Fermentación sumergida de las almendras de cacao (Theobroma cacao) para mejorar sus características sensoriales y tecnológicas

Abstract

Cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) originates from South America, specifically from the Upper Amazon region. Two types of cocoa have been developed: Criollo and Nacional. A classification system establishes a quality standard for fine-flavor cocoa at all stages of the production chain. This system supports its origin, ensures quality, and strengthens producers. Cocoa derivatives are globally valued for their nutritional properties and represent economic opportunities. Quality is crucial to meeting the demands of global markets. Cocoa is an indigenous fruit with a variety of colors, whose seed, covered with sugary pulp, is transformed into chocolate with a pleasant taste. The fermentation process of cocoa beans lasted six days in an experimental fermenter with different yeast proportions. A total of 13.8 kg of beans per container was used, along with 1 L of fermenter and 2 L of mucilage. The containers were placed in a controlled environment to optimize process conditions. Daily samples were taken from each vessel to analyze temperature, sugars, pH, and acidity. The fermentation process had two stages: anaerobic and aerobic. During the anaerobic phase, alcoholic fermentation occurred for four days, followed by acetic fermentation in an aerobic environment for the remaining two days. The average polyphenol content and dry matter of fermented, dried, and roasted cocoa beans from cocoa liquor were compared using one-way ANOVA (Origin 50) with a 5 % significance level. Tukey’s test was used to determine whether the means exhibited equal or unequal variances and to compare average values. For the sensory evaluation of the four samples of fine-flavor cocoa liquor, 30 semi-trained panelists were selected.