Cocoa pod shells are an important source of protein with a protein content ranging from 4-9% by weight on a dry basis. This implies the presence of numerous ingredients in the cocoa husk extracts, with different properties and uses. The steps of enzymatic and alkaline treatment allow the extraction of most of the protein fraction from the pod shells. Alkaline extraction also partially facilitates water-soluble fiber extraction. Still, most of the fibers should be extracted from the raw residual material during the acid treatment step. An acidic treatment can be carried out on the raw residual material obtained by centrifugation, decantation or any other suitable method. This treatment has been modified to dissolve pectin and some other water-soluble fibers. Recently, much attention has been paid to the importance of dietary fiber.

Dietary fiber is generally defined as the sum of the indigestible carbohydrates and carbohydrate components of food, including cellulose, lignin, hemicellulose, pentosan, gum and pectin. The dietary fiber market is very competitive. The production of dietary fiber-rich products from fruit by-products and the possible preparation of those fibers with other associated bioactive compounds are receiving increasing attention. While milling and enzymatic digestion are the most important steps in obtaining dietary fiber rich powders from cereals, wet milling, washing, drying and dry milling are very important in producing fiber from fruits.

The raw residual material obtained from the previous steps of the present invention is subjected to an extraction process, using a hot water in an acidic environment (pH <7.0), preferably at pH 1.5 to 6.5, with the most preferably at pH 2.5 to 4.0. Hot water extracts obtained outside of this pH range do not sufficiently exhibit the function expected as the object of the present invention. Optionally, an additional grinding step to influence hydration properties can be performed on said residual raw material, in the way that the increase in surface area leads to fibers that hydrate more quickly.

When extraction is performed in the strongly acidic pH range below pH 1.5, the dietary fiber disintegrates into a lower molecular weight and thus loses its functionality.

Since dietary fiber extracted in the alkaline range of pH 7.0 and above has a high hemicellulose content and a low content of pectinic polysaccharides containing galacturonic acid, it cannot have adequate dispersion stability of proteins in the weak acidic pH range above the isoelectric point provide. In addition, galacturonic acid methyl ester is partially decomposed, while the polysaccharides themselves are decomposed by elimination, so that adequate function is not displayed. The taste is also affected by the reaction of sugars with the protein.

The solids / extractant ratio was no more than 1: 1 w / v, preferably no more than 1:10 w / v, most preferably no more than 1:20 w / v. The acids used for the extraction procedure can be any acid suitable for use in the food industry, such as, but not limited to acetic, citric, lactic, malic, tartaric, hydrochloric, nitric, oxalic, phosphoric and sulfuric acids. In a preferred embodiment, this acid is an organic acid such as acetic, citric, lactic, malic and tartaric acids, most preferably citric acid.

The extraction temperature to obtain the water-soluble dietary fiber of the cocoa pod husk in the above pH range is preferably higher than 85 ° C under pressure. When the extraction is carried out at a temperature lower than 85 ° C, time is required for elution of the water-soluble dietary fiber, creating an economic disadvantage. On the other hand, while the extraction is completed at a higher temperature in a shorter time, too high a temperature will adversely affect the taste and color, while also resulting in reduced function due to the lower molecular weight of the water-soluble dietary fiber; the temperature is thus preferably not higher than 100 ° C.

The extraction process is carried out for a period of up to 5 hours, preferably 1.5-4 hours, most preferably 3 hours. Optionally, high pressure or any other suitable industrial method can be used to facilitate the extraction process.

According to the present invention, it is possible to further detach the cellulose and pectin molecules from the cell wall in the raw residual material by changing the pH, i.e. by treating the raw residual material for at least 2 hours at a pH lower than 3, at preferably a pH between 1 and 3, a temperature of at least 100 ° C and a pressure that is at least 1 bar higher than the ambient pressure.

In particular, it is also possible to release the cellulose and pectin molecules in the cell wall by lowering the pH, preferably by a pH between 1 and 3.

This allows the dense structure of the cell walls to loosen up, providing some additional water-soluble fiber fraction in the finished extract.

To succeed, additional energy must be applied, for example in the form of an increased temperature. Preferably, the temperature is raised to a temperature of at least 70 ° C, but not higher than 140 ° C.

Furthermore, in order to prevent the extraction mixture from boiling and thus much energy being lost and an industrial process from becoming less feasible, the pressure applied in the process is also preferably increased. In a preferred embodiment the pressure or ambient pressure applied is initially between 1 and 1.5 bar. Preferably, said applied or ambient pressure is increased during the process to a pressure between 2 and 5 bar. The terms "ambient pressure" and "applied pressure" are used synonymously herein. The next step is a separation of raw residual material and obtained water extract. The liquid phase and the solid residue can be separated by centrifugation with a decanter or sedicanter, or any other suitable instrument. This was done using a standard centrifuge for not less than 30 minutes, or other suitable system, to achieve separation of the extract (liquid fraction) and the precipitation of the crude residue. A water wash with mixing of the solid phase can be used to recover all soluble components of the crude residual material. In a preferred embodiment, raw residual material is combined with an equivalent weight of water and the mixture is recentrifuged. The resulting supernatant is mixed with the previously collected extracts. Alternatively, the water-soluble cocoa pod husk fiber can be purified through an activated carbon column for purification or other suitable purification process and then dried to obtain water-soluble dietary fiber. The obtained extract (liquid phase) contains pectin and fiber and the crude residual material contains insoluble cellulose and hemicellulose and some other insoluble fiber.

The next step involves the second enzymatic treatment applied to acidic or neutral pH to dissolve the hemicellulose and some of the cellulose.

