Identification of Climate and Genetic Factors That Control Fat Content and Fatty Acid Composition of Theobroma cacao L. Beans.

ABSTRACT: The main ingredients of chocolate are usually cocoa powder, cocoa butter, and sugar. Both the powder and the butter are extracted from the beans of the cacao tree (Theobroma cacao L.). The cocoa butter represents the fat in the beans and possesses a unique fatty acid profile that results in chocolate's characteristic texture and mouthfeel. Here, we used a linkage mapping population and phenotypic data of 3,292 samples from 420 progeny which led to the identification of 27 quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for fatty acid composition and six QTLs for fat content. Progeny showed extensive variation in fat levels and composition, with the level of palmitic acid negatively correlated to the sum of stearic acid, oleic acid, and linoleic acid. A major QTL explaining 24% of the relative level of palm

SUBMITTER: Mustiga GM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6802002 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature