Cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) harvest and postharvest in Tabasco, Mexico

Abstract

Objective: To characterize the harvest and postharvest of the cocoa managementsystem at La Chontalpa, Tabasco, Mexico.Design / methodology / approach: The study took place in the towns ofFrancisco Trujillo Gurría and Ernesto Aguirre Colorado de Huimanguillo, Tabasco,Mexico. The study was descriptive and accounted for 51 producers and thoseresponsible for the cocoa profit centers. Producers were chosen through targetedsampling. A survey on their harvest and postharvest was applied, in addition todirect assessment in plantations and profit centers.Results: The cocoa harvesting is manual. The producers cut the ripe and almostripe fruits, do not store and 58.8% of them do not break the fruit. With a “machete”cut the fruit in half and manually extract the grains. The fresh grains are sold at aprofit. The cocoa is then fermented in wooden boxes, dried artificially, natural, or ina combined way, and packed in “yute” bags for sale. Profit centers do not keeptrack of their grain origin and make no selection or determine product quality. Study limitations / implications: All producers harvest in the same way, but theprocesses during post-harvest could differ at different collection centers.Findings / conclusions: The harvest of cocoa fruits at different maturity and thelack of storage causes a heterogeneous fermentation. The humidity level duringthe drying process is empirically determined.