The level of occurrence of purple beans in cocoa in three districts in the western region of ghana and its impact on the cocoa bean quality

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1 AGRICULTURE AND BIOLOGY JOURNAL OF NORTH AMERICA ISSN Print: , ISSN Online: , doi: /abjna , ScienceHuβ, The level of occurrence of purple in cocoa in three districts in the western region of ghana and its impact on the cocoa bean quality N.F. Quarshie 1 and B.K. *Maalekuu 1 1 Dept of Horticulture, Faculty of Agric. KNUST. Kumasi, Ghana *Corresponding author (kbmaalekuu.agric@knust.edu.gh, ABSTRACT The study was undertaken to assess the level of occurrence of purple and its impact on the cocoa industry in Ghana. The study covered three districts, namely; Sefwi-Bekwai, Sefwi- Wiawso and Asankragua districts (according to the cocoa districts) in the Western region of Ghana. To be able to obtain credible results, two sets of structured questionnaires were administered to 150 farmers and 50 Quality Control Officers of COCOBOD in the areas the study covered. Selected farmers in each district were monitored in their postharvest activities and afterwards qualitative analysis/cut tests were undertaken at the various stages of the handling chain. On the basis of the results obtained, it was evident that the level of occurrence of the purple bean was higher at the farm gates but kept on decreasing throughout the handling process as the days in storage increased. Sefwi-Wiawso district recorded the highest level (28%) of occurrence of purple bean followed by Sefwi-Bekwai (24%) and Asankragua district (20%) recorded the least. The respondents to the questionnaires believed that the possible cause(s) of the purple could have been attributed to: the fermentation process, the heap size and the number of turnings of the heap. The field monitoring and the laboratory cut test analysis confirmed that the cause of the purple bean in cocoa was due to the fermentation process. From the cut test/qualitative analysis conducted it showed that inspite of the purple, slaty and moldy Ghana s cocoa is still of premium quality. Keywords: Fermentation, heap size, number of turnings, cut test/qualitative analysis, chocolate, purple, slaty, moldy. INTRODUCTION The important role cocoa plays in the economy of Ghana cannot be overemphasized. Cocoa is the second foreign exchange earner and the lives of many farmers and their families depend on it (Cocobod, 2011). Cocoa products like chocolate, pebbles and cocoa powder feature prominently on the menu in many homes, restaurants and hotels (Tafuri et al., 2004). Ghana is second only to the Ivory Coast in its production of cocoa but produces the best quality cocoa (Cocobod, 2011). Currently, there are six cocoa growing areas in Ghana namely: Ashanti, Brong Ahafo, Eastern, Volta, Central and Western regions (Cocobod, 2011). Before 2005, the defects that were examined in the grading of cocoa for quality were; unripe and poorly fermented, moldy cocoa, slaty and firm kernels, smoky, flat, weevil, germinated, any form of adulteration and lately purple which came up as a result of complaints from some cocoa processors in Japan in the year 2005 (QCC, Kaase Inland Port, 2011). Processors say when the purple cocoa bean is used in chocolate production they will always have to add more sugar/sweetener to it in order to bring the taste to levels acceptable to consumers (Enyan et al, 2011). Recent reports have it that the occurrence of purple bean in cocoa has gone down and Ghana s cocoa which is known as premium quality cocoa seemed to have regained its grounds and is fetching grade one price on the world market (QCC, Cocobod, 2011). Though there has been little or no complains on purple cocoa within these few years, worrying reports from the Quality Control Company Limited indicated that the rate of occurrence now stands at between 26-30% with the bulk of it being recorded in the eastern and western (north) regions (QCC, Kaase Inland Port, 2011). The objectives of this study were to determine: (1) the actual level of occurrence of purple in three cocoa growing districts in the western region, a major

