Quintino Reis de Araujo

Cocoa and Human Health: From Head to Foot—A Review

The cocoa, as part of the wonderful nature, provides the mankind a wide variety of valuable food products and health benefits. The most known and universally relished product derived from this fruit is chocolate, an amazing and unique food for the human nutrition with records of consumption of similar products dating to 1000 years BC. In fact, the cocoa is a complex food that includes over 300 different components. This review is designed to inform scientists, technicians, academicians, farmers, and interested communities of numerous studies that have been conducted worldwide to investigate the properties of various cocoa constituents, their relations to human health, and their potential role in the prevention and treatment of many medical conditions. The general population, for example in Brazil, despite being one of the major producers of cocoa, is poorly informed of the significant and beneficial properties of cocoa. The present review covers important topics linking cocoa to human health and show the state of the art of effect of cocoa in different systems that comprise the human body. The paper is organized based on the main human organ system and includes: cardiovascular/circulatory, neurological/nervous, oral health, endocrine, lymphatic and immunological, respiratory, reproductive, and dermatological systems. Scientific findings tend to confirm the historic designation of cocoa as “food of the Gods.”

Population structure of Euterpe edulis Mart. in the Southern Bahia, Brazil

The objective of this study was to better understand the populational structure of jucara palm (Euterpe edulis Mart.) in the Southern Bahia Atlantic Forest, in the Ecoparque de Una, Una, BA, Brazil. The plants in the population were classified into one of six size classes: Seedlings, Juvenile I, Juvenile II, Immature I, Immature II, and Adult. For each size class, the following data were gathered: density and distributions of frequency class of height at leaf insertion, number of leaves, diameter at breast height (DAP), and diameter at soil level (DAS). Comparisons were made among these values through Pearson correlation. The population revealed a demographic structure similar to that found in studies of E. edulis in South and Southeast Brazil, except seedlings density, with a large number of immature individuals and few individuals in the largest size classes. The population density was found to be relatively low, leaving open the possibility that these populations should be treated as an ecotype different from other already studied. The variables showed positive correlations with the exception of number of leaves and DAS in the adult size class.

Soil Classification and Carbon Storage in Cacao Agroforestry Farming Systems of Bahia, Brazil

Information concerning the classification of soils and their properties under cacao agroforestry systems of the Atlantic rain forest biome region in the Southeast of Bahia, Brazil is largely unknown. Soil and climatic conditions in this region are favorable for high soil carbon storage. This study is aimed to classify soils under cacao agroforestry and further, to quantify carbon stocks in these soil profiles. Soil classification was performed, and the amount of C stored was estimated, based on the thickness of the soil horizons, their bulk density, and total organic carbon stored. In the sites studied under cacao, four general classes of soils were identified: Ultisols, Oxisols, Alfisols, and Inceptisols. Carbon stocks in these soil profiles showed wide variation, ranging from 719.24 to 2089.93 Mg ha−1. Carbon stocks in soil surface and subsurface layers in different agroforestry systems with cacao (cacao cabruca, cacao × rubber tree, and cacao × erythrina) were comparable; however, total storage of organic C in these soils was higher than expected, compared to values reported for the International Soil Reference and Information Center (ISRIC), based on the FAO-UNESCO database, and were also higher than estimated regional soil data.

Cacao quality: Highlighting selected attributes

ABSTRACT World demand for cacao and the requirements for quality beans have increased every year. Research studies have developed standards for aspects of cacao quality that meet industrial criteria as well as international import and export legislation that is aimed at food security. This review focused on selected attributes of cacao bean quality. These attributes include the amount of acids, simple carbohydrates, proteins, amino acids, lipids, phenolic substances, and methylxanthines. Other attributes are bean moisture content, quantity of mineral nutrients, and presence of potentially toxic elements. Microbiological and organoleptic attributes are also of interest. Future research on cacao quality should focus on bean sampling, geographical location of plantations, genetic diversity of the cacao material, and standardized analytical methods for determination of organic and mineral substances.

