FERMENTATION-LIKE INCUBATION OF DAMAGED CACAO SEEDS: A PILOT STUDY

Background and purpose: Cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) seeds, essential to chocolate production, are frequently affected by diseases that compromise their quality and economic value. This study aimed fermentation-like incubation as a novel approach to enable the use of disease-damaged cacao seeds, a significant waste in the cocoa industry. We compared the biochemical and physico-chemical changes in cacao seeds subjected to fermentation-like incubation under controlled conditions and spontaneous fermentation. Approach: Both healthy and disease-damaged seeds, fresh and dried, were assessed. Key analyses included fermentation index, total phenolic content, macronutrient composition, and colorimetry. Metabolomic profiling using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry were used to identify critical metabolites. Findings: Fermentation-like incubation effectively replicates the outcomes of spontaneous fermentation, significantly enhancing fermentation indices, phenolic content, and flavor-related metabolites in damaged seeds. Metabolites such as sucrose, branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), aromatic amino acids (AAAs), and decane emerged as critical markers of quality and stress responses. The findings validate fermentation-like incubation as a viable solution to mimic spontaneous fermentation even in damaged cacao seeds, which may enable its industrial usage contributing to waste reduction and resource efficiency. Conclusion and implications: This study underscores the potential of fermentation-like incubation to reduce waste and promote sustainability in the cacao industry. It lays a foundation for further research integrating omics techniques to optimize cacao processing and valorize damaged materials for diverse industrial applications.