ArticleHeliyon2022
Monitoring of cocoa post-harvest process practices on a small-farm level at five locations in Ecuador.
Article in Heliyon, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers.
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Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed.
- Temperature-Dependent Changes in Physicochemical Properties and Selected Bioactive Compounds During Controlled Fermentation of Cocoa Beans (Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Microbial interactions and ecology in fermented food ecosystems.Nature reviews. Microbiology · 2025Review
- Approaches to Determine the Flavor and Flavor Chemistry of Cocoa Beans and Cocoa Liquor.Journal of food science · 2025Review
- Unravelling Cocoa Drying Technology: A Comprehensive Review of the Influence on Flavor Formation and Quality.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Influences of Depulping, Pod Storage and Fermentation Time on Fermentation Dynamics and Quality of Ghanaian Cocoa.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Analysis of the Sensory Profile and Physical and Physicochemical Characteristics of Amazonian Cocoa (Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Effect of Pod Storage and Drying Temperature on Fermentation Dynamics and Final Bean Quality of Cacao Nacional in Ecuador.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Effects of Predrying and Spontaneous Fermentation Treatments on Nib Acidification, Fermentation Quality, and Flavour Attributes of Ghanaian Cocoa (International journal of food science · 2024Article
- Variations in Ecuadorian Cocoa Fermentation and Drying at Two Locations: Implications for Quality and Sensory.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Bacterial and Fungal Communities Are Specifically Modulated by the Cocoa Bean Fermentation Method.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Optimization of cacao beans fermentation by native species and electromagnetic fields.Heliyon · 2023Article
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Cocoa post-harvest practices were monitored on a small-farm scale (ca. 50 kg fresh beans) at five intermediaries from four provinces in Ecuador: (A) in Manabí, (B) and (E) in Los Ríos, (C) in Cotopaxi, (D) in Guayas. Temperature, pH (pulp, cotyledon), cell counts (yeasts, lactic acid bacteria, acetic acid bacteria) were recorded daily, and cut-tests and sensory descriptive analysis evaluated end quality. An overall inconsistency and variability in processing were observed with different fermentation devices (jute/plastic bags, wooden boxes), pre-drying, turning during fermentation, fermentation duration, and different drying processes (temperatures, direct/indirect). Key parameters (maximum temperature, pH cotyledon development) revealed a significant impact of the fermentation device on the post-harvest process and, therefore, on the fermentation development. 67-74 h in jute bags without turning was sufficient to reach well-fermented cocoa beans without moldy off-flavors, whereas 133 h in plastic bags without turning resulted in 3 ± 1% moldy beans and cocoa liquor with moldy off-flavor. Drying at high temperatures (80 ± 10 °C) with direct heat contact resulted in beans roasted to burnt off-flavor. Conclusively, the whole post-harvest process was crucial for well-fermented beans without off-flavor. Plastic bags seemed unsuitable, while jute bags could be an alternative to wooden boxes.
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