Protected Designation of Origin and Sustainability Characterization: The Case of PDO Cocoa Arriba

Abstract

The employment of Protected Designations of Origin (PDO) in agri-food products through recognized chains has a fundamental economic role in Ecuador. A substantial amount of research has focused on examining the crop performance of PDO products. However, there is a shift in the agri-food chain perspective towards more sustainable models. In this respect, social, economic, and institutional aspects are consequential and contribute to the agri-food sector development. The current rise in market opportunities at the local and international level drives support for them. This study aims to analyze socio-economic and governance components, in order to understand the PDO Cocoa Arriba (Theobroma cacao) chain sustainability performance and propose potential future strategies. Principal Components Analysis was used to contribute relevant insight. This framework applies accounts with a revision of primary and supporting activities. The investigation clustered pre-production, production, and post-production tiers. It also executed food chain mapping and identified chain actors. Results suggested several viable long-term strategies. Examples of these strategies include the enhancement of national regulation to assist chain actors, and the stimulus of young producers and empowerment of associations. The main contribution to the research was the application of governance mechanisms to comprehensively assess chain performance. Based on the results, we recommend incorporating new indicators to analyze the environmental and institutional components in detail.

Abiotic Factors from Different Ecuadorian Regions and Their Contribution to Antioxidant, Metabolomic and Organoleptic Quality of Theobroma cacao L. Beans, Variety “Arriba Nacional”

“…The native Ecuadorian cocoa beans, the “Arriba Nacional” (Nacional × Trinitario complex, Arriba flavor) variety, position this country as the most competitive in Latin America within this field, responsible for more than 62% of the global production of fine cocoa flavor, standing out as the first exporter of this emblematic product. In addition, the climate and the geology of different regions in the country lend themselves to the growth of some of the best cocoa beans [ 6 ].…”

“…Because of its characteristic chemical composition, which determines the famously fragrant aroma and complexity, the raw Nacional Arriba cocoa beans are used for manufacturing cocoa powder, chocolate, and other derived products, which are widely consumed around the world [ 6 , 9 ]. The bioactive compounds (polyphenols and alkaloids) occur commonly in raw beans, or are synthesized during the technological cocoa process, and are not only important for their fragrance and flavor but also for exhibiting different positive effects, such as antioxidant activity, the induction of receptor activity, enzyme inhibition/induction, and gene expression inhibition/induction [ 7 ].…”

Selected Instrumental Techniques Applied in Food and Feed: Quality, Safety and Adulteration Analysis

“…The elemental fingerprint of honey provides essential information with regard to environmental monitoring, authentication, and quality assurance, including nutritional and toxicological aspects. Agilent 7700x, 23 Na, 24 Mg, 31 P, 39 K, 43 Ca, 55 Mn, 56 Fe, 63 Cu, 66 Zn, 85 Rb, 88 Sr, and 137 Agilent 7700x, 24 Mg, 27 Al, 44 Ca, 55 Mn, 56 Fe, 63 Cu, 66 Zn, 85 Rb, 88 Sr, and 7 Li, 51 V, 52 Cr, 59 Co, 60 Ni, 69 Ga, 75 As, 78 Se, 101 Ru, 105 Pd, 111 Cd, 121 Sb, 125 Te, 133 Cs, 137 Ba, 178 Hf, 193 Ir, 195 Pt, 205 Tl, 208 Pb. Agilent 7500 ce, 25 Na, 27 Al, 39 K, 44 Ca, 52 Cr, 55 Mn, 56 Fe, …”

“…On the other hand, the region of origin or purity of food products and crops (e.g., Protected Designation of Origin and Protected Geographical Indication [ 20 , 21 ]) has demonstrated to be more relevant as consumers search for more specific products (e.g., olives [ 22 ], cocoa [ 23 ], cheese [ 24 ], and wines [ 25 ]).…”

How does Innovation Contribute to a Sustainable Agri-Food Chain? A European Overview

“…Other papers offered comparative studies between countries or regions (Ilieva & Hernandez, 2018); (Vasa, et al, 2018), while some authors depicted the subject of sustainability in agriculture at country or group of countries level (Perez-Mesa, et al, 2019); (Patidar, et al, 2018); (Adhikari and Prapaspongsa, 2019); (Salazar, et al, 2020); (Zollet and Maharjan, 2021). Furthermore, sustainable agri-food systems were investigated at the crop level as follows: honey (Pippinato, et al, 2020); cocoa (Moreno-Miranda, et al, 2019); (Lerner, et al, 2021); Parmigiano Reggiano (Arfini, et al, 2019); legume-based food (Balazs, et al, 2021); wine industry (Pullman, et al, 2010); (Martucci, et al, 2019).…”