This process makes it possible to obtain a soluble phase of polysaccharides such as xylose, with enzymes such as cellulases, hemicellulases, pectinases, amylases, β-glucanases, carbohydrases, xylanases and the like. This step is performed in mildly acidic or neutral conditions, optimized to improve the enzyme-induced fiber breakdown. The parameters of hydrolysis must be adapted to this enzymatic hydrolysis. The temperature is controlled to be no more than 80 ° C, preferably no more than 70 ° C, most preferably no more than 65 ° C. The pH value is in the range of pH 4.5-7, preferably pH 5.5-6.5. The duration of hydrolysis is 1-6 hours, preferably 1-4 hours, most preferably 2-3 hours. The concentration of enzyme used in the enzymatic treatment will depend on its activity and also the type of conditions of the extraction process. The concentration can be optimized by one skilled in the art according to standard laboratory procedures. Preferably, the enzyme concentration used is between 0.01 and 0.10% by weight of residual crude material. The enzymatic treatments aimed at breaking down the residual insoluble fiber into raw residual material are optionally repeated more than once in accordance with the present invention. The extraction mixture is continuously agitated during the enzymatic treatment. This is achieved, for example, by using an agitator, jets, an agitated vessel, or any other means known in the art. After enzymatic treatment, the reaction can be stopped. This can be achieved, for example, by heating to an inactivation temperature (e.g. 95 ° C) or by adding an enzyme inhibitor to the mixture.

The cocoa pod shell extract obtained after extraction can be further treated to remove mineral components (desalination) by electrodialysis, ion exchange resin treatment or the like, and further purification of said extract can be obtained by conducting ultrafiltration, activated carbon treatment or resin treatment , or precipitation treatment with a solvent such as ethanol or isopropanol, to remove the hydrophobic or low molecular weight (for purification) substances, after which it can be concentrated under vacuum or any suitable method. Said extract can be further purified by removing the low molecular weight color components or bad tasting components (purification) through UF membrane or ceramic filter separation.

Optionally, a step of precipitating water-soluble cocoa pod husk fiber can be performed with alcohol, preferably ethanol. Water-soluble cocoa pod husk dietary fibers are mixed with the alcohol and the precipitate is collected using a simple decantation process. After the precipitate has been collected, the extract is washed again with ethanol at concentrations of 80%, 90% and 99% v / v, if necessary. After adding 85% ethanol to precipitate a cocoa pod husk water-soluble dietary fiber extract to a concentration of 50% of water-soluble dietary fiber, in a preferred embodiment, the precipitate is successively washed again with ethanol in the same manner and air dried to dissolve in water. to obtain soluble dietary fiber, especially enriched with pectin. The precipitation process and washing with ethanol can be repeated until a precipitate with suitable characteristics is obtained. The precipitation temperature is not more than 85 ° C, preferably not more than 70 ° C, most preferably the precipitation temperature is 60 ° C.

The precipitated water-soluble cocoa pod husk fiber can be collected as a precipitate, or dissolved in a sufficient amount of water, and then added to the collected cocoa pod husk extract.

All liquid extracts collected during the described process are finally combined to obtain a cocoa pod husk extract. Optionally obtained fractions of said cocoa pod husk extract can be used separately, if appropriate for a specific use. The excess solvent contained in the obtained extracts is removed by heating, vacuum evaporation or any other suitable method therefor. Said method of solvent removal is evaporation by a vacuum pump, lyophilization, or any other suitable process. The final product of cocoa pod shell extraction is preferably a dry cocoa pod extract.

The present invention describes cocoa pod husk extract obtained from cocoa pod husks, characterized by a high yield, said yield being higher than 15% by weight, preferably higher than 25%, most preferably more than 30% by weight, calculated on the basis of the weight of dried cocoa pod shells.

Cocoa pod husk extract according to the present invention is characterized by a protein content of not less than 10% by weight, preferably not less than 15% by weight, most preferably not less than 20% by weight of said dry cocoa pod extract.

The extract obtained by the present invention is characterized by the high level of water-soluble dietary fiber.

Said water soluble dietary fiber includes, but is not limited to, pectin, xylo-oligosaccharides, galactomannans, glucomannans, dietary fibers obtained as breakdown products of hemicellulose and the like.

Pectin obtainable from cocoa pod shells of the present invention is characterized by a high galacturonic acid, a very low degree of methyl esterification and a high degree of acetylation.

Said cocoa pod husk extract is characterized by a soluble fiber content of not less than wt%, preferably not less than 25 wt%, most preferably not less than 30 wt% of said extract. Water-soluble dietary fibers from cocoa pod shells according to the present invention include pectin, characterized by a low degree of methyl esterification.

The said degree of methyl esterification does not exceed 40%, preferably 10-30%, most preferably 10-15%. The degree of esterification influences the physical properties of pectin: emulsion formation, surface tension, tissue stabilization and gel characteristics.

Depending on their degree of methyl esterification (DE), pectins are referred to as high methyl esterified pectins or high metoxy pectins (DM> 50%) or low methyl esterified (methoxy) pectins (DE <50%). Highly methyl esterified pectins form gels in an acidic medium (pH 2.0-3.5) when sucrose is present at a concentration greater than 55% by weight. Low-methyl esterified (methoxy) pectins can gel over a wider pH range (2.0-6.0) in the presence of a divalent ion, such as calcium.

In this case, the presence of sucrose is not necessary for the gel to form.

Pectins with a low degree of methyl esterification are particularly suitable for making low sugar confectionery such as, but not limited to, jams and various fruit preparations, as well as in acidic protein food products such as yogurt, chocolate milk and milk drinks for use in the food industry. Thus, water-soluble cocoa pod husk dietary fiber comprising pectin characterized by a low degree of methyl esterification is suitable for the low sugar confectionery products as well as protein drinks. Water-soluble cocoa pod husk dietary fibers of the present invention include pectin, characterized by a high degree of acetyl esterification. The said degree of acetylation is 20-60%, preferably 30-60%, most preferably 40-60%. Acetylation, like methylation, decreases the affinity of pectin for cations, which affects the gelling ability of pectin. Furthermore, it has an effect on surface activity, emulsion stability and viscosity of compositions comprising said pectin. The content of galacturonic acid in said pectin is not less than 50% by weight, preferably not less than 60% by weight, and most preferably not less than 65% by weight.

