The occurrence of insects and moulds in stored cocoa beans at South Sulawesi.
Dharmaputra, O. S.; Sunjaya; Muhammad Amad; Retnowati, I.; Wahyudi, T.;
BIOTROPIA Year: 1999 Issue: No. 12 Pages: 1-18 Ref: 22 ref.
1999
บทคัดย่อ
Surveys on postharvest handling and technology processing of cocoa beans at farmer, trader and exporter levels in South Sulawesi, Indonesia, were conducted together with investigations on moisture content, insect infestation, fungal infection and quality characteristics in terms of reducing sugar, free amino acid and free fatty acid contents. Surveys were conducted during dry (July 1997) and wet seasons (February 1998) in 3 regencies (Pinrang, Polewali-Mamasa and Luwu) and Ujung Pandang, South Sulawesi province. Interviews were carried out during surveys in the dry season. In each season, number of samples taken from farmers, traders and exporters was 9, 21 and 15, respectively. In general, farmers, traders and exporters did not carry out postharvest handling and technology processing correctly. Moisture content of cocoa beans collected from farmers, traders and exporters were higher than the tolerable limit recommended by SNI (7.5%). The moisture content of cocoa beans collected during the wet
season was higher than in the dry season. Insects were found on cocoa beans collected from traders and exporters. Species composition and the presence of each insect species varied among the 2 seasons, but the predominant species was Tribolium castaneum. At trader level the percentage of insect-damaged beans during the wet season was higher than that during the dry season, while at exporter level it was lower. During the 2 seasons, the percentage of mouldy beans at farmer level was lower than the tolerable limit recommended by SNI (4%), while those from some samples at trader and exporter levels were higher than 4%, but based on the direct plating method, all of the samples at trader and exporter levels were mouldy. Species composition and the percentage of beans infected by each mould species at farmer, trader and exporter levels during the 2 seasons were varied. The percentage of mouldy beans increased at trader and exporter levels. The predominant moulds were Aspergillus flavus, Eurotium amstelodami, E. c
hevalieri and Penicillium citrinum. The predominant mould at farmer level during wet season was the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Reducing sugar and free amino acid contents of cocoa beans collected during the dry season were higher than those collected during the wet season, either at farmer, trader or exporter levels. Free fatty acid content of cocoa beans tended to be higher during the wet season than the dry season at the 3 levels.