One of the key stages in the preparation of cocoa as a food product is the fermentation of the cocoa beans. This step is necessary to turn the indigestible and difficult to use cocoa beans into a usable powder that can be added to foods as a flavour enhancers. One of the main changes that occurs during the fermentation is a reduction in the astringency and bitterness in the cocoa. During fermentation the cocoa beans are exposed to various microorganisms including yeast, bacteria and filamentous fungi. In this process the sugars undergo fermentation to generate alcohols and some of the pulp is degraded also. The bacteria then convert the alcohol to acetic acid. This process is pivotal in the development of flavour within the final product and altering the fermentation parameters can significantly affect the final flavour of the cocoa product. These processes are also pivotal in the formation of the nutritional content of the final product and these too can be altered by the steps used and how they are implemented.
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