Yeast isolation and identification during on-farm cocoa natural fermentation in a highly producer region in northern Brazil

Abstract

The cocoa seeds from Brazilian Amazon are recognized for the high international market value in addition to the desirable aroma and taste. We aimed to identify yeast cultures in a natural cocoa fermentation process in one of the Amazonian regions of great importance in the cocoa beans market. Natural fermentation was carried out for seven days according to the methodologies of the producer and at 24 h intervals, seed samples were collected and physical-chemical and microbiological analyzes were performed. The contents of lipids, proteins, ash and moisture did not differ (p ≥ 0.05) differently from temperature, pH and total titratable acidity (p ≤ 0.05). We identified three species in the fermentation: Pichia kudriavzevii, Torulaspora delbrueckii and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the most common being during the process. We can verify the importance of knowing the microbiota active in cocoa fermentation to propose improvements during this process of great economic importance for the Amazon region.