Editing Chocolate (section)

=== Fermentation ===
{{main|Cocoa bean fermentation}}
The beans (which are [[Asepsis|sterile]] within their pods) and their surrounding pulp are removed from the pods and placed in piles or bins to ferment. [[Micro-organisms]], present  naturally in the environment, ferment the [[pectin]]-containing material. [[Yeast]]s produce [[ethanol]], [[lactic acid bacteria]] produce [[lactic acid]], and [[acetic acid bacteria]] produce [[acetic acid]]. In some cocoa-producing regions an association between [[filamentous fungi]] and bacteria (called "cocobiota") acts to produce [[metabolite]]s beneficial to human health when consumed.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Guzmán-Alvarez |first1= Romel |last2=G. Márquez-Ramos |first2=José |editor1-last=Laranjo |editor1-first=Marta |title=Fermentation – Processes, Benefits and Risks |date=2021 |publisher=[[University of Évora]]|location=Évora, Portugal  |isbn=978-1-83968-816-4 |page=128}}</ref> The fermentation process, which takes up to seven days, also produces several flavor precursors, that eventually provide the chocolate taste.<ref>{{Cite journal
| last1 = Schwan | first1 = R.
| last2 = Wheals | first2 = A.
| doi = 10.1080/10408690490464104
| title = The Microbiology of Cocoa Fermentation and its Role in Chocolate Quality
| journal = Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition
| volume = 44
| issue = 4
| pages = 205–221
| year = 2004
| pmid = 15462126
| s2cid = 34523445
}}</ref>

After fermentation, the beans must be dried to prevent mold growth. Climate and weather permitting, this is done by spreading the beans out in the sun from five to seven days.<ref name="beans">{{cite web |title=Harvesting the seeds |url=http://www.xocoatl.org/harvest.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080521035551/http://www.xocoatl.org/harvest.htm |archive-date=21 May 2008 |access-date=20 May 2008 |publisher=Xocoatl}}</ref> In some growing regions (for example, [[Tobago]]), the dried beans are then polished for sale by "dancing the cocoa": spreading the beans onto a floor, adding oil or water, and shuffling the beans against each other using bare feet.<ref>{{cite book |last1=O'Donnell |first1=Kathleen |title=Adventure guide to Trinidad & Tobago |date=2000 |publisher=Hunter |location=Edison, N.J. |isbn=1-55650-886-7 |page=29 |edition=2nd}}</ref>

In an alternative process known as moist incubation, the beans are dried without fermentation. The nibs are then removed and hydrated in an acidic solution. They are heated for 72 hours and dried again. [[Gas chromatography]]/[[Mass Spectrometry|mass spectrometry]] showed that the incubated chocolate had higher levels of Strecker [[aldehyde]]s, and lower levels of [[pyrazine]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Coxworth |first=Ben |date=27 April 2022 |title=New bean treatment shown to produce fruitier, flowerier dark chocolate |url=https://newatlas.com/science/moist-incubation-better-dark-chocolate/ |access-date=29 April 2022 |website=New Atlas |language=en-US |archive-date=29 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220429001800/https://newatlas.com/science/moist-incubation-better-dark-chocolate/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=28 April 2022 |title='Moist incubation' process for fruitier dark chocolate |url=https://www.foodprocessing.com.au/content/processing/article/,%20http://foodprocessing.com.au/content/processing/article/-moist-incubation-process-for-fruitier-dark-chocolate-304823853 |access-date=29 April 2022 |website=www.foodprocessing.com.au |language=en }}{{Dead link|date=October 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>