Effect of acetic acid on subcellular structures of cocoa bean cotyledons

Characteristic post-mortem changes in subcellular structures are described which are caused by the penetration of acetic acid during incubation of cocoa seeds in aqueous media. In the storage cells lipid is agglomerated and separates from hydrophilic portions in proportion to the acetic acid concentration and pH. This effect is less pronounced at 50°C than at 40°C. In the absence of acetic acid or with very low concentration of undissociated acetic acid other substructural characteristics dominate in most of the cells. At 50°C Post-mortem changes do not induce lipid agglomeration. At 40°C the intact protein vacuole swells and its matrix structure becomes spongy as a response to in-vivo water absorption. Finally, it is shown that a concentration gradient persists in whole seeds for most of the time required for fermentation, because of the slow diffusion of acetic acid. The results are compared with temperature effects on subcellular structures and are discussed in relation to their significance for proteolysis in cocoa seeds during fermentation.