Editing Cocoa bean (section)

=== Harvest processing ===

[[File:Cacao Beans Drying.JPG|thumb|left|Beans drying|alt=Beans drying in the sun]]

The harvested pods are opened, typically with a [[machete]], to expose the beans.<ref name="Wood"/><ref name="Abenyega"/> The pulp and cocoa seeds are removed and the [[peel (fruit)|rind]] is discarded. The pulp and seeds are then piled in heaps, placed in bins, or laid out on grates for several days. During this time, the seeds and pulp undergo "sweating", where the thick pulp liquefies as it ferments. The fermented pulp trickles away, leaving cocoa seeds behind to be collected. Sweating is important for the quality of the beans,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.confectionerynews.com/R-D/Chocolate-finds-a-new-friend-in-yeast |title=Yeasts key for cacao bean fermentation and chocolate quality |date=15 May 2013 |publisher=[[Confectionery News]] |access-date=2 February 2014}}</ref> which originally have a strong, bitter taste. If sweating is interrupted, the resulting cocoa may be ruined; if underdone, the cocoa seed maintains a flavor similar to raw [[potato]]es and becomes susceptible to [[mildew]]. Some cocoa-producing countries distill [[alcoholic spirits]] using the liquefied pulp.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.icco.org/faq/52-by-products/115-products-that-can-be-made-from-cocoa.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121004032513/http://www.icco.org/faq/52-by-products/115-products-that-can-be-made-from-cocoa.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=4 October 2012 |title=FAQ : Products that can be made from cocoa |publisher=[[International Cocoa Organization]] |access-date=31 January 2014}}</ref>

A typical pod contains 30 to 40 beans and about 400 dried beans are required to make {{convert|1|lb|g}} of chocolate. Cocoa pods weigh an average of {{convert|400|g|oz|abbr=on}} and each one yields {{convert|35|to|40|g|oz|1|abbr=on}} dried beans; this yield is 9–10% of the total weight in the pod.<ref name="Abenyega"/> One person can separate the beans from about 2000 pods per day.<ref name="Abenyega"/><ref name="Gockowski"/>

[[File:Medium close up image of David Kebu Jnr holding cocoa beans drying in the sun. (10703178735).jpg|thumb|left|Closeup of drying beans]]

The wet beans are then transported to a facility so they can be fermented and dried.<ref name="Abenyega"/><ref name="Gockowski"/> The farmer packs them into boxes or heaps them into piles, then covers them with mats or banana leaves for three to seven days.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cocoalife.org/in-the-cocoa-origins|title=Cocoa Life – A story on Farming – Cocoa Growing|website= [[Cocoa Life]] |access-date=7 March 2018}}</ref> Finally, the beans are trodden and shuffled about (often using bare human feet) and sometimes, during this process, red [[clay]] mixed with [[water]] is sprinkled over the beans to obtain a finer color, polish, and protection against molds during shipment to factories in other countries. Drying in the sun is preferable to drying by artificial means, as no extraneous flavors such as smoke or oil are introduced which might otherwise taint the flavor.{{cn|date=September 2024}}

The beans should be dry for shipment, which is usually by sea. Traditionally exported in [[jute]] bags, over the last decade, beans are increasingly shipped in "mega-bulk" parcels of several thousand tonnes at a time on ships, or standardized to {{convert|62.5|kg}} per bag and 200 ({{convert|12.5|MT}}) or 240 ({{convert|15|MT}}) bags per {{convert|20|ft|m}} container. Shipping in bulk significantly reduces handling costs. Shipment in bags, either in a ship's hold or in containers, is still common.{{cn|date=September 2024}}

Throughout [[Mesoamerica]] where they are native, cocoa beans are used for a variety of foods. The harvested and fermented beans may be ground to order at ''tiendas de chocolate'', or chocolate mills. At these mills, the cocoa can be mixed with a variety of ingredients such as [[cinnamon]], [[chili pepper]]s, [[almonds]], [[vanilla]], and other spices to create [[drinking chocolate]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2009/04/mexican-chocolate-rustic-stronger-better/9901/ |first=Alex |last=Whitmore |title=Mexican Chocolate: Rustic, Stronger, Better |date=10 April 2009 |work=[[The Atlantic]]}}</ref> The ground cocoa is also an important ingredient in ''[[tejate]]''.<ref>{{Cite Journal |last1=Pérez-Ramírez|first1=Iza F|last2=Carino-Sarabia|first2=Adriana |last3=Castaño-Tostado|first3=Eduardo |last4=Vázquez-Landaverde|first4=Pedro A. |last5=Ramos-Gómez|first5=Minerva |last6=Reynoso-Camacho|first6=Rosalia |last7=Amaya-Llano|first7=Silvia L.|date=2021 |title=Chemical and sensorial characterization of Tejate, a Mexican traditional maize-cocoa beverage, and improvement of its nutritional value by protein addition |journal=Journal of Food Science and Technology |language=en |volume=58 |pages=3548-3560 |doi=10.1007/s13197-021-05073-w }}</ref>