2 cocoa producing region in Ghana. (2) what could be the possible reason(s) for the persistent occurrence regardless of the many educational interventions. (3) what stakeholders in the cocoa industry believe to be the possible cause(s) of the purple. (4) the impact of purple cocoa on cocoa quality and on the cocoa industry as a whole. MATERIALS AND METHODS The three districts in which the study was conducted were : Asankragua district (western south), Sefwi- Wiawso district and Sefwi-Bekwai district (western north), all being cocoa districts according to the Cocoa Marketing Board classifications in the Western region. In each of these districts fifty (50) cocoa farmers were interviewed from at least five (5) different communities within each district making a total of hundred and fifty (150) farmers and fifteen (15) communities in all. A different set of questionnaires were also administered to personnel of the Quality Control Division (QCD) of COCOBOD and other related officers who deal in cocoa such as the cocoa inland port at Kaase and Asokwa all in the Kumasi metropolis of the Ashanti region to take their views on the level of occurrence of the purple bean, how it affects the quality of cocoa and what could be done to curb or reduce the rate of occurrence. Visits were also made to the Quality Control Company of COCOBOD in all the three districts that the survey covered in order to be able to receive firsthand information on the purple menace and other relevant data that could be useful to the study and the cocoa industry at large. Six cocoa farmers; three each from those who admitted to have recorded the incidence of purple in their cocoa and those who do not record any according to the questionnaires administered were monitored throughout the various postharvest activities; from harvesting, through gathering, pod breaking, fermentation, drying, bagging to the point when the were sold. The activities of these two groups of farmers were compared to identify any variations in the processes adopted. Random samples of cocoa were taken from bags and the freshly dried were examined to obtain information on the total purple per bag per harvest using the cut test. In this analysis, all the selected which were obtained by randomly fetching a hand full out of the dried were cut lengthwise with a knife and visually observed for any defects. The number of counted to be purple colored, slaty, moldy and chocolate colored out of the total were all calculated in percentages. This exercise was carried out for all the farmers whose activities were monitored and in all the three districts where the survey was undertaken. In all the places visited, the major challenges to data collection were; (1) the hesitant nature of farmers in providing information (2) the difficulty in translating the questions into the local dialects for farmers to understand and respond accurately (3) most farmers had little or no education on the topic and (4) the bad road networks. RESULTS Field Survey: Out of the 150 farmers (50 in each district) and the 50 Quality Control Officers administered with the questionnaires, the data analyzed on the possible cause(s) of purple bean showed the following responses: 35-68% indicated that the problem resulted from the fermentation process, 10-37% attributed it to the number of turnings, 4-28% maintained it is the heap size, and 0-32% had no idea of the cause. These values were further subjected to statistical analysis and the means were separated at a probability of 5% as shown in the table below: Table 1: The possible cause(s) of purple in cocoa after processing. CAUSES S. S. Asankragua Cocobod Bekwai Wiawso Fermentation 8.28e 6.96e 7.38e 5.87c Heap Size 2.11b 4.95d 2.11b 5.34b Number of 3.53c 4.53c 3.24c 6.20d turnings Hybrid/Variety 0.71a 0.71a 0.71a 0.71a No Idea 4.06d 2.91b 5.70d 0.71a Lsd CV% From table 1, the statistical results show that, there are significant differences between all the mean values obtained for all the possible causes for all the three districts when compared with the Lsd. In Sefwi- Bekwai district; fermentation (8.28) recorded the highest with hybrid/variety (0.71) the least, for Sefwi- Wiawso district; fermentation (6.96) the highest and hybrid/variety (0.71), in the Asankragua district; fermentation (7.38) had the highest and hybrid/variety (0.71), for the Cocobod officials; number of turnings (6.20) recorded the highest with hybrid/variety (0.71) and no idea (0.71) both recording the least values. 52

