Moreno-Rojas, José ManuelYadira Erazo Solorzano, CyntiaTuárez García, Diego ArmandoPereira-Caro, GemaOrdóñez Díaz, José LuisMuñoz–Redondo, José ManuelRodríguez Solana, Raquel2023-07-102023-07-102023-06http://hdl.handle.net/10400.1/19822Aiming to improve the quality of cocoa, preconditioning of cocoa after harvesting and before fermentation has become an on-farm processing step of great interest in recent times. The present work aimed to evaluate the influence of a pre-drying process on the volatile composition of Ecuadorian bulk (Forastero and CCN-51) and fine-flavour (ETT103 and LR14) cocoa at the end of primary processing. A total of 63 volatile compounds including aldehydes, alcohols, acids, ketones, esters, terpenes, lactones and other miscellaneous compounds were identified in cocoa samples by HS-SPME-GC-MS. The use of a pre-drying step revealed a varietal homogenization and a reduction in the fermentation time, making this preconditioning step an inexpensive and attractive option for farmers. Moreover, different varietal behaviour was observed after pre-drying, the fine-flavour varieties obtaining a clear improvement in aromatic quality with higher levels of compounds imparting positive notes.engTheobroma cacao L.PreconditioningVolatilesPre-drying processAroma qualityHS-SPME-GC -MSjournal article10.1016/j.foodres.2023.1129381873-7145