Cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) is a native species of the Amazon region in South America. Its fruit weight fluctuates between 200 g to more than 1 kg. The cocoa industry mainly uses the seeds contained into de cocoa pod husk as the fraction with the highest commercial value for the production of chocolate. During the pre-processing stages, approximately 80% of the cocoa fruit is discarded as residual biomass. From the by-products generated, a series of chemical components with high added value have been studied. They can be recovered through the use of sustainable technologies. This document explores the current uses and application prospects in the food industry of cocoa by-products and their bioactive compounds. The current situation in the cocoa market worldwide and in Ecuador will be briefly presented, followed by a description of the structural and chemical composition of cocoa fruits. Next, the process of transforming cocoa into a final product and the by-product streams generated will be detailed. Finally, current applications and prospects for applications through the use of sustainable technologies will be addressed.Cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) is a native species of the Amazon region in South America. Its fruit weight fluctuates between 200 g to more than 1 kg. The cocoa industry mainly uses the seeds contained in de cocoa pod husk as the fraction with the highest commercial value for the production of chocolate. During the pre-processing stages, approximately 80% of the cocoa fruit is discarded as residual biomass. From the by-products generated, a series of chemical components with high-added value has been studied. They can be recovered through the use of sustainable technologies. This document explores the current uses and application prospects in the food industry of cocoa by-products and their bioactive compounds. The current situation in the cocoa market worldwide and in Ecuador will be briefly presented, followed by a description of the structural and chemical composition of cocoa fruits. Next, the process of transforming cocoa into a final product and the by-product streams generated will be detailed. Finally, current applications and prospects for applications through the use of sustainable technologies will be addressed.