1

Automated control of Cocoa post-harvest and

transformation process to obtain high-quality beans
Juan de Jesús Umbarila∗ , Diego A. Rivera† , Specialists in instrumentation and industrial control,
Walter Naranjo Lourido‡ , Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, and
Javier E. Martı́nez§ , Master in Educative Technology.
∗†§ Faculty of Basic Science and Engineering, Universidad de Los Llanos, Colombia.
‡ Department of Mechanical Engineering, Universidad de Los Andes, Colombia.

Email: ‡ w.naranjo1989@uniandes.edu.co,§ jmartinez@unillanos.edu.co.

Abstract—This paper develops a method to intervene in the improve the bean quality around 45%, which would allow the
Cocoa post-harvest process (fermentation and drying) to guar- exportation of this product.
antee a high quality of the bean. For this intervention, it is au-
tomated controlled the turning and duration of the fermentation
and drying of the cocoa beans. A Cocoa with an inadequate II. F RAMEWORK
post-harvest and transformation process has unpleasant taste
A. Cocoa overview
characteristics such as astringency and high acidity (pH<5),
that can not be removed in a normal process. These flavors are Theobroma cacao is the Greek name for the cocoa tree,
associated with a poor fermentation and others sowed materials, and its fruit is commonly called Cocoa cob(1). This cob is an
which directly affects the sensory quality of the grain. In this ovoid berry approximately 30 x 10 cm in large and diameter,
way, a control and monitoring system is developed. This system
intervenes on the most influential v ariables f or high-quality with grooves along with a weight between 0,2 to 1 kg. The
production, to guarantee a better fermentation (with 5.5<pH<6) cob color is yellow, red, orange, green or brown, depending on
and drying processes. The system has an HMI for adjustments the genotype. Inside, it contains from 20 to 40 seeds, covered
and visualization of variables in real-time. by a white mucilaginous pulp, rich in sugars with an acid
Index Terms—Cocoa, post-harvest, fermentation, drying, au- taste, which fresh cocoa or recently extracted is called cocoa
tomatic control, quality indicators, agricultural systems, sustain- in drool, [2].
ability.
I. INTRODUCTION

T He world production of Cocoa beans is focused in

tropical countries, mainly located in Africa and America
continents. According to the World Cocoa Foundation, the
number of growers is around five and six million, which
produces around 4,3 million tons. For 2015, the International
Cocoa Organization (ICCO) reported that the countries with
the highest world production were Ivory Coast (1,73 million
tons - Mt), Ghana (0,92 Mt), Indonesia (420 thousand tons
- kt), and Nigeria (240 kt). In America are stand out Brazil
(210 kt), and Ecuador (191 kt).
Fig. 1. Colombian Cocoa. Source: Fedecacao (Federación Nacional de
Cacaoteros)
For the Colombian case, the Cocoa production in 2014 was
concentrated mainly in the Santander region (19 kt), followed Table II-A shows the Physical-chemical parameters and
by Arauca (5,5 kt), Antioquia (3,5 kt) and Huila (3,3 kt) other parameters that are established by NTC 1252 to deter-
regions. Colombia commercializes a low volume of premium mine the bean quality. Among these parameters are the bean
cocoa type; almost all its production is sold as a normal type index, which determines the average bean weight in grams;
according to Colombian technical standards NTC 1252 - 2003. and the cub index that defines how many cubs are required to
obtain a kilogram of dry Cocoa, [2].
According to experts, the final quality of a fine cocoa bean
depends on fours factor: (1) Cocoa genetics, around 50%; (2)
III. F ERMENTATION OF COCOA BEANS
post-harvest or benefit process, 20%, these mean fermentation
and drying process; (3) transformation process (toasted and This process is the combination of microbial and enzymatic
shell), 25%; and (4) soil and climate characteristics, 5%. reactions that occur inside the pulp. The quantitative and
This means that controlled both processes are possible to qualitative nature of these reactions is moderated by several
factors that include: the type of cultivation of the cocoa plant,
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):
http://dx.doi.org/10.18687/LACCEI2020.1.1.544
ISBN: 978-958-52071-4-1 ISSN: 2414-6390

