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Filamentous fungi diversity in the natural fermentation of Amazonian cocoa beans and the microbial enzyme activities

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to investigate the diversity of filamentous fungi and the hydrolytic potential of their enzymes for a future understanding of the influence of these factors on the sensory characteristics of the cocoa beans used to obtain chocolate.

Methods

Filamentous fungi were isolated from the natural cocoa fermentation boxes in the municipality of Tucuman, Pará, Brazil, and evaluated for the potential production of amylases, cellulases, pectinases, and xylanases. The fermentation was monitored by analyzing the pH and temperature. The strains were identified by sequencing the ITS1/ITS4 section of the 5.8S rDNA and partially sequencing the 18S and 28S regions, and the molecular identification was confirmed by phylogenetic reconstruction.

Result

The fungi isolated were comprised of three classes from the Ascomycota phylum and one class from the Basidiomycota phylum. There were found 19 different species, of this amount 16 had never been previously reported in cocoa fermentation. This fact characterizes the fermentation occurring in this municipality as having wide fungal diversity. Most of the strains isolated had the ability to secrete enzymes of interest. Cladosporium cladosporioides, Fomitopsis subtropical, Aspergillus versicolor, Penicillium pimiteouiense, Phanerochaete australis, Neonothopanus nambi, and Aspergillus parasiticus were the strains that excelled in the secretion of the following enzymes: amylase, pectinase, cellulase, and xylanase.

Conclusion

The presence of 16 species not yet reported in cocoa seed fermentations and their potential hydrolytic activities show a diversity of filamentous fungi in this microbial biome that needs to be better understood.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank the Evandro Chagas Institute (IEC/SVS/MS) for the PCR analyses, and the Graduate Program in Food Science and Technology of the Federal University of Pará (PPGCTA/UFPA) for providing the infrastructure. GO is funded by CNPq (307479/2016-1) and the Global Challenges Research Fund, UK Research and Innovation (BB/P027849/1 – CABANA).

Funding

This work was supported by the Instituto Tecnológico Vale (Cacau P2) (Brazil) and the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Biotechnological Processes. Program of Post-Graduation in Food Science and Technology (PPGCTA), Federal University of Pará (UFPA), Belém, Pará, 66075-110, Brazil

    Jean Aquino de Araújo, Nelson Rosa Ferreira, Yamila Fernandes Mota Alves & Alessandra Santos Lopes

  2. Mycology Laboratory, Section of Bacteriology and Mycology, Evandro Chagas Institute (IEC/SVS/MS), BR 316, km 7, Ananindeua, Pará, 67.030-000, Brazil

    Silvia Helena Marques da Silva

  3. Instituto Tecnológico Vale (ITV), Belém, Pará, 66.055-090, Brazil

    Guilherme Oliveira

  4. Graduate Program of Biology of Infectious Agents and Parasitological, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Pará (UFPA), Belém, Pará, 66075-110, Brazil

    Ruan Campos Monteiro

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  1. Jean Aquino de Araújo
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  2. Nelson Rosa Ferreira
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de Araújo, J.A., Ferreira, N.R., da Silva, S.H.M. et al. Filamentous fungi diversity in the natural fermentation of Amazonian cocoa beans and the microbial enzyme activities. Ann Microbiol 69, 975–987 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13213-019-01488-1

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