Kamarisima
Fermentation is the most important stage in the postharvest process of cocoa to determine the quality of cocoa beans. Fermentation in Indonesia is generally carried out naturally or spontaneously without the addition of a starter and can be done using wood box media. However, natural fermentation is constrained by environmental conditions that are always changing so as to affect the consistency of the quality of cocoa beans fermented. The use of controlled fermentrol can create a more consistent environment so that it is expected to increase the consistency of the quality of cocoa beans. The success of cocoa fermentation is determined by the dynamics and succession of the growth of key microbes that acts as the director of the fermentation process such as yeast, lactic acid bacteria (BAL) and acetic acid bacteria (BAA). Thus, the purpose of this study is to determine the effect of the use of fermentors controlled on improving the quality of cocoa beans. There are 3 types of treatments used in this study, namely: (1) Natural Fermentor (FA), Controlled Fermentor without Inoculum Addition (FT), (3) Controlled Fermentors with the addition of 10% lactic acid bacterial isolates (FT10). The fermentation conditions carried out are: cocoa beans weighing ± 20 kg, good seed quality (thick pulp, white), initial pH ± 3, temperature in controlled fermentors is maintained 36-38oC, performed every 2 days at natural fermentors and 1 Over day at a controlled fermentor, and all tests are carried out duplo. The results showed that the FT10 treatment could maintain the acidity (pH) of cocoa in the range of 4-6 during fermentation, and temperatures 29-39 ̊C during the fermentation process. With the total phenol content and the highest number of seeds per 100 gram, which is 100.9 mg of Gae and the quality of the seeds is A (87.5 seeds per 100 grams), the highest organoleptic analysis of the bitterness indicator (3.66), acidity (3.79) and color (3.58). In addition, the FT10 treatment can speed up fermentation time from 5 to 4 days so that the controlled fermentor application can not only maintain the quality of cocoa beans but can also increase productivity.