Proanthocyanidins in Cacao - Natural Antioxidants and Biocides from Wild Medicinal Plants - page 35

3 Proanthocyanidins in Cacao

David Seigler 1 * and Reinhard Lieberei 2 †
1 Department of Plant Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, USA;
2 Abteilung Pflanzenökologie und Nutzpflanzenbiologie,
Biozentrum Klein Flottbek, Universität Hamburg, Germany

3.1 Introduction white cotyledons. Some, such as the

Arriba type of Western Ecuador, are
considered among the finest types of
cacao (Schwan and Wheals, 2004), but
Arriba is considered to be a Forestero
(Motamayor et al ., 2008). Criollo seeds
contain no anthocyanins, but more
caffeic acid aspartate than other cacao
types (Elwers et al. , 2009).
Forastero

Cacao or cocoa ( Theobroma cacao L.,
Malvaceae, formerly Sterculiaceae) is a plant
that had a single origin in the Upper Amazon
near the eastern edges of the Andes and
was introduced early into Central America
and Mexico (Motamajor et al ., 2002, 2003;
Bennett, 2003; Bartley, 2005). Cultivation of
this plant represents one of the most sophis-
ticated pre-Hispanic agroforestry systems
(Gómez-Pompa et al. , 1990). The seeds of
this plant had religious, ceremonial, medici-
nal, beverage and even monetary value for
Olmecs, Mayas, Aztecs and other groups in
Mesoamerica (Bennett, 2003; Schwan and
Wheals, 2004).
In general, cultivars of this highly vari-
able species fall into three categories, one of
two botanical varieties or their hybrids:

• (T. cacao var. sphaerocar-

pum). The word forastero means 'for-
eign', because this type was introduced
to Mesoamerica from the Amazon
basin. The fruits are ellipsoid to round,
lacking a pointed tip, and may be
furrowed but have a smooth surface
otherwise. The cotyledons are violet.
Forasteros are higher yielding and
more vigorous than criollos but consid-
ered to have inferior quality. About
80-90% of cacao production is based
on the forastero form, owing to its
superior yield, vigour and disease
resistance. 'Amelonado' is the major
West African cultivar and the predomi-
nant type grown worldwide. Arriba
Nacional is grown in Ecuador. Several
previous workers failed to find signifi-
cant differences in polyphenol and

• Criollo (T. cacao var. cacao). The word

criollo means 'native', because this type
is distributed from southern Mexico to
South America, north and west of
the Andes (Gómez-Pompa et al. , 1990).
The fruits are oblong to ovoid in shape,
tapering to a point, and have five or ten
longitudinal ridges; seeds have yellowish

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