Biochemical fate of vicilin storage protein during fermentation and drying of cocoa beans.

Key cocoa-specific aroma precursors are generated during the fermentation of cocoa beans via the proteolysis of the vicilin-like globulin. Previous studies had shown that degradation of this particular 566 amino acid-long storage protein leads to three distinct subunits with different molecular masses. Although oligopeptides generated from the proteolysis of vicilin-like globulin have been studied previously, changes occurring to vicilin at different stages of fermentation have not yet been explored in detail.