The Functional Role of Lactic Acid Bacteria in Cocoa Bean Fermentation

All cocoa varieties originate from the Criollo and Forastero varieties. These varieties are considered indigenous to the Upper Amazon basin. Sufficient and ripe pulp (mature pods) guarantees a correct fermentation process. Fresh, unfermented cocoa beans are oval and weigh on average 2.5 g. The moisture content of the fresh beans is approximately 65% (m/m). The initiation of cocoa bean fermentation corresponds with an incipient germination phase, which is necessary for hydration of bean components through water uptake by the protein vacuoles within the storage cells and mobilization of the radical enzymes. Biochemical and physical changes within the bean cotyledons can be divided into two broad phases: anaerobic hydrolytic phase and aerobic oxidative phase. It will be a challenge to introduce the application of starter cultures in cocoa bean fermentation practices, either to speed up and better control the fermentation process or to target the fermentation process towards predefined end-products