nutrients Review Cocoa Bean Shell—A By-Product with Nutritional Properties and Biofunctional Potential Olga Rojo-Poveda 1,2,* , Letricia Barbosa-Pereira 2,3 , Giuseppe Zeppa 2,* and Caroline Stévigny 1,* 1 RD3 Department-Unit of Pharmacognosy, Bioanalysis and Drug Discovery, Faculty of Pharmacy, Université libre de Bruxelles, 1050 Brussels, Belgium 2 Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Sciences (DISAFA), University of Turin, 10095 Grugliasco, Italy 3 Department of Analytical Chemistry, Nutrition and Food Science, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain;
[email protected] * Correspondence:
[email protected] (O.R.-P.);
[email protected] (G.Z.);
[email protected] (C.S.) Received: 20 March 2020; Accepted: 15 April 2020; Published: 17 April 2020 Abstract: Cocoa bean shells (CBS) are one of the main by-products from the transformation of cocoa beans, representing 10%-17% of the total cocoa bean weight. Hence, their disposal could lead to environmental and economic issues. As CBS could be a source of nutrients and interesting compounds, such as fiber (around 50% w/w), cocoa volatile compounds, proteins, minerals, vitamins, and a large spectrum of polyphenols, CBS may be a valuable ingredient/additive for innovative and functional foods. In fact, the valorization of food by-products within the frame of a circular economy is becoming crucial due to economic and environmental reasons. The aim of this review is to look over the chemical and nutritional composition of CBS and to revise the several uses that have been proposed in order to valorize this by-product for food, livestock feed, or industrial usages, but also for different medical applications.