1 Introduction
Cocoa beans are the seeds, contained in a
cucumber-like fruit, of the cacao tree, a member of the
Sterculiaceae family. The flowers/fruit are borne directly
on the trunk (cauliflory) and on thick branches (ramiflory).
The yellowish, reddish to brownish fruits (botanically
speaking, berries), which are of similar appearance to
cucumbers, are divided into five longitudinal
compartments, each containing up to 10 seeds (cocoa
beans). The cocoa bean consists of the seed coat which
encloses the cocoa kernel and almost solely consists of the
two folded cotyledons, and the radicle. The cocoa kernel
is the principal component for the production of cocoa
products. Cocoa is widely grown in West Africa and
some parts of South America. The predominant specie of
cocoa grown in Nigeria and most West Africa countries is