Effect of roasting and secondary fermentation on cocoa bean enrichment

An investigation on cocoa beans subjected to roasting at temperatures ranging from 110 to 150°C confirmed a continuous advantageous decrease of total and volatile acidity content of water-soluble and methanol-soluble tannins, as well as a favourable increase in colour, the so-called, chocolate brown N. In the process of roasting, an inevitable loss of several per cents of fat in the nucleus, accompanied by a simultaneous increase of fat content in the hull, occurred. The taste of the nucleus becames less bitter. In raw cocoa beans subjected to secondary fermentation, the total and volatile acidity were decreased significantly, while the content of tannins was decreased only slightly. The fat content in the nucleus decreases much less, while the fat content in the nucleus remains almost unchanged. The content of mineral substances was decreased by 25% depending on the bean kind.