Physicochemical properties and microbial group behavior of postharvest peruvian cocoa bean (Theobroma cacao L.)

Cocoa is used in the manufacturing of different products. Fermenting microorganisms such as yeast and bacteria use the high nutrient content of cocoa. This research evaluated physicochemical properties and microbial group behavior of fresh cocoa bean and four treatments to compare among them (A, A-farmer, B, and B-farmer). Moisture content, mold and yeast count, and Salmonella were determined in fresh cocoa beans and treatments. The results of fresh cocoa beans were moisture content of 56.30 ± 0.02 % and microbiological count below control. Treatments results were moisture content of 3.10 ± 0.02 %, 10.30 ± 0.20 %, 4.80 ± 0.00 %, and 11.40 ± 0.20 % (p ≤ 0.05), mold and yeast count were statistically similar (p > 0.05). Salmonella was not detected in any of the treatments. These findings indicate that regardless of post-harvest process, there is no fungal contamination in cocoa when carrying out good manufacturing practices.