Dzelagha Banboye Frederick, Ngwa Ngwabie Martin, Nde Bup Divine
Department of Nutrition, Food and Bioresource Technology, College of Technology, University of Bamenda, Cameroon.
Department of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering, College of Technology, University of Bamenda, Cameroon.
Int J Food Sci. 2020 Dec 3;2020:8830127. doi: 10.1155/2020/8830127. eCollection 2020.
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.
鉴于干燥是可可加工链中基于农场的关键质量决定单元操作，本文综述了可可豆干燥方法和质量参数的最新研究。在可可豆干燥过程中，对露天晾晒、太阳能、烤箱、微波和冷冻干燥方法进行了不同层面的研究，目的是改善可可豆的干燥特性和最终品质。露天晾晒干燥器采用自然被动机制，而太阳能干燥方法可采用被动和主动机制相结合的方式。烤箱、微波和冷冻干燥方法完全是主动的，需要电能输入。为了提高露天晾晒方法的干燥速率，由于干燥温度取决于太阳强度，因此干燥器材料和干燥托盘的位置是优化的参数。对于太阳能干燥器，通过操纵材料、仰角、加热器和风扇来优化能量吸收和干燥参数。对于烤箱和微波方法，干燥空气特性由电子系统直接控制。水分含量、霉变、豆色、pH值、可滴定酸度、脂肪含量和乙酸浓度是评估最广泛的可可豆质量参数。
