Abstract
Considering drying as a key farm-based, quality determining unit operation in the cocoa processing chain, this paper reviews recent studies in the drying methods and quality parameters of cocoa beans. Open sun, solar, oven, microwave, and freeze drying methods have been investigated at various levels in the drying of cocoa beans with objectives to improve the drying properties and final quality of cocoa beans. While an open sun dryer employs natural passive mechanisms, the solar drying methods can employ a combination of passive and active mechanisms. The oven, microwave, and freeze drying methods are fully active requiring electrical energy inputs. To improve drying rates in the open sun method, dryer materials and location of drying trays are the parameters optimized since the drying temperature depends on solar intensity. For solar dryers, materials, angles of elevation, heaters, and fans are manipulated to optimize energy absorption and drying parameters. For the oven and microwave methods, drying air properties are directly controlled by electronic systems. Moisture content, mouldiness, bean colour, pH, titratable acidity, fat content, and acetic acid concentration are the most widely evaluated bean quality parameters.
Highlights
Cocoa (Theobroma cacao) beans constitute a global raw material for the chocolate industry, beverages, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and toiletry products [1]
This review focuses on the recent innovations in the cocoa drying process and effects on quality parameters
Using a direct solar dryer to investigate the effect of different loadings (20, 30, and 60 kg), the moisture content of cocoa beans was reduced to 7.5% in 5, 7, and 9 days of drying, respectively [37]
Summary
Received 9 September 2020; Revised 14 October 2020; Accepted 22 October 2020; Published 4 December 2020. Solar, oven, microwave, and freeze drying methods have been investigated at various levels in the drying of cocoa beans with objectives to improve the drying properties and final quality of cocoa beans. While an open sun dryer employs natural passive mechanisms, the solar drying methods can employ a combination of passive and active mechanisms. The oven, microwave, and freeze drying methods are fully active requiring electrical energy inputs. To improve drying rates in the open sun method, dryer materials and location of drying trays are the parameters optimized since the drying temperature depends on solar intensity. Materials, angles of elevation, heaters, and fans are manipulated to optimize energy absorption and drying parameters. For the oven and microwave methods, drying air properties are directly controlled by electronic systems. Mouldiness, bean colour, pH, titratable acidity, fat content, and acetic acid concentration are the most widely evaluated bean quality parameters
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