Impact of different cocoa hybrids (Theobroma cacao L.) and S. cerevisiae UFLA CA11 inoculation on microbial communities and volatile compounds of cocoa fermentation.

The aim of this work was to study the microbial communities and volatile compounds profile of different fermentations: using four different cocoa hybrids and adding Saccharomyces cerevisiae UFLA CA11 as starter culture. Each hybrid showed particular characteristics: size, peel, seed and pulp. The temperature of the cocoa mass increased during fermentations (24°C to 47°C). The hybrid FA13 inoculated with S. cerevisiae showed the lowest temperatures (26 to 37°C). The pulp's compositions were different between the hybrids, mainly regarding citric acid (0.5 to 3.2g/kg). The carbohydrates were more rapidly (60h) metabolized in inoculated fermentations than in spontaneous fermentations (84h). Thirty-nine volatile compounds were identified by GC-FID for all fermentation processes. Esters (14 compounds) and alcohols (12) were the most important groups. Yeast communities were similar among the different processes while bacterial communities were dependent on the hybrid and process. The inoculation accelerated the fermentation and the hybrid characteristics influenced on the fermentation requiring particular management.