Analysis methods used for determining the quality of cocoa in food sector

Cacao( Theobroma cacao) is a kind of plant from Sterculiaceae family which grows at trees of 4-8 m height.The cacao bean combination includes; purinalkaloids(theobromine, caffeine, theophiline), phenol combinations( epicatechin), lipids (trigliserids; oleic acid, palmidic acid, fatty acids), proteins, aminoacids( albumins, globulins) with little amounts of nitrogenous compounds.Cacao is used at different fields as appetizer and urine extracter ; but mostly it is used in production of chocolate and beverages. It is among the most important facts of last decade that the chocolate increases the serotonin level in blood and is a good anti-depressant. The studies also proof that the cacao butter doesn?t cause the increase in the present cholesterol level. The reason for that it consists of a high amount of stearic acid.With this study,it is targetted to examine the cacao and the products derived from cacao (butter, liquor) with various analysis techniques.Keywords: Cacao , cacao bean , cacao butter, analysis techniques.