Dados do Trabalho

Título

APPLICATION OF GERMINATED COCOA NIBS IN THE PRODUCTION OF CRAFT BEER

Introdução

Beer is a fermented drink that has many years of history. Although its basic ingredients are malted barley, water, hops and yeast, the use of other inputs is guaranteed by legislation, being a very common practice in the industry. Considering the possibility of using cocoa nibs in the production of these drinks, the present study aimed to apply germinated cocoa bean nibs in the production of Bodebrown Cacau beer.

Material e Métodos

Initially, the germinated cocoa seeds were roasted at 150 ºC for 60 minutes and peeled, producing nibs without the shell and germ. Before producing the beer, a preliminary mashing test was carried out to establish the ideal proportion between the ingredients, which consisted of water (80%), malt (10%), nibs (5%), and starch (5%). The brazing process of the ingredients took place in water heated to 70°C, lasting for 60 minutes at 65°C before mashing out at 75°C. The must was recirculated for 15 minutes, being transferred to another pan with water heated to 75°C. The first and second hops were added 10 and 35 minutes after boiling at 100°C, respectively. After 60 minutes of boiling, the must was cooled with an ice water bath associated with the immersion chiller and Whirlpool, until reaching temperatures between 25°C and 30°C. Subsequently, the must added with yeast was fermented for 14 days. After seven days of fermentation, a priming prepared with water (400 mL), sugar (70 g) and chocolate powder (70 g) was added. Once fermentation was complete, the beer was bottled and cooled for 15 days. The drink was analyzed for acidity and alcohol content.

Resultados e Discussão

The results were similar to those found in the literature, presenting 0.32% acidity and 3.72 alcohol content and, therefore, in accordance with the value ranges determined by the normative instructions.

Conclusão

Some changes that were not expected occurred during fermentation, such as acetic fermentation overlapping alcoholic fermentation, a fact explained by the microbiota associated with the cocoa fermentation process. Therefore, the use of germinated cocoa beans in the production of craft beer is viable, obtaining a drink with adequate acidity and alcohol content.