3 Also data from the questionnaires on the level of occurrence of purple in all the three districts were subjected to statistical analysis at 5% probability as shown in table 2, below. Table 2: A survey to establish the level of occurrence of purple in three cocoa districts. Occurrence Mean (%) No for Sefwi-Bekwai District 62.00h Yes for Sefwi-Bekwai District 24.00d No Idea for Sefwi-Bekwai Dist 14.00a No for Sefwi-Wiawso District 54.00f Yes for Sefwi-Wiawso Dist 28.00e No Idea for Sefwi-Wiawso Dist 18.00b No for Asankragua District 56.00g Yes for Asankragua Dist 20.00c No Idea for Asankragua d Lsd 1.72 Cv% 3.00 From the means, there were significant differences between the districts in the level of occurrence of purple when compared with the Lsd in the above table. Sefwi-Wiawso district indicated the highest level of occurrence (28%) followed by Sefwi-Bekwai district (24%), while Asankragua district recorded the least (20%). Qualitative cut test analysis: The percentage values for purple, moldy, slaty and chocolate in the entire produce of the farmers monitored, using the cut test were subjected to statistical analysis and the means were separated at 5% probability as shown in table 3 below: Table 3: Means of cocoa quality using the cut test. DISTRICT Purple Moldy Slaty Chocola te Sefwi c 9.10a 3.60a 65.50c Bekwai (Purple Sefwi-Bekwai 8.43a 8.43a 17.30d 65.50c (No purple Sefwi- Wiawso (Purple 20.30c 16.70c 9.30c 53.70a Sefwi b 12.00b 10.00c 66.00c Wiawso (No purple Asankragua 20.40c 11.10b 7.40b 61.10b (Purple Asankragua 11.50b 7.70a 9.70c 71.20d (No purple recor ded) Lsd CV% From table 3 above, the means for the cut test indicated significant differences between all the parameters observed for both those who recorded the purple and those who did not record the purple bean in all the three districts. Purple Beans; Sefwi-Bekwai (Recorded purple bean) had the highest (21.8 %) and Sefwi-Bekwai (Not recorded purple bean) the least (8.43 %). For all the Recorded purple bean in the three districts, Sefwi-Bekwai recorded the highest (21%) followed by Asankragua (20.40 %) and Sefwi-Wiawso the least (20.30). While with all the Not recorded purple bean, Sefwi-Wiawso district (12.00) registered the highest, followed by Asankragua district (11.50) and Sefwi- Bekwai district (8.43) the least. Moldy Beans: Sefwi-Wiawso (Recorded moldy bean) attained the highest (16.70) and Asankragua (Not recorded purple bean) the least (7.70). For all the Recorded moldy bean in the three districts, Sefwi-Wiawso recorded the highest (16.70) followed by Asankragua (11.10) and Sefwi-Bekwai the least (9.10). While with all the Not recorded moldy bean, Sefwi-Wiawso (12.00) indicated the highest followed by Sefwi-Bekwai (8.43) and Asankragua (7.70) the least. Slaty Beans: Sefwi-Bekwai (Not recorded slaty bean) recorded the highest (17.30) and Sefwi-Bekwai (Recorded slaty bean) the least (3.60). For all the Recorded slaty in the three districts, Sefwi- Wiawso had the highest slaty (9.30) followed by Asankragua (7.40) and Sefwi-Bekwai the least (3.60). For all the Not recorded slaty, Sefwi- Bekwai had the highest (17.00) followed by Sefwi- Wiawso (10.00) and Asankragua (9.70) the least. Chocolate Beans: Asankragua (Not recorded chocolate bean) recorded the highest (71.20) and Sefwi-Wiawso (recorded chocolate bean) the least (53.70). For all the Recorded chocolate in the 53

4 three districts, Sefwi-Bekwai recorded the highest (65.50) followed by Asankragua (61.10) and Sefwi- Wiawso (53.70) the least. All the Not recorded chocolate had Asankragua (71.20) recording the highest followed by Sefwi-Wiawso (66.00) and Sefwi-Bekwai (65.50) the least. In each of the three districts, one cocoa shed was selected and a cut test was performed there to represent the entire district. The results were subjected to statistical analysis to test the significant differences between the percentage (%) values obtained for the districts at a probability of 5%, as shown in table 4 below. Table 4: The Cut Test results obtained at the district and regional levels. Cocoa Bean Quality Characteristics Per District (%) DISTRICT Purple Moldy Slaty Chocolate S. Bekwai 18.50c 5.50a 9.30ab 66.70a S. Wiawso 17.40c 8.90b 3.60a 69.60ab Asankragua 15.20b 10.20b 11.90bc 62.70a Kaase 4.67a 5.00a 6.67a 83.67c Lsd C.V% Generally there were significant differences between all the