Research Group of Industrial Microbiology and Food Biotechnology, Faculty of Sciences and Bio-engineering Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium.
Food Microbiol. 2011 Aug;28(5):964-73. doi: 10.1016/j.fm.2011.01.010. Epub 2011 Feb 1.
To compare the spontaneous cocoa bean fermentation process carried out in different cocoa-producing regions, heap and box (one Ivorian farm) and box (two Brazilian farms) fermentations were carried out. All fermentations were studied through a multiphasic approach. In general, the temperature inside the fermenting mass increased throughout all fermentations and reached end-values of 42-48 °C. The main end-products of pulp carbohydrate catabolism were ethanol, lactic acid, acetic acid, and/or mannitol. In the case of the fermentations on the selected Ivorian farm, the species diversity of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and acetic acid bacteria (AAB) was restricted. Lactobacillus fermentum and Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides were the predominant LAB species, due to their ethanol and acid tolerance and citrate consumption. The levels of mannitol, ascribed to growth of L. fermentum, were fermentation-dependent. Also, enterobacterial species, such as Erwinia soli and Pantoea sp., were among the predominating microbiota during the early stages of both heap and box fermentations in Ivory Coast, which could be responsible for gluconic acid production. Consumption of gluconic acid at the initial phases of the Ivorian fermentations could be due to yeast growth. A wider microbial species diversity throughout the fermentation process was seen in the case of the box fermentations on the selected Brazilian farms, which differed, amongst other factors, regarding pod/bean selection on these farms as compared to fermentations on the selected Ivorian farm. This microbiota included Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus durianis, L. fermentum, Lactobacillus mali, Lactobacillus nagelii, L. pseudomesenteroides, and Pediococcus acidilactici, as well as Bacillus subtilis that was present at late fermentation, when the temperature inside the fermenting mass reached values higher than 50 °C. Moreover, AAB seemed to dominate the Brazilian box fermentations studied, explaining higher acetic acid concentrations in the pulp and the beans. To conclude, it turned out that the species diversity and community dynamics, influenced by local operational practices, in particular pod/bean selection, impact the quality of fermented cocoa beans.
为了比较不同可可生产地区自然可可豆发酵过程，进行了堆肥和箱式（一个科特迪瓦农场）以及箱式（两个巴西农场）发酵。所有发酵都通过多相方法进行研究。一般来说，发酵物料内部温度在所有发酵过程中升高，并达到 42-48°C 的终值。果肉碳水化合物分解的主要终产物是乙醇、乳酸、乙酸和/或甘露醇。在选定的科特迪瓦农场的发酵中，乳酸菌（LAB）和乙酸菌（AAB）的物种多样性受到限制。由于其乙醇和酸耐受性以及柠檬酸消耗，发酵乳杆菌和肠膜明串珠菌是主要的 LAB 物种。甘露醇水平归因于发酵乳杆菌的生长，取决于发酵。此外，肠杆菌属的物种，如土壤杆菌和 Pantoea sp.，在科特迪瓦的堆肥和箱式发酵早期阶段也是主要的微生物群落之一，这可能是产生葡萄糖酸的原因。在科特迪瓦发酵的初始阶段，葡萄糖酸的消耗可能是由于酵母的生长。在选定的巴西农场的箱式发酵过程中，整个发酵过程中观察到更广泛的微生物物种多样性，这与其他因素有关，例如与选定的科特迪瓦农场的发酵相比，这些农场在荚果/豆荚的选择上有所不同。这种微生物群包括植物乳杆菌、榴莲乳杆菌、发酵乳杆菌、苹果酸乳杆菌、乳脂乳杆菌、肠膜明串珠菌和戊糖片球菌，以及枯草芽孢杆菌，当发酵物料内部温度达到 50°C 以上时，它出现在发酵后期。此外，AAB 似乎主导了所研究的巴西箱式发酵，解释了果肉和豆荚中更高的乙酸浓度。总之，结果表明，受当地操作实践（特别是荚果/豆荚选择）影响的物种多样性和群落动态会影响发酵可可豆的质量。