An increase in the acidity (i.e., a decrease in pH) of the water extraction can affect the galacturone content at the end of this process. In addition, acid type and concentration influence the yield, physiochemical and functional properties of pectin. Galacturonic acid content was measured by Blumenkrantz method and neutral sugars were measured by GLC as alditol acetates. However, the water-soluble dietary fiber of the cocoa pod husk consists of galactose, rhamnose, glucose, mannose, ribose, inositol, myo-inositol, moisture (up to 20% by weight), (glucurono-) arabinoxylans (GIcA, Ara and Xyl), galactan (Gal), mannan (Man). Most notable are the high amount of arabinoxylans (present at a concentration of at least 3% by weight of the disclosed water-soluble cocoa husk husk dietary fibers) that can be used as prebiotics. The cocoa pod shell extract obtained according to the present invention is characterized by a xylo-oligosaccharide content of at least 0.1% by weight, preferably at least 1.5% by weight of the dry weight of the cocoa pod shell extract. The cocoa pod husk obtained according to the present invention

extract is characterized by a galactomannan content of at least 0.1% by weight, preferably at least 1.5% by weight of the dry weight of the cocoa pod husk extract.

The cocoa pod husk extract obtained according to the present invention is characterized by a glucomannan content of at least 0.1 wt.%, Preferably at least 1.5 wt.% Of the dry weight of cocoa pod husk extract.

Xylo-oligosaccharides selectively feed beneficial bacteria such as bifidobacteria and lactobacilli into the digestive tract.

A large number of clinical studies have been conducted with xylo-oligosaccharides showing a variety of health benefits, including improvements in blood sugars and lipids, digestive benefits, defecation, and beneficial changes in immune markers.

These health benefits are usually seen at 1 - 4 g / day, which is a lower dose than required for prebiotics such as fructooligosaccharides and inulin.

Glucomannan is a dietary fiber.

Glucomannan is used orally for constipation, weight loss, diabetes, high cholesterol, overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism), high blood pressure, and stomach disorders called dumping syndrome and functional gastrointestinal disorders.

In food products, glucomannan is used as a thickener or gelling agent.

Glucommanan flour and powder are used in food.

Likewise, as dietary fiber, galactomannans are often used in… - food products to increase the viscosity of the water phase.

The present invention aims to produce a low cost cocoa pod husk extract, characterized by the additional health benefits (prebiotic), higher market price setting and functionality of ingredients.

The above soluble fibers are particularly suitable for use in fat-based dispersions and have a low impact on adhesion and graininess.

Antioxidants show health benefits and protective effects against a variety of free radical induced pathologies.

Several studies provide evidence for the health benefit potential of cocoa bean polyphenols, and other anti-cancer antioxidants have been widely reviewed. In contrast, works on the antioxidant properties of the components of cocoa pod shells are quite sparse.

In the present invention, polyphenols are detected in remarkable amounts in the cocoa pod shell. The polyphenol content is particularly high in the outermost layer of the cocoa pod shell, which significantly increases the total polyphenol content in the cocoa pod shell extract obtained by processing unpeeled hulls. Cocoa podshell polyphenols of the invention are extracted by suitable solvent extraction techniques. As the extraction solvent, any suitable polar water-miscible solvent can be used, including but not limited to methanol, ethanol and acetone, their mixtures and the like. The extracts are prepared using short extraction times and mild temperature conditions as appropriate. The resulting extracts are typically centrifuged, filtered and the solvent is evaporated in vacuo or freeze-dried. Such polyphenol-enriched extracts can be further purified; for example, by gel permeation chromatography or by preparative High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) techniques or by a combination of such techniques. The total content of the polyphenols can be determined spectrophotometrically using the FC reagent or by any other suitable method, including but not limited to HPLC. The biological activity of the extracts can be attributed to cocoa polyphenol (s) such as flavanols. These cocoa flavanols such as procyanidins have significant anti-cancer, anti-tumor or anti-neoplastic activity and cocoa pod husk powder of the invention is a suitable raw material for pharmaceutical compositions targeting these activities. Such polyphenol-rich extracts are particularly suitable for the production of functional foods and pharmaceutical compositions. An extract obtained in an optimized process for full utilization of cocoa pod shells is characterized by a moisture content of less than 10%, a polyphenol content preferably of at least 40 mg / g, preferably of 70 mg / g, most preferably of at least 90 mg / g, a soluble fiber content of not less than 20% by weight and a protein content of not less than 10% by weight of the total weight of said extract.

In a preferred embodiment, said extract is purified resulting in a polyphenol content of at least 200 mg / g, preferably above 260 mg / g and most preferably above 300 mg / g.

The method for optimizing the full utilization of the extraction is particularly suitable for obtaining macro compounds or composite compounds, such as but not limited to proteins and protein hydrolysates, such as amino acids, peptides; pectin; soluble fiber; insoluble fiber; carbohydrate; oligosaccharide; xylose; hemicellulose; sugars, such as, but not limited to fructose, sucrose, glucose, and the like; sugar syrup; cellulose; lignin; polyphenols; flavanols, minerals (ash), aroma extract and the like. In a preferred embodiment, the extract obtainable by the method of the invention is subjected to a demineralization process. The enzymatic and alkaline / acidic extraction yields the extract, comprising proteins and protein lysates, polyphenols and soluble fibers. However, the said extract is rich in ashes. For a demineralization, to reduce the ash content, a suitable technique such as, but not limited to nanofiltration, electrodialysis and resin purification can be used without departing from the scope of the present invention.

