Evaluation of some chemical characteristics of cocoa beans in fermentation
Abstract
Cacao fruits of the criollo and forastero types from Cumboto (Aragua), recently harvested (AM1) and fruits which had 5 days after harvest was fermented without moving (SR) the fermentation mass (seeds and pulp) at the whole, and moving it every 24 and 28 hours in order to evaluate how these treatments affect the chemical characteristics of the beans. The moisture content, pH, total titrable acidity, proteins, and tannins contents were measured on pulp, grains, and grain cotyledons. According to the results, the storage of the fruits induced a reduction of the moisture content and acidity and an increase in the content of tannins, whereas its effect on the protein content was variable. The movement of the fermentation mass also affected the chemical characteristics of the beans; for both types of cacaos, there was a reduction in the moisture content, acidity, and content of tannins, while the pH and content of proteins were increased. However, there were no variations in the evaluated parameters due to the frequency of mass movement. The composition of the two fractions of beans showed significant differences (P≤0.05); the pulp of both cacaos exhibited the highest values of moisture content and pH, and the cotyledon of the forastero cacao the lowest acidity and the highest content of tannin. The chemical characteristics of fermentation beans were affected by fruit storage and by the frequency of movement of the fermentating mass.
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