DT-11 - Lesson 41. COCOA BEAN PROCESSING
DT-11 - Lesson 41. COCOA BEAN PROCESSING
DT-11 - Lesson 41. COCOA BEAN PROCESSING
On his fourth voyage to America, Columbus reportedly discovered a canoe off the Yucatan Peninsula laden with fruit and
cocoa beans. Years later (i.e. beginning of 16th Century), Cortez confirmed the remarkable value assigned to the cocoa
beans.
Cocoa processing developed during the 18th Century in the Netherlands. In 1828, to reduce the fattiness of chocolate
drink, Coenraad Johannes Van Houten developed a mechanical pressing process to fractionate the cocoa liquor into cocoa
butter and cocoa cake. In 1947 discovery was made by John Fry in England that by adding cocoa butter to mixture of liquor
and sugar, chocolate was created.
41.4 Cocoa Bean Processing
41.4.1 Fermentation of beans
Chocolate obtained from slaty, unfermented beans tastes extremely unpleasant, being very bitter and astringent without any
apparent chocolate flavour.
Cocoa beans are subjected to microbial fermentation for 7-12 days in large bin; the colour, flavour and texture of bean are
modified. Fermentation begins with yeasts converting the sugars in the pulp to ethanol. This produces the initial aerobic
conditions, and then bacteria start to oxidize the ethanol to acetic acid and further to CO2 and water; producing heat, raising
the temperature during the first 24 h to 40�C in a good active fermentation.
On the second day, the pulp starts to break down and drain away. Bacteria further increases, lactic acid is produced and an
acetic acid bacterium, under slight more aerobic conditions, actively oxidizes alcohol to acetic acid; temperature reaches to ~
45oC.
Total 5-6 days fermentation is necessary; bacterial activity continues under increasingly good aeration; high temperature is
maintained by bacterial activity. Turning helps in securing an even degree of fermentation.
41.4.1.1 Chemical changes
The proteins and polyphenols are essential for development of chocolate flavour.
Anthocyanins and other polyphenolic compounds in the pigment cells can diffuse out into the adjacent main storage
cells. The enzymes breakdown the coloured anthocyanins resulting in some bleaching of cotyledons. As more air reaches,
oxidative or browning reactions start to predominate and the tissue darkens.
41.4.2 Cleaning
41.2.3.1 Sun-drying
It takes about a week of sunny weather to dry down to 7.0% moisture, needed to prevent mould growth during storage.
(a) Beans are dried too quickly resulting in beans becoming very acidic.
(b) Smoke may find its way onto the beans, producing unpleasant acrid, smoky or tarry taste.
41.2.5 Blending
Substantial variation in flavour exists among cocoa beans, produced in different countries; difference is due to fermentation.
Blending provides opportunity to obtain a certain flavour and cope up with inconsistency of cocoa beans in flavor and other
quality aspects. This contributes to uniformity.