Evaluation of cacao bean hull in terms of bioactive components and investigation of usage possibilities in food

Studies carried out in recent years have revealed that the hulls of oilseeds are rich in bioactive components and fiber. In this study, it is aimed to determine chemical, bioactive compounds and fiber contents of cacao bean hulls which are obtained as by-product during the processing of cacao beans in the cacao industry and to use them in cake formulation as a fat and flour substitute. In our research, cacao bean hulls were used as raw and leached the ratiof of 20-30-40% in flour-substituted cakes and of 30-40-50% in fat-substituted cakes. The amounts of ash, protein, water retention capacity, water solubility index, total phenolic acid, total flavonoid substance, antioxidant activity, theobromine and caffeine levels in leached cacao bean hulls were lower than those of raw cacao bean hulls. Potassium, phosphorus and calcium contents of the raw cocoa hulls were found to be higher than the cacao bean contents in the literature. Ash, crude fiber, total phenolic acid, antioxidant activity of flour and fat-substituted cakes increased as the amount of cacao hulls increased in cake formulation. While there was no significant difference between the specific volumes of flour and fat-substituted cakes, the baking loss reduced compared to the control sample. The a * (redness) and b * (yellowness) values of cakes produced with the leached cacao hulls at the same concentration were lower than those of the cacao hulls produced with the raw cacao hulls. The hardness of cakes containing cacao hulls were found to be higher than those of hardness control samples, while springiness and cohesiveness were found to be lower. As the amount of cacao hulls in flour and fat-substituted cakes increased, crumb brownness, hardness, cacao taste, bitter taste increased in cake samples based on sensory evaluation. As a result of this study, it was determined that the use of raw cacao hulls in cake formulations showed more advantages in terms of chemical, physical and sensory properties. Keywords: cacao bean hull, bioactive components, fiber, flour substituted cake, fat substituted cake