Cured cocoa beans are obtained through a post-harvest, batchwise process of fermentation and drying carried out on farms in the equatorial zone. Fermentation of cocoa pulp-bean mass is performed mainly in heaps or boxes. It is made possible by a succession of yeast, lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and acetic acid bacteria (AAB) activities. Yeasts ferment the glucose of the cocoa pulp into ethanol, perform pectinolysis and produce flavour compounds, such as (higher) alcohols, aldehydes, organic acids and esters. LAB ferment the glucose, fructose and citric acid of the cocoa pulp into lactic acid, acetic acid, mannitol and pyruvate, generate a microbiologically stable fermentation environment, provide lactate as carbon source for the indispensable growth of AAB, and contribute to the cocoa and chocolate flavours by the production of sugar alcohols, organic acids, (higher) alcohols and aldehydes. AAB oxidize the ethanol into acetic acid, which penetrates into the bean cotyledons to prevent seed germination. Destruction of the subcellular seed structure in turn initiates enzymatic and non-enzymatic conversions inside the cocoa beans, which provides the necessary colour and flavour precursor molecules (hydrophilic peptides, hydrophobic amino acids and reducing sugars) for later roasting of the cured cocoa beans, the first step of the chocolate-making.

中文翻译：

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酵母，乳酸菌和醋酸菌在可可发酵过程中的功能作用。

固化的可可豆是通过在赤道地区农场进行的收获后分批发酵和干燥过程获得的。可可浆豆块的发酵主要在堆或盒子中进行。一系列的酵母，乳酸菌（LAB）和乙酸菌（AAB）活性使其成为可能。酵母将可可浆的葡萄糖发酵成乙醇，进行果胶分解并产生风味化合物，例如（高级）醇，醛，有机酸和酯。LAB将可可浆中的葡萄糖，果糖和柠檬酸发酵成乳酸，乙酸，甘露醇和丙酮酸，产生微生物学稳定的发酵环境，提供乳酸作为AAB必不可少的生长的碳源，并有助于可可和巧克力糖醇生产带来的风味，有机酸，（高级）醇和醛。AAB将乙醇氧化成乙酸，然后渗透到豆子叶中以防止种子发芽。破坏亚细胞种子结构反过来会引发可可豆内部的酶促和非酶促转化，为可可豆的后续烘烤提供必要的颜色和风味的前体分子（亲水肽，疏水性氨基酸和还原糖）。巧克力制作的第一步。