The effect of yeast concentration and fermentation time on the physical,chemical, and flavor characteristics of cocoa beans

Indonesia is the largest cocoa producer, yet most of the cocoa production at the farmer level remains unfermented due to its low capacity. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the effect of yeast concentration and fermentation time on cocoa beans' physical, chemical, and flavor characteristics. A total of 10 kg beans was fermented in individual styrofoam boxes, each with a centimeter hole on each side. It was carried out using a completely randomized design with a factorial pattern of two factors. The first factor comprised the yeast treatment, including 1% and 2% baker yeast (BY), 1% and 2% tapai (fermented cassava) yeast (TY), and a control group without yeast-the second factor involved four fermentation time intervals of 3, 4, 5, and 6 days. The parameters observed included temperature, pH of the pulp, fermentation index, slaty beans, pH of the beans, total acid and flavor. The results showed that fermentation with 1% and 2% TY significantly improved the quality of cocoa beans compared to the control and BY. The pH of beans fermented with 1% TY was slightly higher than 2% TY, while other parameters did not show significant differences between the two yeast concentrations. Furthermore, the fermentation time of cocoa beans had no significant effect on chemical quality, except for flavor, which improved on the 5th day of fermentation.