The document discusses the cocoa tree, cocoa varieties, cocoa processing, and fermentation. It provides details on: - The cocoa tree can grow 15-25 feet tall and each tree produces 20-50 pods per year containing 20-50 beans. - There are three main cocoa varieties - Forastero, Criollo, and Trinitario hybrid. Forastero has the strongest flavor. - Cocoa processing involves harvesting, fermentation, drying, roasting, and grinding. Fermentation is key for developing chocolate flavor and takes 5-7 days. - Fermentation involves yeast, lactic acid bacteria, and acetic acid bacteria breaking down the pulp and interacting with compounds in the bean to produce

2.  Botanical Name: Theobroma cacao
 Cocoa trees grow best in the tropical rainforests
 The cocoa tree grows to a height of 15 – 25 ft.
 A single tree produce 20-50 fruits per year.
 The pods are 10-18 cm in diameter, having thick leathery rinds
containing 20-50 beans inside in rows
 The seeds are embedded in white or pinkish pulp

3. Varieties of cocoa trees
 There are three broad types of cocoa - Forastero and Criollo, as well as
Trinitario, a hybrid of the two.
 Forastero
Forastero is hardy and vigorous, producing beans with the strongest
flavour.
 Criollo
With its mild or weak chocolate flavour, Criollo trees are not hardy
and produce softer red pods, containing 20-30 white, ivory or very pale
purple beans.
 Trinitario
Plants are not found in the wild as they are cultivated hybrids of the other
two types.

4. Composition of cocoa

5. Cocoa Processing

6.  HARVESTING:
Only ripe pods are harvested.
 PRE FERMENTATION STORAGE:
 3 to 5 days
 Ensures correct nib acidification
 Enhances pre-fermentation activity inside beans
 Facilitates rapid rise in temperature
 Imparts stronger chocolate flavor
 POD BREAKING AND COLLECTION OF WET BEANS:
 Pods are broken without causing damage to beans
 Only good beans are collected
 Diseased, germinated and caked beans are discarded.

7. FERMENTATION AND CURING
 Fermentation has to be carried out within 24-48 hours after breaking the
cocoa pod.
 It takes about 5-7 days on average and varies according to the species.
 Forastero - 5–7 days, Criollo- 1-3 days
 It is responsible for the chocolate flavor and aroma in cocoa and also
external browning of beans.
 Cocoa beans do not themselves undergo a fermentation at all
 It is pulp surrounding the beans which is fermented, while simultaneous
‘curing’ process takes place within the beans

8. Microbial aspects
 Micro-organisms are responsible for the breakdown of the
pulp that surrounds the beans.
This result in the death of the beans and enables the
formation of cocoa flavor precursors
The pulp is an excellent medium for the growth of micro-
organisms since it contains 10-15% of sugars.

9. Stages of Fermentation
Stage 1
Anaerobic yeasts
 Sugar  Alcohol + CO₂
 24-48 hrs (no air circulation)
 Rise in temperature
 pH < 4 acidic
 Low oxygen
 Bean death on second day occurs due to acetic acid and
alcohol penetration inside the bean.

10. Stage 2:
Lactic acid bacteria
Sugar & organic acids  Lactic acid
LAB are present from start but only
become dominant in 48-96 hrs
Stage 3:
Acetic acid bacteria
Also present from start but
become significant at the end
when the aeration increases
Alcohol  acetic acid
Exothermic reaction
Increases temperature to 50˚C

12. Factors influencing Fermentation
 Pod maturity
 Pod storage
 Quantity of beans
 Quantity of pulp
 Type of cocoa
 Duration
 Seasonal effects
 Pod diseases

13. End point of fermentation
 Bean color changes to brown, becomes plump and filled
with a reddish brown exudate
 Testa becomes loose and detached from the cotyledons
 Longitudinal halves of cotyledons show bleached
appearance in the centre with a brownish ring at the
periphery
 When 50 % of beans show these signs, the lot can be
taken out for drying

