Dispositivo de una nariz sensorial de cacao para el entrenamiento en descriptores y defectos dentro de procesos formativos con productores de Norte de Santander

Abstract

Colombian cocoa stands out for being fine and aromatic, characteristics that have made it a very promising product, therefore, there is a need to develop a sensory nose tool that allows us to become familiar with the descriptors of the characteristic aromas of cocoa. Aroma is an important quality attribute. It consists of a combination of many chemicals that give a food unique characteristics, which are detected when the volatiles present enter the nasal passages and are perceived by the receptors of the olfactory system.  A Cocoa sensory nose device was designed to identify the descriptors and defects that Cocoa possesses, where it allowed us to train typical aromas of Cocoa fine flavor and aroma in formative processes. In this project, a bibliographic review was made in recent years on the basic principle of operation and recognition of the aromas of the sensory nose, the components used for its operation was a total of 14 aromas distributed in 9 aromas and 5 defects used to identify and memorize with a set of aromatic families for each fragrance, were based on the quality guide of the international organization Cacao of excellence. A field trip was made to collect and recognize the chemicals that most resemble the descriptor aromas. This is an economical and practical tool for rural products in the sensory training of tasters and thus enrich the olfactory memory. The data that were validated with the sensory nose of cocoa are objectives that were verified with the realization of practical workshops for the recognition of aromas for apprentices, instructors and producers of the cocoa region of Norte de Santander.