Improvement of the physicochemical and sensory characteristics of CCN51 cocoa through the addition of an enzyme and yeast during the fermentation process

Abstract

This paper aims to improve the physical-chemical and sensorial characteristics of the cocoa CCN-51 with the addition of the enzima PPO (polyphenol oxidasa) and yeasts (Saccaromyces cerevisiae). A Complete Randomized Design (CRD) was used with eight treatments and three repetitions. The studied variables were test of court (Inen 176), aroma, flavor, percentage of fermentation, percentage teobromina, percentage of acidity, moisture content and pH., in the INIAP-Pichilingue and Santa Catalina's Laboratories. The process of fermentation was conducted between 5 and 7 days in boxes of laurel (Cordia alliodora), the temperatures reached values between 31°C to 46 °C, playing an important role in the death of the embryo of the cocoa beans and in the biochemical reactions of the cotyledon tissue. Later it was proceded with the dried one to the Sun in a tendal of cement covered of plastic for 6 days up to reaching a moisture content of 3,16 % on average. The results shows that the addition of the yeast (Saccaromyces cerevisiae) and the PPO improve the physical-chemical and sensorial characteristics in comparison with the witness sample; in addition, it was found that the concentration of teobromina was reduced to 1.46 % with the use of PPO for seven days of fermentation.