The present invention is directed to processing the cocoa placenta. After opening the pods, cocoa pulp, cocoa beans along with cocoa pod shells are removed, while cocoa placenta can be scraped or removed from the inside of cocoa pod husk by any kind of scraper, knife, rollers, rubber discs and the like. The placenta is ground using any suitable grinding system and the powder is extracted with water in a mildly acidic or mildly alkaline environment, at a temperature controlled not to exceed 80 ° C, preferably not to exceed 70 ° C , most preferably no higher than 65 ° C. The pH value is in the range of pH 5-9, preferably pH 6.5-7.5. The extraction time is 1-6 hours, preferably 1-4 hours, most preferably 2-3 hours. The extraction of cocoa placenta is performed in the presence of one or more protein degrading enzymes, preferably selected from the group comprising proteases, such as, but not limited to trypsin, exoproteases, endoproteases and the like. This process aims to increase the peptide content in the cocoa placenta extract. This step is aimed at degradation of proteins into peptides and peptide hydrolysates, using protein degrading enzymes, e.g. proteases. The protein lysis can be used at neutral pH to solubilize most of the peptide hydrolysates obtained thereby. Optionally, this can be done in mildly acidic or alkaline conditions, optimized to improve the extraction of peptides.

The obtained extract is separated from the residual crude material by filtration, centrifugation and decantation, or any other suitable treatment thereof, to remove water-insoluble residual crude material.

Protein deficiency in food is becoming a global problem and there is a great need for new protein sources for human and animal consumption. Proteins in hydrolyzed form such as peptides have better water solubility as well as many functional and nutritional benefits depending on their size, amino acid profile and composition.

Cocoa placenta is a good protein source, with a protein content of not less than 10% by weight, preferably not less than 15% by weight on dry matter. Sugars represent not less than 15% by weight dry matter, preferably not less than 20% by weight dry matter, while the polyphenol content is not less than 0.2% by weight; preferably not less than 0.4% by weight.

Thus, the cocoa placenta extract obtained according to the invention is a new source of cocoa peptides, soluble fibers and sugars, but also polyphenols.

The proposed industrial methods of the present invention describe a stable, inexpensive and environmentally friendly method to make full use of the cocoa by-products and to obtain products with a stable and pleasant fragrance and chemical composition suitable for use as functional food ingredients in food formulations.

The term "functional foodstuff", as used herein, means a foodstuff that obtains an additional function, that is, a foodstuff designed to have physiological benefits and / or reduce the risk of chronic disease beyond basic nutritional functions, and that there are may look the same as a conventional food and be consumed as part of a normal diet.

The cocoa pod shell extract according to the invention is characterized by a high content of nutrients such as, but not limited to, dietary fiber, sugars, peptides and other protein lysate products and polyphenols. Therefore, said extract is suitable for use in food applications, especially food compositions and chocolate.

Said extract can be used in a food product with any other suitable food ingredient. This extract is green, without artificial sweeteners and is characterized by a mild cocoa aroma.

The present invention describes the cocoa pod husk extract which can be used for nutritional composition rich in dietary fiber. Said extract is characterized by a solubility in aqueous solvent at a temperature of 20 ° C of at least 50% by weight, preferably 75% by weight, most preferably 90% by weight. As such, said extract can be used as a dietary fiber source in food when it is used in concentrations of 5-40%, preferably 5-30%, most preferably 10-25% by weight of the final food product. Compared to products of the prior art, the cocoa pod husk extract of the present invention is characterized by an increased dietary fiber weight ratio, which allows consumption of high percentages of dietary fiber without the disadvantage of high caloric intake. Said extract of the present invention is improved over the products of the prior art, which were attempts to mask the fibrous, rough mouthfeel texture of dietary fibers. While the prior art typically masked the unpleasant fiber taste with fats and carbohydrates, the present invention uses cocoa by-products as a source of dietary fiber concentrates with the pleasant taste, which can mask even the taste of insoluble fiber in finished food products. Thus, the present invention provides new dietary fiber compositions obtained from cocoa by-products in an inexpensive and green way. Said cocoa pod husk extract according to the present invention is particularly suitable for enriching drinks and syrups, in particular milk drinks, chocolate milk, yoghurt, pudding, sports and nutritional shakes and the like.

Compared to other fiber-rich cocoa products previously described, the present invention describes the cocoa pod shell extract which is rich in polyphenols such as proanthocyanidins, flavanols and clovamide. The disclosed combination of dietary fiber and polyphenols provides the health, nutritional and / or functional benefits of the compositions, essentially comprising cocoa pod husk extract, of the present invention. Said extract is a suitable functional nutritional ingredient that can be used for health benefits related to polyphenol content, such as, but not limited to, cardio, vaso and hepato protection, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer activities.

Described cocoa pod husk extract suitable for food applications as a bulk ingredient. The present invention describes the cocoa pod husk extract rich in peptides and other protein lysates, which is suitable for use as a protein source in food products such as, but not limited to, chocolate, milk products and milk replacement drinks, sports drinks, shakes, ice creams, dressings, fruits. and vegetable concentrates and the like. Said cocoa pod husk extract can be used in concentrations of 5-40% by weight, preferably 5-30% by weight and most preferably 10-25% by weight of the weight of the finished food product. The finished product is characterized by a natural and pleasant aroma, mild sweetness and a green label. The cocoa pod husk extract according to the invention allows the minimization of the content or the total replacement of artificial additives, preservatives, sweeteners, and the like. Food products mainly comprising said extract represent vegan and kosher alternatives to animal products.

The cocoa pod husk extract obtained according to the present invention is a good stabilizer and it can serve as a stabilizing agent in various products such as, but not limited to confectionery, chocolate, milk drinks, yogurt, fruit juices, fruit concentrates, dressings, sauces, creams and the like. . Said extract is particularly suitable as a dispersion stabilizer in drinks and syrups, because it is characterized by good solubility in water. The cocoa pod husk extract obtained according to the present invention can be used in a concentration of 0.2-30.0 wt%, preferably 0.2-10.0 wt%, most preferably 0.2-5, 0% by weight in said food product to exert a stabilizing effect.

