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Alternative method for the fermentation of cocoa beans

Abstract:

This article shows the results of the tests carried out with cocoa beans in order to reduce the fermentation time. We have proceeded to experiment with a pre-fermentation stage, which consists of inoculating the cocoa bean with bacteria of the lactobacilli type. This pre-fermentation stage lasts 24 hours under an anaerobic environment. Subsequently, the cocoa bean is introduced into a fermenting system, whose technology has been developed for this research. This system consists of a static chamber of controlled temperature in an aerobic environment, inside which a rotating stainless steel basket is placed, where the grain to be fermented is housed. The cocoa will remain for another 24 hours in this chamber. It has managed to ferment the cocoa in a time of 48 hours, that is, it has managed to reduce the time compared to traditional or craft processes, whose duration ranges from 4 to 7 days.