STUDI GRADE BIJI KAKAO TERHADAP PROSES FERMENTASI BIJI KAKAO MULTIVARIETAS DI KOPERASI KAKAO KERTA SEMAYA SAMANIYA (KKSS) BALI

The Cacao bean grade based on SNI 2323-2008 is classified into 5 grades namely grade AA, A, B, C and S based on the weight of the beans. This studied used 3 different grades of cacao beans based on the weight of the beans, namely Moding Sari for grade AA, Astiti Rahayu for grade A and Sekarwangi for grade S. This studied aimed to determine whether or not there is an influence between the grade of cacao beans with temperature, pH and glucose during the fermentation process and will provide treatment protocols that must be carried out and controlled during the fermentation process in order to improve and maintain the quality of cocoa beans in terms of aroma and flavour attributes. The test parameters used are temperature (℃), pulp pH, bean pH, glucose (brix%), fermentation index and flavour. Cocoa beans during the fermentation process were observed (temperature (℃), pulp pH, bean pH, glucose (%)) 1 x 24 hours followed by drying with a solar dryer. Cacao bean grade did not affect the fermentation parameters but the fermentation process will affect the grade of cacao beans produced (p>0,05). Fermented cocoa beans were identified with tannin and anthocyanin compounds using UV-vis spectrophometer. Fermentation was successful, there was no effect of cocoa bean grade on the fermentation index results because it showed IF > 1. Sensory evaluation showed that cocoa bean grade did not affect the scoring results of the taste test (p>0,05). The correlation value (r) was 0.988-1.000 for the fermentation process parameters, which is a very strong correlation and shows a strong correlation between the fermentation process and the flavour test.