Pita-Garcia Johanna, Reinoso-Tigre José, Palacios-Ponce Sócrates, Delgado-Plaza Emerita, Coello-Montoya Diana, Salazar Rómulo, Coronel-León Jonathan, Peralta Juan, Cornejo Fabiola
Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral, ESPOL, Facultad de Ingeniería en Mecánica y Ciencias de la Producción, Campus Gustavo Galindo Km 30.5 Vía Perimetral, P.O. Box 09-01-5863, Guayaquil, Ecuador.
Centro de Desarrollo Tecnológico Sustentable, ESPOL, Ecuador.
Heliyon. 2025 Feb 21;11(4):e42884. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2025.e42884. eCollection 2025 Feb 28.
The drying process is essential in cocoa ( L.) production, significantly influencing product quality and energy consumption. This study compares four drying methods: sun drying (SD), solar-electric hybrid drying (HD), SD followed by HD (SD + HD), and HD followed by SD (HD + SD). The physicochemical properties (shrinkage, fermentation index, pH, total acidity, color), bioactive compounds (total phenolic content, antioxidant capacity), and drying efficiency (drying rate, effective moisture diffusivity, energy consumption) were assessed. Results show that HD and HD + SD effectively preserve cocoa's physicochemical and antioxidant properties. Starting with HD increases the drying rate by 20 %, resulting in higher moisture diffusivity coefficients (over 4.12 × 10 m/s). Combining HD with SD reduces energy consumption by 56.6 %, improving energy efficiency. SD increased cocoa bean shrinkage by up to 9 %, and HD maintained phenolic content. The HD + SD method is, therefore, a promising, energy-efficient alternative for small-scale cocoa producers, contributing to industry innovation and sustainability.
干燥过程在可可（可可树）生产中至关重要，对产品质量和能源消耗有重大影响。本研究比较了四种干燥方法：日晒干燥（SD）、太阳能 - 电力混合干燥（HD）、先日晒干燥后太阳能 - 电力混合干燥（SD + HD）以及先太阳能 - 电力混合干燥后日晒干燥（HD + SD）。对其理化性质（收缩率、发酵指数、pH值、总酸度、颜色）、生物活性成分（总酚含量、抗氧化能力）和干燥效率（干燥速率、有效水分扩散系数、能源消耗）进行了评估。结果表明，HD和HD + SD能有效保留可可的理化和抗氧化特性。以HD开始可使干燥速率提高20%，从而得到更高的水分扩散系数（超过4.12×10⁻⁸m²/s）。将HD与SD相结合可降低56.6%的能源消耗，提高能源效率。SD使可可豆收缩率增加高达9%，而HD能保持酚类含量。因此，HD + SD方法对于小规模可可生产者来说是一种有前景的、节能的选择，有助于行业创新和可持续发展。
