METHOD FOR STERILIZING COCOA MATERIALS USING SUPERCRITICAL CO2

摘要

The method for sterilizing a cocoa material using supercritical CO<SUB>2</SUB> essentially comprises pre-moistening said cocoa material and then treating it with CO<SUB>2</SUB> in the supercritical state or under conditions close to the critical point, such that the cocoa material and the CO<SUB>2</SUB> are in contact for a sufficiently long period of time so that, when the CO<SUB>2</SUB> is separated out, said practically fat-free cocoa material presents levels of thermophilic aerobic heat-resistant spores below 10 cfu/g, levels of mesophilic aerobic heat-resistant spores below 10 cfu/g and levels of moulds and yeasts below 10 cfu/g. The treatment is performed at a pressure of between 50 and 500 bar, which also enhances the extraction speed, at a temperature of 20-100°C and at a flow rate of 5-120 g CO<SUB>2</SUB>/h/g cocoa. The remaining total polyphenol content in the sterilized powder is 99% of that of the initial content.