Influencia da adicao de celulases, antes de secagem, na acidez das sementes de cacau

The objective of this work was to investigate the effect of the addition of cellulases on the acidity and the quality of the cacao beans before drying. The seeds, after being extracted from fruits harvested in the mature state, were fermented in wooden boxes for six days. At the conclusion of fermentation, 30 kg of beans were treated with cellulases of Trichoderma reesei QM 9414, and submitted to continuous drying in a drier of incandescent lamps for 116 hours. Another portion of equal weight not subjected to any treatment was dried in the same manner as a control. During drying, samples were removed for the determinations of acidity, and pH value of cotyledons and seed coat biopolymers. Samples of both of the cured cacao beans were also taken to produce chocolate for sensorial evaluation. The addition of cellulases before drying modified the level of the seed coat biopolymers, however, it was not sufficient to reduce the acidity of the final product to the levels desired by the import market, as shown by the chemical analyses. Despite this, the taste panel did not detect significant differences between the prepared chocolates. The levels of acidity of the cotyledons of the cured beans, with and without enzyme treatment were: free volatile acids, 0.0774 and 0.790 percent; fixed volatile acids, 0.629 and 0.649 percent, and total free acids, 1.772 and 1.818 percent respectively.