Soil quality index for cacao cropping systems

ABSTRACT The soil quality index (SQI) for cacao cropping systems was developed to meet the nutritional criteria of the crop, the environmental safety of the cropping sites and the increasing demand for the production and quality of cocoa. Available water function (AWF), root growth function (RGF), mineral nutrition of plants function (MNF) and environmental safety function (ESF) for potentially toxic elements were included in the additive model of SQI for cacao cropping systems. In this study, over 66% of the cacao fields cropping sites were classified as regular SQI with a range of scores between 0.42 and 0.61. The field cropping site with the highest score (0.73) characterized as typic Alitic Red-Yellow Argisol was rated with high SQI. In contrast, the field cropping sites characterized as abrupt Cohesive Dystrophic Red-Yellow Argisol (0.29), typic Dystrophic Haplic Cambisol (0.39), and latosolic Dystrophic Yellow Argisol (0.40) were rated with low SQI. MNF and AWF were the functions that most contributed to the increase or decrease of SQI scores. The SQI adapted expressed the agro-environmental reality of cacao cropping systems of Bahia, Brazil, and this could be a versatile tool to subsidize the adequate soil management of cacao plantations around the world.

ATIVIDADE MICROBIANA EM DIFERENTES CONDIÇÕES DE SOLO E SISTEMAS DE CULTIVO DO CACAUEIRO

As práticas de manejo da terra ou das culturas interferem na estrutura e na atividade microbiana que está direta e fundamentalmente relacionada com as propriedades do solo. As principais atividades dos microrganismos são a decomposição da matéria orgânica e ciclagem de energia e nutrientes, indispensáveis para o crescimento das plantas. A medição de CO 2 liberada pela respiração dos microrganismos aeróbicos e anaeróbicos é um dos métodos mais tradicionais e utilizados para avaliar a atividade metabólica da microbiota do solo. O presente trabalho teve como objetivo estimar a atividade microbiana em 14 áreas, considerando-se diferentes solos e sistemas de produção de cacau. O estudo foi conduzido na Bahia, Brasil, comparando-se tratamentos correspondentes aos sistemas tradicional, SAFs e orgânico de cultivo do cacaueiro. As amostras de solo (de 0-15 cm), em triplicatas, foram coletadas e analisadas quanto à evolução de CO 2 , e propriedades químicas e físicas. A evolução de CO 2 foi maior nos solos 14 (Nitossolo Háplico Eutrófico) e 11 (Cambissolo Háplico Distrófico típico), ambos com cacau cabruca orgânico, em condições edáficas mais favoráveis à microbiota do solo. Os solos com menor atividade microbiana (área 6 Argissolo Vermelho-Amarelo Distrocoeso abrúptico; área 3 Latossolo Amarelo Distrófico câmbico; e área 1 Latossolo Vermelho-Amarelo Distrófico típico), são cultivados em SAF cacau x seringueira e apresentaram limitações de fertilidade.

SOILS OF THE PRIVATE RESERVE OF NATURAL PATRIMONY ´SERRA DO TEIMOSO´, JUSSARI, BAHIA, BRAZIL

Knowledge of the components and the ecological relationships of the primary ecosystems is a fundamental demand for coexistence and rational utilization of communities. Soil is a basic system for understanding of environments and the identification of its classes is an important step to know the precursor elements on its formation, edaphologic characteristics, potentialities and limitations to support elements of the flora and fauna (micro, meso and macro), water dynamics, climatic and other environmental relationships. This work identified four classes of soil in a toposequence of the Private Reserve of Natural Patrimony ‘Serra do Teimoso’, in the Atlantic Rain Forest of Southern Bahia, Brazil. To classify the soils were used preliminary photo interpretations, descriptions of soil profiles, soil physical and chemical analyses, and soil morphological and physicochemistry characterizations. Along the toposequence studied two oxisols and two inceptisols were classified.