considered quality traits for all the three districts. Purple Beans: Sefwi-Bekwai district recorded the highest purple (18.50) followed by Sefwi- Wiawso district (17.40) and Asankragua district (15.20) with Kaase recording the least (4.67). Moldy Beans: Asankragua recorded the highest moldy (10.20) followed by Sefwi-Wiawso (8.90) and Sefwi-Bekwai (5.50) in that order, with Kaase recording the least (5.00). Slaty Beans: Asankragua recorded the highest (11.90) followed by Sefwi-Bekwai (9.30), Kaase (6.67) and Sefwi-Wiawso recording the least (3.60) in that order. Chocolate Beans: Kaase recorded the highest percentage chocolate (83.67) followed by Sefwi-Wiawso (69.60), Sefwi-Bekwai (66.70) and Asankragua recording the least (62.70). DISSCUSIONS The possible cause(s) of purple in cocoa are presented in Table 1. The values obtained for each of the possible causes were expressed in percentages (%) and were further subjected to statistical analysis and the means were separated at 5% probability. The results obtained for the Sefwi-Bekwai district indicated that the occurrence of purple was mainly caused by the fermentation process, which recorded the highest value (8.28) followed by the number of turnings (3.53) and the heap size (2.11) with the hybrid/variety influence recording the least value of Quite an appreciable number also had no idea (4.06) as to the cause of purple in cocoa. This result was not much different from what was obtained for the Sefwi-Wiawso district. The only difference was the heap size which recorded a higher value of (4.95) than the number of turnings which was (4.53). Fermentation again was indicated as the major cause of purple in cocoa (6.96) after processing while hybrid/ varietal influence was the least (0.71) factor causing purple in cocoa. In the Asankragua district, the trend was similar to the above two districts already mentioned on the possible causes of purple in cocoa with fermentation(7.38) yet again indicated as the main cause of the purple, no idea recording (5.70), number of turnings (3.24) heap size (2.11) and hybrid/variety influence (0.71) being the least. The majority of the Cocobod officials believed that the number of turnings of the cocoa heap during the whole fermentation process (6.20) was the main cause of purple development, followed by the fermentation microbial activity, (5.87), heap size (5.34) with the hybrid/varietal influence (0.71) and those who had no idea (0.71) both recording the least values. From the above details, it can be speculated that the main cause of purple in cocoa is the fermentation process because the number of turnings and heap size which also recorded comparatively higher values are all aspects of the fermentation. Fowler (1999) and Beckett (2000) observed that methods of fermentation strongly determine the commercial quality of cocoa produced not only especially the chocolate flavor, but also the risk of the moulds contamination. This is made by providing heat, numerous organic compounds such us ethanol, lactic, acetic acids and others organic acids leading to the death of the seed embryo and inhibiting the later germination which assures proper curing of the 54

5 (Lagunes-Gálvez et al., 2007, Kostinek et al., 2008). The occurrence of purple bean differed from one district to another according to the results shown in Table 2. The study according to the farmers who answered yes to purple bean occurrence in their produce showed that, Sefwi-Wiawso district recorded the highest level of occurrence of 28% followed by Sefwi-Bekwai with 24% and Asankragua district recording the least level of occurrence of 20%. This result puts the Sefwi area on top in terms of the level of occurrence of purple which agrees with that of Kaase Inland Port, 2011, which states that, the bulk of the purple cocoa come from the Western north (Sefwi area). The high level of occurrence can therefore be attributed to the failure of the farmers to follow the recommended procedure of fermentation as seen during the monitoring process. Certain bad practices such as; the addition of from rotten, half ripe and black pods to the to be fermented and fermenting for as little as four days were observed in the districts which recorded high values during the monitoring period. Guehi et al. (2008) reported that the highest percentage of moldy in black