Improving the quality of Arabica coffee (Coffea arabica L.) through innovative optimization of roto-aerated drying

Abstract

This study focused on enhancing the drying process of coffee by introducing an innovative device called as roto-aerated dryer. Traditional methods often result in prolonged drying times and undesirable degradation, prompting the exploration of alternative techniques. The research involves evaluating drying performance, establishing correlations between physical-chemical attributes and coffee quality, and determining optimal operating conditions to achieve a balance between drying efficiency and product quality. The Central Composite Design was employed, varying air velocity (v_f), air temperature (T_f), and solid feed rate (W_s). The results demonstrated increased drying efficiency while preserving key quality parameters, including acidity, water activity, sugars, and organic acids. The desirability function identified the optimal levels of the operational variables as v_f = 2.7 m·s⁻¹, T_f = 81.8 °C, and W_s = 40 g·min⁻¹. This study introduced an innovative approach to enhance the drying efficiency of coffee while ensuring exceptional product quality, providing valuable insights for the coffee industry.

Industrial relevance

Coffee, one of the most important global commodities, undergoes ongoing enhancements in post-harvest processing to achieve exceptional quality, particularly in specialty coffee. Conventional methods face challenges related to processing time and the potential compromise of quality. These challenges are effectively addressed through the adoption of innovative technologies such as the use of the roto-aerated dryer, as proposed in this work.