14. Curing
High temperature and influx of acid:
 Kill the bean
 Disrupt the internal structure
Cocoa beans are composed of white cells (fats, proteins)
and purple cells (polyphenols)
Due to the disruption compounds in the beans mix and
interact within themselves.
Reactions between storage proteins, enzymes (proteolytic,
polyphenol oxidase, invertase) and polyphenols result in
formation of the crucial chocolate flavor precursors

15. Chocolate flavor precursors
 Proteins are degraded by enzymes to polypeptides and
amino acids
 Reducing sugars (glucose/ fructose) are released.
Reduction of astringent and bitter taste
 Part of polyphenols oxidized into large tannin molecules
 Part of polyphenols and theobromine/caffeine (20%)
diffused and exudated from the bean

16. Importance of Fermentation & Curing
There is no chocolate flavor in cocoa bean without
fermentation
Chocolate flavor precursors are formed during
fermentation which help in further flavor development

17. DRYING:
 Extended process of fermentation
 Slow but progressive loss of moisture
 Loss of astringency & bitter taste
 Loosening of the shell from the bean
 Moisture content reduced to 6%
ROASTING:
 Dried beans are roasted at 200˚F to 250˚F for 1-2 hours in
order to develop the flavor of the beans.
 The beans become brown in color and friable (brittle).

18. GRINDING :
 The heat produced during grinding causes cocoa fat to
melt and the melted fat carries with it, in suspension,
finely ground particles of cocoa. This is known as
‘Cocoa mass’, ‘Chocolate liquor’ or ‘Bitter chocolate’
 This mass solidifies at about 30˚C
PRESSING OF NIBS
 Filter-pressing to separate out a major part of fat (cocoa
butter)
 The amount of fat left in the pressed cake can be varied
by the conditions of pressing
 The pressed cake is used for producing cocoa powder

19. COCOA PRODUCTS
 Cocoa butter also called theobroma oil, is a pale-yellow,
pure, edible vegetable fat.
 Cocoa powder
 End product of cocoa solids which are low-fat components and
are rich in flavonoids
 Chocolate
 A food preparation in the form of a paste or solid block made
from roasted and ground cacao seeds, typically sweetened.

20. Researches....
 Improvement of Cocoa Beans Fermentation by LAB Starter
Addition - M. T. A. Penia Kresnowati, Lenny Suryani, and
Mirra Affifah
Addition of microbial starter was thus suggested to improve the cocoa
bean fermentation process. The addition of LAB starter was observed to
accelerate the growth of both lactic acid bacteria and acetic acid bacteria,
leading to the increase in the ethanol, lactic acid, and acetic acid
concentration. Overall it increases the fermentation index and potentially
shortens the fermentation time.

21.  Dynamics of Cocoa Bean Pulp Degradation during Cocoa
Bean Fermentation: Effects of Yeast Starter Culture
Addition - Laras Cempaka1, Lienda Aliwarga1, Susanto
Purwo & Made Tri Ari Penia Kresnowati
This article discusses the effects of the addition of
Saccharomyces cerevisae var. Chevalieri starter culture on cocoa bean
fermentation. The dynamics in the yeast concentration, sugary pulp
compounds and metabolic products were measured during fermentation. A
higher fermentation index was measured for the cocoa bean fermentation
with yeast starter culture, 1.13 compared to 0.84. In conclusion, this
method can potentially be applied to shorten the cocoa bean fermentation
time

22. Reference...
 The Functional Role of Microorganisms in Cocoa Bean
Fermentation V. Thi Thuy Ho, J. Zhao, G. Srzednicki and
G. Fleet
 www.c-spot.com - chocolate flavor profiles
 Harvesting and Processing Cocoa Beans
 'Theobroma Cacao' – The Cocoa Tree
 Cocoa – production and processing -Kokou Edoh Adabe
& E. Lionelle Ngo-Samnick