MONATELE, CAMEROON, 2012. A poorly fermented cocoa bean. Note the purple color, caused by anthocyanins, which are purple/blue. A properly fermented cocoa bean has undergone oxidation, causing the pigments or polyphenols to give the bean its characteristic brown color, the color of oxidized polyphenols. Poorly fermented beans produce a bitter chocolate, and more sugar and milk powder has to be used to counteract the bitterness.
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