Process intensification technologies for the recovery of valuable compounds from cocoa by-products

The ever-growing cocoa-product market has driven the cocoa industry to massive levels of production, thus causing excessive waste and by-product generation. Cocoa bean shells (CBS) and pod husks (CPH) are the main cocoa-industry by-products that possess substantial amounts of high added-value compounds. Polyphenols may be the most interesting compounds because of their widely known beneficial effects on human health. Over last decade, both science and industry have focused on finding new cost-effective technologies for phytochemical recovery that are able to lower extraction times, energy consumption and environmental impact. Ultrasound, microwave, pulsed electric field, and subcritical and supercritical fluid are some of these technologies. This review summarizes successful CBS and CPH polyphenol extraction processes that make use of the above-mentioned emerging methods. Moreover, the integration of novel business paradigms, in particular the circular economy and industry 4.0, can help sustainability to be achieved in the cocoa industry. Industrial relevance text: Industrial cocoa by-products have become a massive burden since their inadequate disposal leads to a series of environmental issues. Value-added compounds recovery from CBS and CPH by means of enabling technologies assistance can lead to significant economic and environmental advantages. This approach, coherent with circular economy paradigm, can be integrated with a design of Industry 4.0 driving the development of new products and businesses.