could be attributed to their probable origin from rotten pods or pods which were stored for a long time before opening. Renaud (1954) also said that are easily contaminated by molds during fermentation and drying stages. On the other hand, from the same Table 2, the results obtained for those farmers who answered no which represents no occurrence of purple puts Sefwi-Bekwai district (62%) first, ahead of Asankragua district(56%) which is contradictory to the earlier trend discussed. This failure of the results from those farmers who said yes to correspond with those who said no could probably be attributed to the failure of some of the farmers to give honest answers. While a section of the farmers taught that the exercise was an investigation aimed at rejecting their cocoa due to the level of purple in their produce and so they answered no even when it was not exactly the case, others too taught by answering yes they were going to receive some form of assistance. This was realized during the interactions with the farmers and was again confirmed during the monitoring process. Cut test, the first quality control of cacao, is done for sanitary and fermentation quality of all cocoa samples (Hamid and Lopez, 2000; Hii et al., 2006). After the monitoring, random samples of dried cocoa from each of the farmers were cut lengthwise through the middle using a penknife. Both halves of each bean were examined in full daylight according to the cross sectional color of the. Observations were made for mold infestation, insect damage, flat and germination as well as of the color of the (slate, fully purple and fully brown or chocolate). The cut test results from the farmers monitored also confirmed that all the farmers failed to use the recommended procedure for fermentation, hence the occurrence of purple in their produce (Opoku-Ameyaw et al, 2010). Even though all the farmers failed to use the recommended procedures and as a result recorded purple in their produce, yet all the farmers who did either one or all of the following; used banana leaves, turned their at least ones and fermented the for more than five days, recorded lower values comparatively in all the parameters considered. In terms of the purple defect, the highest value was recorded by the farmer monitored in the Sefwi- Bekwai district (21.80) who admitted to have recorded the purple bean in her produce. The least was also recorded by the other farmer monitored in the same district who said she had not recorded the purple in her produce (8.43) (Table 3). It was noticed during the monitoring that there were differences in the activities of the two farmers which could also be the possible reason for the differences in purple recorded. Purple occur when the fermentation has been terminated prematurely (Guehi et al,2010). Again Guehi et al., 2010 added that fully brown are well-fermented. For the moldy, the farmer who said he has recorded the purple bean in the Sefwi-Wiawso district (16.70) had the highest with the Not recorded purple farmer at Asankragua district (7.70) having the least value among all the farmers monitored in the three districts. The highest value recorded in moldy for the farmer in the Sefwi-Wiawso district (16.70) could be the failure to turn his during the fermentation as against the farmer in the Asankragua district (7.70) who turned his once. The records on the slaty show a trend like a direct reverse of what was observed for the purple reported earlier in terms of the district with the highest (17.30) and the least (3.60) values (Table 3). The highest value recorded for slaty by the farmer in the Sefwi-Bekwai district (17.30) who fermented her for an extra day more than the recommended 6-7 days may have been the cause because of the over-fermentation of the (Enyan et al, 2011). For the chocolate characteristics of the bean, almost all the farmers in all the three 55

