Cocoa Process in Montes De María, Colombia: Contribution to Its Technification
The Bolívar department in Colombia has rich, fertile land that can produce important food crops. However, its development has been limited by two things: its lack of progress in the fields of agriculture and industry, and its inadequate access to energy. Among its resources, cocoa (Theobroma cocoa L...
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| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
AIDIC Servizi S.r.l.
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Chemical Engineering Transactions |
| Online Access: | https://www.cetjournal.it/index.php/cet/article/view/15327 |
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| Summary: | The Bolívar department in Colombia has rich, fertile land that can produce important food crops. However, its development has been limited by two things: its lack of progress in the fields of agriculture and industry, and its inadequate access to energy. Among its resources, cocoa (Theobroma cocoa L.) stands out as a potential export crop, but only if it can be processed to meet international quality standards. In 2016, Colombia produced 60,535 tons of cocoa beans. These beans were grown by 38,000 rural farming families using traditional sun-drying methods. While these methods are economical, they lack the controls and fermentation technologies needed to achieve the fine flavors of premium cocoa. This research was focused on improving the fermentation and drying of cocoa processes in Bolivar, specifically in the Montes de María sub-region. It was designed and tested a rotary fermenter and a solar-powered drying system. It was also analyzed energy consumption for photovoltaic panels. The results showed that the system was effective, but it was not self-sustaining because of the high cost of the panels and batteries. Still, the project enabled the implementation of a fermenter adapted to local needs to improve cocoa's quality. The project also trained six chemical engineers and a PhD student in cocoa processing, which helped develop technology for this crop.
Keywords: cocoa beans; cocoa process; standardization processing; solar energy p |
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| ISSN: | 2283-9216 |