Effect of the content of sugars of mucylagus during the pre-drying, previous to fermentation, on the physical and sensorial quality of cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.)

In order to improve the quality of CCN-51 cocoa beans, this study was developed in which 5 concentrations of total sugars, defined by the Brix degrees (° Bx) and adjusted by pre-drying, were evaluated prior to the process of fermentation. A completely random distribution was used in the allocation of the treatments, which were defined by 1 ° Bx (T1), 1 - 5 ° Bx (T2), 5 - 10 ° Bx (T3), 10 - 15 ° Bx ( T4) and more than 15 ° Bx (T5). The selected grains came from healthy cobs of the same farm, which after the pre-drying were subjected to the fermentation process in jute bags for three days; exposing them later to natural drying, until leaving them with 7% humidity. The proportion of fermented, violet and slate grains was evaluated, making the longitudinal cut of the grains and comparing them with a visual scale. Likewise, sensory acceptance was valued through a paste, using 5 trained judges and a hedonic scale of 6 points, in categories ranging from undesirable (0) to excellent (5). In addition, the temperature was evaluated in the 3 days of fermentation and the initial and final pH of this process. Properly fermented grains were obtained in more than 80% in the first 4 treatments; reducing the violet and slate grains below 10 and 5%, respectively. The highest acceptance was established for the T2 treatment, defining it between very good and excellent. In conclusion, the pre-drying favors the quality of cocoa beans CCN-51.