Current state of research on cocoa and coffee fermentations

Fermentation is one of the oldest food-processing technologies in the world. For cocoa and coffee products, microbial fermentation plays an important role in their production processes and can have major impacts on product quality and value. Cocoa and coffee are the few remaining food commodities produced on a global scale where the fermentation occurs in a spontaneous way. Although considered research has been carried out with regard to the improvement of starters cultures used in coffee and cocoa processing, very few efforts have been made for their implementation under filed conditions. This review assesses the most relevant findings concerning the starter culture developed for cocoa and coffee processing over the past 10 years, defines the reasons that have limited its implementation, and identifies areas of research that need to be addressed if the potential of the starter culture is to be achieved.