Abstract: The Plackett-Burnam design was applied to screen out the key factors from the following eleven components of amino acids and reducing sugars, which would affect cocoa flavor. Statistical analyses were performed. It was found that phenylalanine, serine, leucine, glutamic acid, arginine, glycine were significant factors for contributing to cocoa flavor but not the two reducing sugars, after the mixtures of five amino acids and two reducing sugars were selected to react for the reaction cocoa flavors. Then these reacting products analysed by organoleptic investigation and GC-MS and 52 compounds are identified.

Key words: Placket-Burman design, amino acid, reducing sugar, cocoa flavor, maillard reaction