The effects of particle size, fermentation, roasting time and roasting temperature of cocoa nibs on cocoa butter extraction using supercritical fluid technology were studied. The effect of particle size was studied using cocoa liquor (D = 0.074 mm), ground cocoa nib (D = 0.25-0.50 mm and 1.0-1.2 mm) and whole cocoa nibs at 35 MPa, 60°C and flow rate of 2 ml/min using supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO 2 ). The effect of degree of fermentation was studied using unfermented, partly fermented and fermented cocoa, whereas the effect of roasting using roasted and unroasted cocoa nibs. Fermentation and roasting studies were conducted under the same operation conditions as particle size study using SC-CO 2 but with ethanol (25% w/w) as cosolvent. Cocoa butter extracted from the three studies was analyzed for total fat content (%), triglycerides and fatty acid methyl ester. The results showed that the extraction yield was significantly increased by a reduction in particle size. The highest yield was also obtained using unfermented cocoa, roasted for 35 min and at 150°C. Generally, cocoa butter had similar triglycerides and fatty acid methyl ester composition at 5, 10 and 15 h extraction time. Glycerol-1,3-dipalmitate-2-oleate (POP), glycerol-1-palmitate-2-oleate-3-stearate (POS), and glycerol-1,3-distearate-2-oleate (SOS) account for most of the triglycerides, with POS (42.52-46.44%) being the major component. Palmitic, stearic and oleic were the main fatty acids in the extracted cocoa butter, with stearic acid being the highest component (33.70-40.22%).

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The effects of flow rate, different pressures and temperatures on cocoa butter extracted from cocoa nib using supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO 2 ) were investigated. The yield was analyzed for total fat content, triacylglycerol (TG) profile, and fatty acid (FA) profile. Extractions were carried out at pressures of 20 and 35 MPa, temperatures of 50 and 60°C, and CO 2 flow rates of 0.5, 1, 2, 4 mL min. The result shows that the yield of cocoa butter extract increased with increasing pressure, temperature, and flow rate and the optimum conditions for the maximum cocoa butter extraction were 35 MPa, 60°C and 2 mL min −1 , repectively. TGs and FAs were found to be similar in composition to those of cocoa butter obtained by conventional methods. The lower molecular weight TGs and FAs showed higher selectivity compared to higher molecular weight TGs and FAs.