There is a growing interest in the identification of chemometric markers that allow the distinction and authentication
of dark-chocolates according to their cocoa geographical origin and/or genotype. However, samples
derived from Latin American cocoa, including specimens from North and South America, have not been studied
in this context. An exploration of the melting behavior, fat composition, bioactive content, and volatile profile of
commercial darkchocolates was conducted to identify possible patterns related to the genotype and/or origin of
cocoa from Latin America. The melting properties were evaluated by DSC and related to fat content and fatty
acids profile. Total polyphenol, anthocyanin, methylxanthine, and catechin content were analyzed. Finally, the
volatile compounds were extracted and identified by HS-SPME/GC-MS and were analyzed through Principal
Component Analysis (PCA) and the Hierarchical Cluster Analysis Heatmap (HCA Heatmap).

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