New Research from Aprocafa
Project Title
Behavior of the organoleptic profiles for the CCN-51 and Nacional cocoa varieties in response to the use of pre-dried fresh beans in the fermentation process.
Development Objective
To produce knowledge on the changes induced in the organoleptic profiles for the coca varieties CCN-51 and Nacional, in response to the incorporation of pre-dried beans in the fermentation process. This knowledge will be used to design a technology and produce recommendations aimed at improving the integral quality of the cocoa beans.
Specific Objectives
- To determine if fermenting pre-dried beans accelerate the rate of temperature rise in the fermenting mass thus shortening the time needed to obtain a good percentage of fermenting beans.
- To know in which degree the pre-dried beans and shortening of the fermentation period influence the expression of the flavor components making up the organoleptic profile in both clones.
- To understand how the changes of polyphenols, purines and total acidity occuring in the beans relate to the final organoleptic profile in both clones.
Justification
The Knowledge produced by this study will allow an answer to the research question just described in the problem definition. If the proposed hypothesis is confirmed this knowledge will lead to the designing and dissemination of a new technology that when adopted will contribute to the development of the integral cocoa quality for the main cocoa varieties grown in Ecuador. At the end of the day the quality improvement will turn into a marketing tool to sustain and expand the current market segments occupied by these varieties. Revalorization of the beans will be also a consequence of the quality improvement produced by the application of this technology.