The cocoa pod husk extract is particularly efficient when used as a stabilizer in sour dairy drinks. Said extract uses its function of stabilizing dispersion of proteins at a pH range below the isoelectric point, but also at a pH above the isoelectric point, in a state of higher viscosity, which makes it possible to produce food products, with acidic proteins, which are stable in a pH range above the isoelectric point, which is not possible due to commercially obtained pectin or other green stabilizers described in the prior art.

For the high dietary fiber content, the cocoa pod husk extract according to the invention is also a good thickener, which increases the viscosity of the composition. The cocoa pod husk extract has thickening properties, so it is a good substitute for "unclean" thickeners (eg carrageenan). Said cocoa pod husk extract can be used in an amount of about 0.2-30.0% by weight and preferably 0.2-20.0% by weight with respect to the final food product, but this range is not limiting for the scope of the invention, as it will vary depending on differences in protein concentration. Said cocoa pod husk extract makes it possible to prepare said food protein products together with conventional stabilizers, for example polysaccharides such as pectins, water soluble soybean polysaccharides, carboxymethylcellulose sodium, alginic acid propylene glycol ester, carrageenan, furcellan, tamarind seed polysaccharides gum, guar gum, caraway gum , tragacanth, pullulan, gellan gum, native gellan gum, gum arabic, dextrin, cyclodextrin, agar, microcrystalline cellulose, xanthan, processed starch and the like, or hydrolysates thereof, gelatin, organic acid salts, polymerization phosphoric acid salts, emulsifiers, heat denatured proteins and the like , which can lead to an increase in the stable pH range.

The cocoa pod husk extract can be used in common dairy products such as, but not limited to milk, whole milk powder, skimmed milk powder, cream, butter, whole condensed milk, condensed skimmed milk, processed milk powder, chocolate milk and the like.

The cocoa pod husk extract obtained according to the present invention can be used as a substitute for cocoa powder in foods. The use of said cocoa pod husk extract will allow reduction of the cocoa powder to

30 wt%, preferably up to 50 wt%, most preferably up to 60 wt% in the finished food product. The taste of the food product mainly comprising the extract of the present invention will be characterized by a mild and pleasant cocoa aroma. Alternatively, a specific aroma can be obtained from flavorings, which can be used as a flavor source. These flavors can be selected from synthetic flavor oils and flavor aromatics, and / or oils, oleoresins and natural extracts derived from plants, leaves, flowers, fruits, etc., and combinations thereof. These flavors are generally liquids which allow easy and complete miscibility of the flavor in the cocoa pod shell extract of the present invention. When used as a flavoring agent, said cocoa pod husk extract can be used in concentrations of 1-30% by weight, preferably 5-25% by weight, most preferably 10-20% by weight.

The compositions comprising mainly from the cocoa pod husk extract obtained according to the present invention can serve as prebiotics, for the presence of water soluble fiber such as xylo-oligosaccharides. Xylo-oligosaccharides are sugar oligomers consisting of xylose units, which occur naturally in food products such as fruits, vegetables, milk and honey. The sweetness of xylobiosis is equal to 30% of that of sucrose and the sweetness of other xylo-oligosaccharides is moderate and does not have an unpleasant taste. Xylo-oligosaccharides are stable over a wide range of pH values, especially in the acidic range, even at the relatively low gastric juice pH and temperatures (up to 100 ° C). As food ingredients, oligosaccharides have an acceptable odor and are low-calorie ingredients, permitting their use in anti-obesity diets. In food processing, xylo-oligosaccharides show advantages over inulin in terms of resistance to both acids and heat, allowing them to be used in low pH juices and carbonated drinks. The health effects of xylo-oligosaccharides are mainly related to their effects on the gastrointestinal flora. The administration of xylo-oligosaccharides resulted in increased amounts of Bifidobacterium spp. in the gastrointestinal tract, while Staphylococcus, Escherichia coli and many Clostridium spp. cannot use xylo-oligosaccharides. The present invention describes the cocoa pod husk extract that can be used as a natural source of xylo-oligosaccharides suitable for incorporation into food ingredients even at high concentrations, up to 30.0% by weight of the resulting food product.

The invention is further described by the following non-limiting examples which further illustrate the invention, and are not intended to, nor should they be construed as limiting the scope of protection.

EXAMPLES The present invention will now be further illustrated by the following examples.

The present invention is by no means limited to the following examples or preferred embodiments set forth in the text.

On the contrary, described products, methods and uses according to the present invention can be realized in many different ways without departing from the scope of the invention.

Example 1: Cocoa pod husk extract: Cocoa pod husks with husks (25 kg) were de-bacterized and opened to remove cocoa pulp, placenta and beans.

The remaining pod husk was shredded in a disintegrator and dried at 55 ° C.

A standard hammer mill was used to grind the shells into a powder.

Cocoa pod husk powder was dissolved with stirring in 100 kg of water in a batch reactor.

The temperature was raised to 65 ° C, the pH was adjusted to 6.5 with citric acid and 40 g trypsin was added.

The trypsinization was the cocoa pod husk powder for 2 hours with continuous mild stirring.

Then the temperature was lowered to 45 ° C and 40g endoprotease was added.

After reacting again for 2 hours with stirring, the temperature was raised again to 67.5 ° C, the pH to 7.0 with NaOH. 40g of exopeptidase was added and cocoa pod husk solution was treated for an additional 2 hours.

The mixture was then cooled.

The mixture was subjected to mild immersion in an aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide (10.12 kg sodium hydroxide in 135 kg water concentrated from 7.5 wt% dry basis). The solution was stirred vigorously and heated to 80 ° C, not exceeding a temperature increase of 2 ° C per minute.

