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Effect of maturity on some chemical components of cocoa
Author(s) -
Packiyasothy E. Velupillai,
Jansz Errol R.,
Senanayake Upali M.,
Wijesundara R. Chakra,
Wickremasinghe Palitha
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
journal of the science of food and agriculture
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 142
eISSN - 1097-0010
pISSN - 0022-5142
DOI - 10.1002/jsfa.2740320906
Subject(s) - pulp (tooth) , point of delivery , biology , food science , pectin , yeast , fermentation , horticulture , botany , biochemistry , medicine , pathology
Immature harvest of cocoa to prevent losses due to pests and pilferage is common in Sri Lanka. The effect of maturity on the levels of some components of the Amelonado variety of cocoa grown in Sri Lanka is reported here. The major problem posed by immature harvest is the loss of fats which has been shown in this study to be of the order of 50% when the crop is harvested 1.5 months early, although the fatty acid composition does not vary significantly during this period. The pulp of immature cocoa pods contains less free sugars and produces less ethanol on yeast fermentation than pulp of mature pods but the methanol content of the distillate is higher in immature pulp. The pectin content of the pod endocarp declines as maturation proceeds.