Comparison of the Performance of Three Cocoa Bean Drying Techniques in Bafia, Southwest Region, Cameroon

This research compares the performance of a wood-fuelled oven, a greenhouse solar dryer and open sun drying techniques for drying of fermented cocoa beans, under the same weather conditions. The tests were implemented in Bafia, in the Southwest Region of Cameroon, during the month of November 2017. Performance in drying time (number of days) and quality of the resulting beans were measured (determined using sensory measurements, sight, smell and taste). Data were also collected on the progression of weight and moisture loss in the beans during the drying process, and the ambient temperatures and relative humidity levels of the environment. Also, solar radiation levels were measured for the greenhouse solar dryer and open sun drying techniques. Results showed that during dry weather conditions the wood-fuelled oven was the fastest drying method (1 day), followed by open sun drying (4 days) and the greenhouse solar dryer (5 days). The quality of beans produced through open sun drying and in the greenhouse solar dryer had a good colour, and a pleasant chocolate smell and taste. However, the beans from the wood-fuelled oven had an overly dark colour and their smell and taste were smoky due to contamination by smoke from the oven.