The reaction temperature of 80 ° C was maintained for 1 hour.

After this digestion period, the solution was cooled to 60 ° C.

The resulting material was further washed and water was drained off until the pH was adjusted to 8 to 9. The washing and filtering steps were repeated once.

The water extracts were separated by centrifugation and collected and crude residual material was further subjected to an acidic extraction.

Before acid extraction, the crude residual material was refined with a plate refiner and the refined crude material was further dispersed.

The step of homogenizing the dispersed refined material under high pressure was performed. Crude residual material (solid) and liquids were further separated by means of pressure filtration (variation of 3 bar). The collected crude residual material was subjected to mild extraction in hot water with added citric acid to adjust a pH value to 2.5 (1:25 (w / v)). The first part was extracted at a temperature of 95 ° C for a period of 3 hours to obtain a water-soluble fraction of cocoa pod husk. After the extraction, the phases were separated by centrifugation. The extract (liquid phase is collected with the previous extracts, while the crude residual material is further treated). Then the temperature was adjusted to 50 ° C and pH 6.5 and 40 g cellulase, 40 g B-glucosidase and 40 g xylanase were added. After an additional 2 hours, the solution was heated to 60 ° C for 1 hour. After stirring the solution at high speed for homogenization, crude residual material (solid) and liquids were further separated by pressure filtration (variation of 3 bar). Collected water extracts were combined with the previously recovered parts, and the excess solvent was removed by lyophilization. The resulting dry matter was the cocoa pod husk extract according to the invention. Example 2: Composition of cocoa pod husk extract A measured amount (100 g) of cocoa pod husk extract was dried overnight in an oven at 75 ° C to analyze the dry matter content. The analysis was repeated 3 times. The preliminary analyzes for major ingredients showed the following composition of cocoa pod husk extract according to the present invention: 15.9 + 0.2 wt% moisture, 5.4 + 0.2 wt% ash, 26.5 + 0.1 % by weight protein components (peptides), lipids 0.3% 0.1% by weight and carbohydrates 51.8 + 0.3% by weight (soluble fibers 36.5 + 0.2% by weight, sugars 15.2 +0.1 wt%).

Example 3: Extraction of Cocoa Pod Shells Using Mechanically Assisted Extraction Methods. Table 1. The extraction conditions used in water extraction of cocoa pod shells. US ultrasound-assisted extraction; MICROWAVE microwave-assisted extraction.

penses Weather OL Wetser © m (matrix) [91 2020 ee EEE Tempest

ON EE EE Power 200 W, 241665 OO 1000W 7 Table 2. Composition of the cocoa pod husk extract obtained by an ultrasound-assisted extraction, under conditions shown in Table 1. The extraction yield was 23.6% by weight.

HEE per extract mg mg extract Total carbohydrate content 3480 348.02 Fat # 0.08 | 0.80 # Water content BO Ne OO EEEN LO Table 3. Composition of the cocoa pod husk extract obtained by a microwave-assisted extraction, under conditions shown in Table 1. The extraction yield was 20.0% by weight.

9 HUSK-MICROWAVE% per extract: mg / g extract Total carbohydrate content 3003 309.28 A a

Example 4: Extraction of cocoa pod shells in the process of the invention.

Acid extraction: ground cocoa pod husk was suspended in 20 g of L * citric acid.

A total of 9.5 kg of cocoa pod shells was added to 95 liters of citric acid for optimal extraction, but also to reduce the viscosity of the liquid.

The pH was 3 and the material was stirred at 80 ° C for 90 minutes.

After cooling to room temperature, the material was screened with a large stainless steel kitchen strainer.

About 36 kg of solid (wet) material was obtained.

The liquid containing small particles was centrifuged and an additional 7 kg of solid (wet) material was obtained.

Enzymatic treatment was performed on the solid material.

The liquid stream (pH 3.2) was concentrated by nanofiltration.

Extract handling: Nanofiltration and diafiltration were performed with a cut-off at 1 kDa (2 x 3.25 m2 GE Healthcare UFP-1-C-55 hollow fiber membrane) to concentrate the extraction liquid.

The conductivity was 166 HS cmt at the beginning. Subsequently, diafiltration with demineralised water removed most of the salts and at the end the conductivity was 120 µS cm², however the final volume was reduced to 62 liters.

1/3 of this material was immediately lyophilized and 2/3 was used for ethanol precipitation.

The ethanol concentration was performed in 63% (v / v) ethanol.

The material was centrifuged and the pellet dried at 30 ° C.

The bottom solid material was browner / black after drying than the top float material after ethanol precipitation.

The ethanol precipitation yielded a total of 383 grams of solid material.

Lyophilization resulted in 451 grams of solid material.

Enzymatic treatment of the solids.

Part of the resulting solid material (7.08 kg) was treated with cellulase (total amount added 200 ml Celluclast 1.5 L) and B-glucosidase (total amount added 1 g) to remove cellulose to obtain arabinoxylan-enriched material. to gain.

The solids were suspended in water and the pH was adjusted to pH 4.9-5.0 with NaOH.

Then the enzymes were added at t = 0, and an additional amount was added at t = 5 hours, along with some additional water.

The total reaction was carried out at 50 ° C for 23 hours.

After this, the suspension was centrifuged and the supernatant was lyophilized.

Composition of the obtained cocoa husk extracts: Dry matter and ash content.

The dry matter content was determined gravimetrically by heating at 105 ° C for 16 hours.

The samples were cooled in a desiccator to room temperature (RT) and the weight of the samples determined.

Subsequently, the (dried) samples were heated from 105 ° C to 550 ° C within 4 hours and were kept at 550 ° C for 4 hours.

