AAB Fermentation

The main activity of AAB is the oxidation of ethanol, initially formed by the yeasts, into acetic acid by periplasmic pyrroloquinoline-quinone-dependent dehydrogenase activities coupled to the membrane-anchored respiratory chain that provide these bacteria with the necessary energy. 

The predominance of specific strains of Acetobacter (pasteurianus) over Gluconobacter can be ascribed to their preference for the oxidation of ethanol instead of glucose fermentation, their growth 

Finally, the exhaustion of ethanol and an increasing temperature of the fermenting cocoa pulp-bean mass cause the death of the AAB, which ultimately halts the whole cocoa bean fermentation process. 

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