Skip to content
Research Article Open access CC BY 4.0

Assessment of Microbial Interactions between Potential Lactic Acid Bacteria Starters and Major Microorganisms During in vitro Fermentation in a Medium Similar to Cocoa Pulp in Côte d'Ivoire

Jean-Marie Ahoussi, Hadja Ouattara, Lamine Samagaci, Victoria Kadet, Yannick Ettien, Sébastien Niamké

Annual Research & Review in Biology · pp. 28–40 · Published 30 Mar 2024

10.9734/arrb/2024/v39i42072

Abstract

However, uncontrolled or random fermentations carried out in the country by farmers producing marketable cocoa beans of variable quality. The problem of variability in the quality of beans has led to significant economic losses in the country estimated at several billion CFA Francs. The objective of this work was to analyze the interactions between potential starter lactic acid bacteria and the major microorganisms selected during cocoa fermentations in Côte d’Ivoire. The work methodology began with the cultivation of yeast, lactic acid bacteria, acetic acid bacteria and Bacillus strains in their respective YPG, MRS, YEPG and BN media for 48 hours at 30°C. Then, the microbial load of each culture was determined and set at 105 cells/mL. The strains were subsequently placed in the similar interaction medium of cocoa pulp (PSM) alone (monoculture) or together (coculture) for the study of microbial interactions. This study took place over 5 days and samples were taken for analyzes after 0, 48 and 120 hours of incubation at 30°C. The interaction was monitored by assessing microbial growth using optical density and Thoma cell counts for monocultures and agar media for cocultures. Additionally, acid production and reduction in sugar intake were also measured over the 5 days. All crops showed good growth. Growth was greater in cocultures with values ​​ranging from 4.12 log (CFU/mL) to 9.21 log (CFU/mL). In addition, the cocktails acidified the environment much more than the monocultures with values ​​oscillating between 0.10 ± 0.00 and 0.21 ± 0.00. Also, the quantity of sugars in the different broths decreased significantly in the cocktails during the first 48 hours, going from 1.08 ± 0.08 to 0.20 ± 0.01. Microbial starters in monocultures and cocultures have shown their ability to adapt to the environment like cocoa pulp. The high microbial growth, sugar consumption, and acidification of the medium in the cocktails reflected a synergistic interaction between the strains during fermentation when they were together. In short, these strains could be used for a starter composition to control fermentation and obtain good quality beans.

Lactic acid bacteria cocoa fermentation interaction starter

References (19)

  1. 1 Bacillus cereus and related species [DOI]
  2. 2 The Microbiology of Cocoa Fermentation and its Role in Chocolate Quality [DOI]
  3. 3 Lactic acid production – producing microorganisms and substrates sources-state of art [DOI]
  4. 4 Physiology, ecology and industrial applications of aroma formation in yeast [DOI]
  5. 5 The microbiology of Ghanaian cocoa fermentations analysed using culture-dependent and culture-independent methods [DOI]
  6. 6 Yeast diversity of Ghanaian cocoa bean heap fermentations [DOI]
  7. 7 Influencing cocoa flavour using Pichia kluyveri and Kluyveromyces marxianus in a defined mixed starter culture for cocoa fermentation [DOI]
  8. 8 On-farm implementation of a starter culture for improved cocoa bean fermentation and its influence on the flavour of chocolates produced thereof [DOI]
  9. 9 Yeast populations associated with Ghanaian cocoa fermentations analysed using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) [DOI]
  10. 10 Metagenomics analysis of cocoa bean fermentation microbiome identifying species diversity and putative functional capabilities [DOI]
  11. 11 Implication of Bacillus sp. in the production of pectinolytic enzymes during cocoa fermentation [DOI]
  12. 12 Dynamics and Biodiversity of Bacterial and Yeast Communities during Fermentation of Cocoa Beans [DOI]
  13. 13 Assessment of the yeast species composition of cocoa bean fermentations in different cocoa-producing regions using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis [DOI]
  14. 14 Encyclopedia of Biotechnology in Agriculture and Food [DOI]
  15. 15 Changes in acidification, sugars and mineral composition of cocoa pulp during fermentation of pulp pre-conditioned cocoa (Theobroma cacao) beans.
  16. 16 Pichia kudrazevii and Candida nitrativorans are the most well-adapted and relevant yeast species fermenting cocoa in Agneby-Tiassa, a local Ivorian cocoa producing region [DOI]
  17. 17 Theobroma cacao L., "The Food of the Gods": Quality Determinants of Commercial Cocoa Beans, with Particular Reference to the Impact of Fermentation
  18. 18 Fungal inhibition by lactic acid bacteria (LAB) is modulated in vitro by cocoa fermentation-related conditions: towards a biocontrol of fungi in processing cocoa [DOI]
  19. 19 Applied and Environmental Microbiology [DOI]

Cited by 2

Revisiting the Role of Lactic Acid Bacteria in Cacao Fermentation: From Traditional Paradigm to Functional Precision

Tania María Guzmán-Armenteros, Armando Echeverría, Jenny Ruales · Foods · 2026

Showing 1 of 2 known citations — external sources report more than can currently be individually listed.

Related research

Article metrics

Real usage data collected on this platform.

33

Page views

0

PDF downloads

4

Outbound clicks

2

Citations

Views over time

Views by country

Approximate, from request IP at view time — not citizenship or institution. Countries with fewer than 5 views are grouped as "Other".

Traffic sources

Referring site, by host.

Views and downloads exclude known bots/crawlers. Citations combines this platform's own DOI-resolved index with each external source's own reported total — see Cited by above for individually listed citing works. Last refreshed 0 seconds ago.