Cocoa bean fermentation is one of the most important process in order to obtain chocolate. Beans originate as seeds in fruit pods of the tree Theobroma cacao, which is normally cultivated in tropical regions throughout the world, but the most important area for cocoa beans production is collocated in central Africa. The process consists in a natural microbial fermentation that usually takes place under uncontrolled environmental conditions. In the present study, we compared yeasts, lactic acid (LAB) and acetic acid bacteria (AAB) population isolated from Ivory Coast and Cameroun by using different traditional fermentation methods. Microbiological sampling was performed for heap and box fermentation systems, moreover in Cameroun a cocoa beans sack fermentation was carried out. After sampling, isolates were identified by molecular methods (DGGE and rRNA sequencing). During box fermentation in Ivory Coast we found that Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Issatchenkia orientalis, Lactobacillus fermentum, Acetobacter syzygii and Acetobacter pasteurianus were the most isolated species, while Cameroun data showed a different population composed mainly by Hanseniaspora uvarum, Debaryomyces nepalensis, Lactobacillus fermentum, Lactobacillus plantarum, and Gluconobacter frateurii. Heap fermentation results showed that the most abundant species isolated in Ivory Coast, as revealed by molecular fingerprints, were S. cerevisiae, Pichia galeiformis and Pichia guillermondii as yeasts, L. fermentum as LAB and A. pasteurianus and Acetobacter lovaniensis as AAB. Cameroun identification figured out difference in yeast population where H. uvarum was the most detected species, while LAB and AAB were similar to those of Ivory Coast. Furthermore, sack fermentation results showed that strains mainly belonged to H. uvarum, L. plantarum and A. lovaniensis species. Our results led to the conclusion that the main differences between the two ecosystems were present in box fermentation data, furthermore this study highlights that the main differences in fermentation processes in Ivory Coast and Cameroun are correlated to yeast populations.
Microbial diversity of traditional cocoa fermentation in Ivory Coast and Cameroun.
VISINTIN, SIMONETTA;ALESSANDRIA, Valentina;DOLCI, Paola;COCOLIN, Luca Simone
2015-01-01
Abstract
Cocoa bean fermentation is one of the most important process in order to obtain chocolate. Beans originate as seeds in fruit pods of the tree Theobroma cacao, which is normally cultivated in tropical regions throughout the world, but the most important area for cocoa beans production is collocated in central Africa. The process consists in a natural microbial fermentation that usually takes place under uncontrolled environmental conditions. In the present study, we compared yeasts, lactic acid (LAB) and acetic acid bacteria (AAB) population isolated from Ivory Coast and Cameroun by using different traditional fermentation methods. Microbiological sampling was performed for heap and box fermentation systems, moreover in Cameroun a cocoa beans sack fermentation was carried out. After sampling, isolates were identified by molecular methods (DGGE and rRNA sequencing). During box fermentation in Ivory Coast we found that Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Issatchenkia orientalis, Lactobacillus fermentum, Acetobacter syzygii and Acetobacter pasteurianus were the most isolated species, while Cameroun data showed a different population composed mainly by Hanseniaspora uvarum, Debaryomyces nepalensis, Lactobacillus fermentum, Lactobacillus plantarum, and Gluconobacter frateurii. Heap fermentation results showed that the most abundant species isolated in Ivory Coast, as revealed by molecular fingerprints, were S. cerevisiae, Pichia galeiformis and Pichia guillermondii as yeasts, L. fermentum as LAB and A. pasteurianus and Acetobacter lovaniensis as AAB. Cameroun identification figured out difference in yeast population where H. uvarum was the most detected species, while LAB and AAB were similar to those of Ivory Coast. Furthermore, sack fermentation results showed that strains mainly belonged to H. uvarum, L. plantarum and A. lovaniensis species. Our results led to the conclusion that the main differences between the two ecosystems were present in box fermentation data, furthermore this study highlights that the main differences in fermentation processes in Ivory Coast and Cameroun are correlated to yeast populations.
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