The fruit of coffee, from the standpoint of botanists, - berry, but gardeners and commercial workers often call it a pod or bean. Fetal weight is 200-800 g. ensuing fruits ripen in about 4 months, sometimes after 6-9 months, depending on variety and growing conditions. To grow in a natural and favorable conditions, cocoa has no dormancy. In greenhouses growing wavy. Flowering and fruiting cacao year, but practically collect two harvests - basic (October - February) and intermediate (May - July). From one tree a year collected an average of 1 kg of fruits cocoa, suitable for making chocolate.
In the years when the air temperature drops to + 15 ° C or there are prolonged dry seasons, the regularity of fruiting is violated, while there is complete opadanie ovary. On biological characteristics of cacao tree can tie a lot of flowers and abundant bloom, but a significant number of them falls down and only 0,4-0,6% ovary forms a fruit. The tree at the same time, you can watch mature and green fruits and flowers.
The fruits of cocoa collect as they mature, carefully cut, so as not to damage the flowers and fruits. Previous fruit piled in a heap for a softening of the shell. Then at the opening of the fruit shell separates easily from seed. Seeds in the fruit surrounded by a pink sour-sweet pulp mezhplodnika that local residents often use as food. Separated from the fruit coat the seeds to be further processed by fermentation. To do this, they piled into the tanks for fermentation. After 8-9 days of fermentation, which occurs at a temperature of 47-51 ° C, they become brown, soft, sweet, buttery taste and delicate aroma. Enzymes isolated during the fermentation, penetrate into the seeds and cause changes in them, positively affecting the taste of cocoa. Embryos during fermentation lose germination. Then the seed is dried in the sun or in special kilns with blowing air heated to 70 ° C.
The more processed seeds, so they are better. Successfully prepared seeds are oval-flattened shape of the length 2-2,5 cm, dark-brown color, contain small rocky and large mucous cells. Under the shell is the endosperm in the form of thin paddy, penetrating between the folds of fleshy cotyledons. Fabric cotyledons - thin-walled parenchyma - contains a fixed oil, aleurone grains and a small number of very small, starchy grains.
Before sending the seeds to sell their fry and using machines remove the outer, very fragile shell (kakaovellu), representing 10% of the seed and containing from 0,5 to 1% of the alkaloid theobromine. After this treatment the seeds subjected to fine grinding and pressing for the separation of oil, and it there is contained from 45 to 55%. Recovered oil is filtered hot process, after which it solidifies at room temperature.
From low-fat and minced cake are cocoa powder of high quality, used for making drinks, chocolate and other products. Withdrawn by means of pressing oil after setting becomes a light yellow color and pleasant smell. The temperature of its melting point of 30-34 ° C.
Depending on soil and climatic conditions, as well as on the proper selection of planting material, care of the soil and plants from 1 ha are 1500 - 2000 kg seeds of cocoa.
Different varieties of cocoa beans have their own specific flavor, so the beans are distinguished flavor and taste, as well as habitat. There are beans noble and consumer class. The noble include varieties: Venezuela (Caracas, karenero, Maracaibo, Puerto Cabello), Ecuador (Guayaquil, Arriba), Nicaragua, Mexico, Costa Rica, Trinidad, Grenada, Java, Ceylon, and Samoa. All of them belong to the class Criollo or Tririra-rio-Typ. Exceptions are varieties of Ecuador, which, together with the usual African and Brazilian varieties (Bahia, pair) belong to the class farastero. Trees of the noble varieties are very sensitive and are beginning to bear fruit very late.
