Post-harvest System and Quality of Cocoa Beans in the Southern Region of Cameroon: A Recent Study

Numerous rejections of Cameroonian cocoa on the international market attested to the inconsistent quality of the nation's commercial cocoa production. An examination into the post-harvest practices was conducted in an effort to help enhance the quality of this product.

An inquiry form on the techniques of post-harvest treatments was effectuated in two cocoa production zones, notably Biwong Bulu and Mvangang subdivisions in the southern region of Cameroon. The fermented and dried beans were collected from farmers and their physicochemical characteristics were evaluated for their quality.

The results obtained show that the producers, made up on an average of 90% men, of which 38.3%, were elderly (> 50 years old) and were not affiliated to a cooperative, thus lacking knowledge of the quality criteria of commercial cocoa; as a consequence, the post-harvest cocoa processing method is not well respected. Only 41.8% of the producers respected the order of the different unit operations of post-harvest treatment. There were four types of fermentation mode (box, banana leaves, tarpaulin and plastic bags) and three types of drying mode (hurdle, tarpaulin and soil). The different treatment modes significantly influenced the quality of the cocoa beans and thus, the morphological and physicochemical properties of the different samples. Large cocoa beans are obtained through fermentation in cascading crates (V = 1030 ± 50.90 mm3) and drying on raised trays (V = 1310 ± 77.36 mm3), which is the material that allowed to quickly reach a moisture content conform (6.82 ± 0.91%) to cocoa of commercial quality.

In the southern part of Cameroon, the post-harvest treatment system was not adhered to as advised. The success of cocoa production in this area, especially for these two subdivisions, depends on sensitizing and teaching farmers. The solar drying on elevated racks could be recommended to obtain good quality cocoa with better physical, morphological and physicochemical characteristics (moisture, lipids and acidity) leading to a commercial cocoa of grade I (superior) and II.