After this, the samples were cooled to 105 ° C and stored in a desiccator to cool to room temperature. The weight of the samples was determined to calculate the ash content. For determination of the ash content without carbonates, the samples were heated from 105 ° C to 900 ° C within 4 hours and held at 900 ° C for 4 hours. The samples were cooled to 105 ° C and stored in a desiccator to cool to room temperature before measuring the weight of the samples. All measurements were performed in triplicate.

Protein determination. The nitrogen content was determined by Kjeldahl (Safi et al., 2017) and a nitrogen-to-protein factor of 6.25 was used. Carbohydrate analysis. Lyophilized samples were hydrolyzed in sulfuric acid to their monomeric units according to Seaman et al. (Saeman, Moore, Mitchell & Millett, 1954). The material was hydrolyzed in 72% (w / w) H 2 SO 4 at 30 ° C for 1 hour and then water was added to reach 1 M H 2 SO 4. The mixture was incubated at 100 ° C for 3 hours. After hydrolysis, the samples were cooled on ice and centrifuged briefly. The supernatants were diluted and 2.5 µL of 0.1% (w / v) bromophenol blue in ethanol was added to one mL of diluted sample. The pH was adjusted with barium carbonate until a clear blue color was obtained. The remaining solution was filtered through a 0.45 µm PFTE filter. The amount of monomeric sugars was measured by high performance anion exchange chromatography (HPAEC) using an ICS-5000 ion chromatography HPLC system equipped with a CarboPac PA-1 column (2 x 250 mm) in combination with a CarboPac PA guard column (2 x 25 mm) and a pulsed electrochemical detector in pulsed amperometric detection mode (Dionex, Sunnyvale, USA). A flow rate of 0.3 mL min! was used and the column was equilibrated with H 2 O. Elution was performed as follows: 0-53 min H2O, 53-63 min 150 mM NaOH, 63-63.1 min gradient from 150 mM to 500 MM NaOH, 63.1-78 min 500 mM NaOH, 78-83 min a gradient from 500 mm NaOH to H 2 O, 83-100 min Hz0. Detection of the monomers was possible after the post-column addition of 0.5 M sodium hydroxide (0.1 mL min-1). Deoxygalactose was used as an internal standard. The column temperature was 17 ° C. All measurements were made in duplicate. The composition of the CPH and its extracts are shown in Table 4. Meaning of the abbreviation CPH cocoa pod shells. An indication of the cellulose content can be determined by subtracting the obtained carbohydrate content after the hydrolysis treatment from the pretreatment and the hydrolysis treatment. For this batch it is approximately 12.8% (w / w) dry matter cellulose. Comparison of the precipitated ethanol samples shows that the amount of carbohydrates is more or less comparable. Cellulose is only present in cocoa pod husk, the cellulase residue, and in the Cellulase extract.

Table 4. Content (% w / w) of cocoa pod husks and extracts thereof. 2 Based on dry matter content.

The values in brackets obtained after only 1 M H 2 SO 4 hydrolysis. Cellulose is not defined here. The amount of carbohydrates (carbohydrate composition) by% (w / w) dry matter is shown in Tables 5-7.

Table 5. Carbohydrate composition? of cocoa pod shells and extracts thereof after 1 M H2SO, 4 hydrolysis (% w / w dry matter).

8 Fuc is fucose, Ara is arabinose, Rha is rhamnose, Gal is galactose, Glc is glucose, Xyl is xylose, Man is mannose, GlcNac is N-acetylglucosamine, GalA is galacturonic acid and GICA is glucuronic acid.

Table 6. Carbohydrate composition? of cocoa pod shells and extracts thereof after pre-treatment and 1 M H2SO, 4 hydrolysis (% w / w dry matter).

Fuc is fucose, Ara is arabinose, Rha is rhamnose, Gal is galactose, Glc is glucose, Xyl is xylose, Man is mannose, GlcNac is N-acetylglucosamine, GalA is galacturonic acid and GICA is glucuronic acid.

Example 5: Dietary fiber rich cocoa drink made with the cocoa pod husk extract The amount of 5 kg of the cocoa pod husk extract obtained in Example 1 was mixed with 3 kg of cocoa powder (10-12 wt% fat) and 22 kg of fine sugar, and 365 L of skimmed milk. The mixture was stirred and a homogenizer was used for homogenization at 150 kgf / cm2 and sterilized (121 ° C for 30 minutes). The resulting drink was divided into portions of 500 ml each, and stored in sealed containers for consumption. The final product was evaluated by panelists (15) along with regular chocolate milk (Cecemel, Campina). Panelist rated the resulting dietary fiber-rich cocoa drink as a very pleasant tasting drink, which is different from regular chocolate milk because of its milder and more refreshing cocoa flavor, and slightly reduced sweetness.

Example 6:

A yogurt drink containing the cocoa pod husk extract. The cocoa pod husk extract as obtained in Example 1 was used to confirm the protein dispersion stabilization at pH 4.5 in the sour milk drink (yogurt), and as a reference, the stabilizer was replaced with commercially available apple pectin.

After mixing with cooling 20 parts of a 10% stabilizing solution containing either cocoa pod husk extract or 1% commercially available apple pectin, 10 parts of a 35% sugar solution, and 20 parts of an 8% skimmed milk powder solution, a 50% citric acid solution was added dropwise. was added to adjust the pH to 5.0, and a homogenizer was used for homogenization at 150 kgf / cm2 to prepare a sour milk drink.

The yogurt samples containing the cocoa pod husk extract as a stabilizer were confirmed to exhibit protein dispersion stabilization in the full acidic pH range above pH 4.5, which is the isoelectric point of milk protein. In addition, the viscosities of the yogurt were high and the drinks had a full texture.

