Distinction of Ecuadorian varieties of fermented cocoa beans using Raman spectroscopy

Cadmium isotope fractionation in the soil – cacao systems of Ecuador: a pilot field study

“…The Nacional cultivar produces ne-avour specialty cocoa whilst CCN-51 is a high-yield cultivar that is resistant to fungal diseases but provides cocoa of lower aromatic quality. 39,40 In most farms, various hybrids of these two varieties are cultivated. In the current study, the cacao samples were assigned to three distinct cultivars, based on phenotype and information supplied by the farmers.…”

Study of the physical and chemical changes during the maturation of three cocoa clones, EET8, CCN51, and ICS60

“…In order to homogenize the quality of cocoa beans, innovators have ventured in different aspects, such as the use of stainless steel fermenters to reduce microbial contamination and to have a better control on the inoculum composition, 10 as well as in analytical methods for the recognition of varieties 11 with similar characteristics. However, for harvesting, there are no indicators of ripeness that allow the harvesting of cocoa fruit with similar characteristics in order to ensure the homogeneity of the cocoa beans for fermentation and downstream operations.…”

Differentiation of Ecuadorian National and CCN‐51 cocoa beans and their mixtures by computer vision

“…In fact, the color of cocoa beans and many other natural commodities is associated with product quality. The T. cacao variety has a distinctive color that is developed through the post‐harvesting processes of pod storage, fermentation, drying and roasting …”

“…The T. cacao variety has a distinctive color that is developed through the post-harvesting processes of pod storage, fermentation, drying and roasting. 7,10,14 Computer vision has been successfully employed in the colorimetric characterization of various vegetables and food products, and has served to establish indicators of quality, maturation stage, and storage stability, among others. [15][16][17] In the specific case of cocoa, a 2011 study indicated that this technique may be used to distinguish between cacao liquor (also known as cocoa paste, a semi-finished product for the chocolate industry) produced from National and CCN-51 beans.…”