The aim of this work was to study the microfermentation process of five cacao clones, ICS 01, ICS 95, ICS 39, TSH 565 and CCN 51, from the department of Huila, Colombia. These clones were characterized by their physicochemical properties followed by their fermentation process. The behavior of temperature, pH, total acidity, total polyphenols and fermentation index was recorded. Additionally, the physical cutting test was carried out at the end of the process, as well as the sensory evaluation of the cocoa liquor, in order to establish the sensory profile of each material. Results showed that fermentation time for clones ICS 95, ICS 01 was five days t was obtaining a standard cocoa quality for ICS 01. The other three clones ICS 39, TSH 565 and CCN 51 required six days of fermentation but a premium cocoa was obtained. The establishment of fermentation parameters allows improving final cocoa quality, and thus, increasing its commercial value.

No abstract

Cocoa production is a complex process where the conditions of the raw materials decisively impact the final quality of the product. Three universal clones (CCN51, ICS95, and TSH565) from the Department of Huila in Colombia were evaluated to characterize the ripening process of cocoa fruits. Maturity indicators were identified by following the evolution of basic fruit characteristics, including size, weight, seed count, depth and distance between grooves, width and length of the apex, diameter and length of the seed, moisture content, color parameters, fruit firmness, soluble solids content, pH, and acidity. The results indicated that each cocoa clone has a unique set of ripeness parameters: color for ICS95; firmness and weight of the seed for CCN51; and color, morphological characteristics of the apex and grooves, weight, moisture content, pH, and total soluble solids for TSH565. The establishment of reliable, practical, and objective ripeness indicators for each cocoa clone will allow more homogenous cocoa pods to be selected for fermentation, which will ultimately contribute to improved quality and homogeneity of cocoa and its derived products.

In this work, a process design and an economic and environmental analysis for a biorefinery based on an exotic fruit as copoazu was performed. The whole copoazu fruit was used as feedstock for a multiproduct biorefinery such as pasteurized pulp, antioxidant extract, biofertilizer, biogas, oil seed, essential oil, ethanol, and polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB). Three scenarios with mass integration were evaluated at different levels of energy integration. The first scenario did not consider energy integration, whereas the second scenario considered energy integration. Finally, in the third scenario, energetic integration plus cogeneration were analyzed. The total economic margin in the best configuration (scenario 3) was 13.21 %. The potential environmental impact is decreased not only by the energy integration but also by using solid residues for energy cogeneration to produce steam. Simulations included the composition of copoazu fruit, which was determined experimentally. Finally, a biorefinery based on copoazu could be considered as an opportunity to promote rural development with the participation of small-scale producers as feedstock suppliers.

No abstract