The sour milk drinks containing apple-derived commercially available pectin as the stabilizer showed absolutely no protein dispersion stabilization in the acidic pH range above pH 4.5, which is the isoelectric point of milk protein. The viscosity was high and the texture was lumpy and gelatinous, substantially different from the products prepared with the cocoa pod husk extract of the invention. The yogurt drink comprising the cocoa pod husk extract of the invention was stable, with no visible aggregation or distribution of phases, preventing any form of liquid accumulation on top of the yogurt surface. Yogurt was thick and scoopable rather than soft and pourable, and the taste was sweet, mild, and pleasant.

Example 7: A milk drink with the cocoa pod husk extract according to the invention as a substitute for cocoa bean powder. The cocoa pod husk extract obtained in Example 1 was used to prepare chocolate drink. As a control drink, a drink was made which did not contain a reduced amount of cocoa bean powder.

Specifically, 5 kg of water was mixed with 0.5 kg of the cocoa pod husk extract of the invention, 0.2 kg of cocoa bean powder and 0.5 kg of skimmed milk powder. As a control drink, 5 kg of water was mixed with 0.5 kg of cocoa bean powder, 0.7 kg of sugar and 0.5 kg of skimmed milk powder and 0.1 of suitable stabilizer (lecithin). Both mixtures were heated to 80 ° C with stirring with a homomixer for pre-emulsification, after which it was homogenized under a pressure of 150 kgf / cm 2 using a homogenizer. It was then filled into a bottle and sterilized at 121 ° C for 30 minutes to obtain a chocolate drink. The resulting chocolate drinks were allowed to stand at normal temperature for 1 week and were inspected for stability. The drink prepared using cocoa pod husk extract of the invention and the control drink gave satisfactory results, with no precipitation, top separation, aggregation and other signs of phase distribution observed. The bottles were open and tested by panelists (15). No significant difference in the flavors of the drinks was observed, although the control drink was evaluated for 8 panelists to have a slightly sweeter taste.

Example 8: Dark chocolate with cocoa pod husk extract according to the invention Mixture of 1 kg cocoa pod husk extract of the invention, obtained according to Example 5 and 0.5 kg cocoa powder with 20.0 kg of cocoa butter, with 0.5 kg of cocoa mass 20.5 kg white sugar, 1.0 kg whole milk powder and 50 g lecithin were added to a mixing vessel.

In the other vessel 1.0 kg cocoa powder was mixed with 2.0 kg cocoa butter, 1.0 kg cocoa mass, 3.8 kg white sugar, 1.0 kg whole milk powder and 50 g lecithin. Listed ingredients of both chocolate blends were added to a mixing vessel and stirred under moderate shear to produce a homogeneous blend.

The resulting fine powder was transferred to a concher and then treated like conventional chocolate. Both resulting chocolate swatches are hardened and molded in the regular chocolate devices.

Both chocolate end products obtained by the present invention had a very pleasant taste and quality (15 panelists). The difference in sweetness was not observed by 12 of the 15 panelists, although chocolate comprising cocoa pod husk extract according to the invention had a reduced sugar content. In addition, the addition of the cocoa pod husk extract according to the invention allows a reduction in the sugar content or reduction of other ingredient concentrations for the purpose of improving the nutritional value and / or functionality of the chocolate, and / or saving costs.

It is believed that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and that some modifications or changes may be made to the described examples without revaluing the appended claims.

Claims (11)

CONCLUSIONS A method for optimizing the full utilization of cocoa pod shells comprising the steps of de-bacterizing the pod surface and opening the cocoa pods, separating the cocoa pod shells from cocoa pulp, cocoa placenia, cocoa beans and cocoa bean hulls, and drying the separated cocoa pod shells to separate and dried cocoa pod shells are further processed by a method comprising the steps of a) grinding the 19 cocoa pods; b) optional acidic extraction; c} a first enzymatic treatment; d} alkaline solubilization; e) a first decantation with centrifuge; f) refiltration; g) acid extraction; h} a second decantation with centrifuge; |) a second enzymatic treatment; |} ultrafiltration and exiraci purification; K} concentration of the extract; |) drying the concentrated extract. a. Process according to claim 1, wherein the total use yield is greater than 80% by weight, preferably greater than 85% by weight, and even more preferably greater than 90% by weight, based on the weight of the dried cocoa pod husk. The method of claims 1 to 2, wherein the insoluble residual product is further processed by a method comprising bacterialization and alkalization steps. The method of claim 1, wherein said (c) primary enzymatic treatment comprises treatment with one or more elwil-breaking enzymes. The method of claim 1, wherein said (d) alkaline solubilization comprises the step of treating the cocoa pod shells with a suitable base at pH 7.5-11.5 and a temperature of no more than 85 ° C for no longer than 2 hour. The method of claim 1, wherein said {g} acidic extraction comprises the limitation of treating cocoa pod shells at pH 1.5-6.5, at a temperature range of 85 ° C to 100 ° C for no more than 4 hours. The method of claim 1, wherein said (1) second enzymatic treatment comprises treatment with an enzyme to lyse polysaccharides. The method of claim 1, wherein said enzyme is xylanase, cellulase or B-glucanase. Extract obtained from cocoa pod shells in a method according to claims 1-8, characterized by a moisture content of less than 10% by weight, polyphenol content of preferably at least 40 mg / g, preferably at least 70 mg / g, even more at preferably at least 90 mg / g, soluble fiber content not less than 20% by weight and protein content not less than 10% by weight of the total weight of the extract. The extract obtained according to claim 9, wherein the extract has been purified resulting in a polyphenoin level of at least 200 mg / g, preferably more than 260 mg / g and even more preferably more than 300 mg / g. 19 Any macrocompound or composite compound extracted by the process of claims 1 to 8 from, but not limited to, the group of proteins and protein hydrolyzate, pectin, soluble fiber, insoluble fiber, cocydrals, oligosaccharide, xylose, hemiicellulose, sugar, sugar syrup, cellulose , lignin, polyphenols, favanols, minerals and aroma extract.