# US 12,349,705 B2 · Natural cocoa alternative and methods of producing same > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,349,705 B2 - Document ID: US12349705B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/677,297 - Filed: 2022-02-22 - Published: 2022-06-02 - Granted: 2025-07-08 - Earliest claimed: 2016-09-09 - Assignees: International Agriculture Group, LLC - Applicants: International Agriculture Group, LLC - Inventors: Maurice Moragne; Humberto Wedderburn Morales; David H. Skea; Julio Cesar Vasquez; Teresa S. Cogswell - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12349705B2 ## CPC - A23L 19/01: {Instant products; Powders; Flakes; Granules (A23L19/10 – A23L19/12 take precedence)} - A21D 2/36: Vegetable material - A21D 10/002: {Dough mixes; Baking or bread improvers; Premixes} - A21D 13/44: Pancakes or crêpes - A23G 1/34: Cocoa substitutes - A23G 1/48: containing plants or parts thereof, e.g. fruits, seeds or extracts (containing gums A23G1/40) - A23L 5/15: {using wave energy, irradiation, electrical means or magnetic fields, e.g. oven cooking or roasting using radiant dry heat} - A23V 2002/00: Food compositions, function of food ingredients or processes for food or foodstuffs - A23L: FOODS, FOODSTUFFS OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; PREPARATION OR TREATMENT THEREOF (preservation thereof A23B) - A21D: TREATMENT OF FLOUR OR DOUGH FOR BAKING, e.g. BY ADDITION OF MATERIALS; BAKING; BAKERY PRODUCTS (preservation of flour or dough before baking A23B40/00; preservation of bakery products A23B45/00) - A23G: COCOA; COCOA PRODUCTS, e.g. CHOCOLATE; SUBSTITUTES FOR COCOA OR COCOA PRODUCTS; CONFECTIONERY; CHEWING GUM; ICE-CREAM; PREPARATION THEREOF - A23V: INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO FOODS, FOODSTUFFS OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES AND LACTIC OR PROPIONIC ACID BACTERIA USED IN FOODSTUFFS OR FOOD PREPARATION ## Abstract A cocoa alternative or enhancer, made from roasted green banana flour and/or plantain flour, for use in a wide variety of food products. The cocoa alternative/enhancer can provide a variety of sensory attributes including aromas, flavors and textures that can be altered and controlled by manipulation of the roasting process. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A composition for a cocoa alternative comprising roasted green banana flour formed from a dried green banana slurry made from peeled mashed green bananas and/or roasted plantain flour formed from a dried plantain slurry made from peeled mashed plantains; wherein the roasted green banana flour or the roasted plantain flour were roasted one or more times independently for a total combined time of 8 minutes to 144 minutes at a temperature from 128° C. to 264° C. ### Claim 2 A composition comprising cocoa powder and a roasted flour comprising roasted green banana flour formed from a dried green banana slurry made from peeled mashed green bananas and/or roasted plantain flour formed from a dried plantain slurry made from peeled mashed plantains, the cocoa powder and the roasted flour having a combined total mass, the roasted flour having a mass from 5% to 90% of the combined total mass. ### Claim 3 A method of preparing a composition for a cocoa alternative comprising: peeling green bananas and/or plantains, mashing the peeled green bananas and/or plantains to form a slurry thereof, drying the slurry to form a green banana flour and/or a plantain flour, and roasting the green banana flour and/or the plantain flour until the roasted green banana flour and/or plantain flour comprises a sensory attribute of a cocoa aroma; wherein the roasted green banana flour or the roasted plantain flour were roasted one or more times independently for a total combined time of 8 minutes to 144 minutes at a temperature from 128° C. to 264° C. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The composition of claim 1, wherein the roasted green banana flour is made from native green banana flour. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The composition of claim 1, wherein the roasted green banana flour is made from pre-gelatinized green banana flour. ### Claim 6 (depends on 2) The composition of claim 2, wherein the roasted flour has a mass from 5% to 75% of the combined total mass. ### Claim 7 (depends on 2) The composition of claim 2, wherein the roasted flour has a mass from 5% to 50% of the combined total mass. ### Claim 8 (depends on 2) The composition of claim 2, wherein the roasted flour has a mass from 10% to 50% of the combined total mass. ### Claim 9 (depends on 2) The composition of claim 2, wherein the roasted flour has a mass from 10% to 25% of the combined total mass. ### Claim 10 (depends on 2) The composition of claim 2, wherein the composition comprises roasted green banana flour made from green bananas having less than 2% sugar content. ### Claim 11 (depends on 2) The composition of claim 2, wherein the roasted flour comprises green bananas in Stage 1 and/or Stage 2 of ripeness. ### Claim 12 (depends on 2) The composition of claim 2, further comprising one or both of: sugar not present in or derived from the roasted flour or the cocoa powder; and/or dairy. ### Claim 13 (depends on 2) The composition of claim 2, wherein the roasted flour comprises roasted green banana flour made from native green banana flour and/or roasted plantain flour made from native plantain flour. ### Claim 14 (depends on 2) The composition of claim 2, wherein the roasted flour comprises roasted green banana flour made from pre-gelatinized green banana flour and/or roasted plantain flour made from pre-gelatinized plantain flour. ### Claim 15 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein the roasting is performed for only one continuous period of time. ### Claim 16 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein before the roasting the flour has a pH of at least 5.0. ### Claim 17 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, further comprising pre-gelatinizing the green bananas and/or plantains before the mashing. ### Claim 18 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, further comprising allowing the green bananas to develop a Stage 1 and/or Stage 2 of ripeness before mashing.