6 districts had high values of sixty percent (60%) and above which were desirable. The farmer who said he had not recorded the purple bean in the Asankragua district (71.30) had the highest with the farmer who said he had recorded the purple bean in the Sefwi- Wiawso district (53.70) recording the least. According to the official standard, a batch of cocoa with more than 60% fully brown color is considered as good quality product (Guehi et al,2010). At the district and regional levels (Table 4), the cut test showed that Sefwi-Bekwai district recorded the highest level of occurrence of purple (18.50) followed by Sefwi-Wiawso (17.40) and Asankragua district (15.20). These occurrences at the district level, even though the values had dropped when compared with the values for the Recorded purple bean for all the three districts in Table 3, it still confirms the earlier trend that the bulk of purple come from the western north (Sefwi area). Again another trend worth noting is the quantity of purple that kept decreasing in the produce as the cocoa moved from the farm gate through the district sheds to the regional depot and to the port. This can be seen clearly when you compare the value obtained for purple at Kaase (4.67) in Table 4 (where they obtained cocoa from the Brong Ahafo region, Eastern region, Ashanti region and some parts of the Western region) with what was recorded at the district levels (Table 4) and at the farm gate (Table 3). This decrease in the value of purple trend observed could be the result of the cocoa staying longer in storage during transit along the handling chain (Nazaruddin et al., 2006). This may have resulted in the death of the seed embryo and hence the breakdown of the anthocyanin content responsible for the purple coloration of the (Lagunes-Gálvez et al., 2007, Kostinek et al., 2008). For the slaty and moldy especially the ones recorded for all the districts and the regional levels (Table 4) when compared, there was not much difference between them which could be because storage period had no effect on moldy and slaty. The fully brown or chocolate colored increased both at the district and the regional levels (Table 4) compared with what was recorded at the farm gate (Table 3). This could also be attributed to the decrease in the quantity of purple colored in the produce as this assertion is supported by Lagunes-Gálvez et al., 2007 who stated that, biochemical reactions and enzymatic activities that occur in the cocoa cause color changes. CONCLUSIONS The level of occurrence of purple bean was found to be highest in the Sefwi-Wiawso district (28%) among all the three districts considered in this study. The monitoring conducted showed that, the cause of purple bean was the improper fermentation of the cocoa. None of the farmers monitored in all the districts used the recommended fermentation procedure. From the cut tests conducted at the various stages in the handling chain, it was found that in terms of purple bean, Ghana s cocoa can still achieve the premium price on the world market. It is suggested that a further research could be carried out on the effects of storage period and storage conditions on purple cocoa at the different stages of handling. Research work on the use of fertilizer sack as an alternative material for cocoa fermentation and its impact on the resulting cocoa bean quality should also be investigated. A lot of attention and education must be given to the cocoa farmers on the postharvest activities. REFERENCES Ardhana, M.M. and G.H. Fleet, The microbial ecology of cocoa bean fermentations in Indonesia. Int. J. Food Microbiol., 86: Barel, M Pod breaking delay. Influence on the yields and the quality of raw and roasted cocoa. Café Cacao Thé, 31: Barel, M., Fermentation of cocoa: the way of its estimation and control. Revue des Industries Alimentaires et Agricoles, 14: Beckett, S.T Industrial chocolate manufacture and use. 2nd edition. Blackie/Chapman & Hall. Beckett, S.T The Science of Chocolate. Royal Society of Chemistry Paperbacks. Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Enyan Francis, Paul Amoah K. Nyamekye, A.E Appiah and M. Awuah, 2011, Field note book-quality Control Company (COCOBOD). Fowler, M.S Cocoa Beans: From Tree to Factory. In: Beckett, S.T. (Ed.), Industrial Chocolate Manufacture and Use. Blackwell Science, Oxford, UK, pp: Gill, M.S., A.J. MacLeod and M. Moreau Volatile components of cocoa with particular reference to glucosinolate products. Phytochemistry, 23: Guehi T.S, Dabonne S, L. Ban-Koffi, D. Kra Kedjebo and G. Irie B. Zahouli, Effect of Turning Beans and Fermentation Method on the Acidity and Physical Quality of Raw Cocoa Beans. Advance Journal of Food Science and Technology 2(3): ,

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