Assessment of the fermentative process from different cocoa cultivars produced in Southern Bahia, Brazil

Abstract

The "witch broom disease" caused by the fungus Moniliophtora perniciosa drastically reduced cocoa production in Southern Bahia (Brazil), and cloning techniques has been used with trees that showed resistance to the fungus. On the other hand, the genotype, agronomic management, soil and weather characteristics, as well as post-harvest technology directly affected the quality of beans. The present study aimed at evaluating the fermentation process of two cultivars of cocoa beans resistant to "witch broom disease" and a non-resistant cocoa cultivar susceptible to the disease, produced in south of Bahia. The fruits of all cultivars were physically evaluated and fermentations were monitored. The total phenolics and tannins were also evaluated. The results show many differences among cultivars, and the main ones include the low weight and number of seeds in SR162 cultivar and the high pulp weight in the PH16 cultivar. During fermentation, cultivars showed different behavior with regards to pH, acidity and temperature and had different reduction in tannins and total phenolics. Therefore, one may conclude that the cultivars studied showed distinct physical and chemical characteristics. Thus, it is recommended that fermentation should be conducted differently for each cultivar, in order to obtain their best features to produce high quality chocolates.