Effect of Temperature on Isobutyric Acid Loss during Roasting of Carob Kibble

The high content of isobutyric acid in carob (Ceratonia siliqua L.) constitutes a handicap for some of its potential uses due to the undesirable smell produced by that compound. In this study the loss of isobutyric acid during roasting was approached by heating the carob kibble at temperatures from 120 to 180 °C in two local cultivars (Matalafera and Lisa). The initial content of isobutyric acid varied between 6.3 (Lisa) and 9.4 (Matalafera) g isobutyric acid/kg dry solid. Results showed that the process can be described by a diffusive model. The activation energy of the process is about 55 kJ/mol for both cultivars. Keywords: Carob pod; roasting; isobutyric acid; diffusion