18th LACCEI International Multi-Conference for Engineering, Education, and Technology: “Engineering, Integration, and Alliances for a Sustainable
Development” “Hemispheric Cooperation for Competitiveness and Prosperity on a Knowledge-Based Economy”, July 27-31, 2020, Virtual Edition.
 2

TABLE I A. Fermentation methods

P HYSICAL - CHEMICAL PARAMETERS OF COCOA BEANS , USED BY THE
PROCESSING INDUSTRIES IN C OLOMBIA FOR CLASSIFICATION . Nowadays, the fermentation methods commonly used in
the Cocoa industries, according to [2], are the following:
Description Low Normal High
Bean index <1.05 1.05 a 1.2 >1.2
Humidity percentage 6 a 6,5 7a8 >8 • Fermentation in piles: it creates cocoa almonds piles on
Average of fat < 52 52 a 55 >55
pH <5,0 5,0 a 5,5 >5,5
wooden or a banana leaf, draining the leached easily.
Cob index <15 16 a 20 >21 Generally, these piles are covered with banana leaves or
Flavor Bitter Acid Normal jute bags to provide better dough temperature conditions.

• Fermentation in simple wooden drawers: the drawers are

constructed with moisture-resistant wood planks, such as
the maturation stage of the ears, the local natural microbiota cedar or walnut, and other soft-type woods free of resins
of the region where the crop grows up, the climatic conditions, and do not give off foreign substances that interfere with
also each farmer practices carries out during the process, [2]. the cocoa quality. Each drawer and its cover uses banana
leaves or jute bags as material. See Fig. 2 taken from [8].
Two significative phenomenons that occur during
fermentation, these are a microbial activity in the • Fermentation in a rotary drum: they are horizontal
mucilaginous pulp and complex biochemical reactions wooden cylinders, completely closed with an axis in the
inside the cotyledons. The microbial activity phenomenon center, which allows aerating the dough with a lever
transforms the mucilaginous pulp into alcohol and acids, movement.
releases heat. On the other side, the biochemical reactions
inside the cotyledons, it is initiated by the diffusion of pulp • Fermentation in a sack: the fermentation dough is intro-
metabolism products. duced in polypropylene or jute sacks for 5 to 7 days. In
this fermentation method, the dough is not aerated.
The cocoa fermentation is carried out by two sequential
phases, which are anaerobic and aerobic. In both phases
are involved different groups of yeasts, lactic acid bacterias
(LAB) and, acetic acid bacterias (AAB) that break down the
mucilaginous pulp composition.

In the first phase, the anaerobic phase, the mucilage

sugars are transformed into ethyl alcohol and, later, in
lactic acid due to the intervention of yeasts and LAB. This
yeast proliferates because of the absence of oxygen, which
increases in temperature of the fermentation dough between
30 to 35◦ C. Also, the yeast acidifies the dough, which
generates an onset in the breakdown of pulp cells during the
first 24 hours. Yeasts use fermentable pulp sugars to produce
ethanol and carbon dioxide. During this process are secreted
pectinolytic enzymes, which help solubilize the pulp. After
twenty-four hours, the yeast population begins to slowly
decrease, favoring the growth of LAB, which reaches its peak Fig. 2. Fermentation in simple wooden drawers. Source: William M. Paéz. -
Universidad de La Salle
after thirty-six hours after fermentation begins. The LAB
decomposes the glucose to lactic acid above all [2]. Practices that are carried out during fermentation determines
the physical-chemical characteristics of cocoa beans. One of
In the second phase, the aerobic phase begins with the these practices has a flip frequency of the cocoa grains, which
aeration of the grains after forty-eight hours of the fermenta- as a high influence on good fermentation. The results show
tion process. Once the oxygen is introduced to the dough, the cocoa grains with high-grade physical attributes when the
LAB population decreases creating favorable conditions for mass turns every 12 or 24 hours. However, during those flip
AAB growth. These bacterias are responsible for the oxidation frequencies, the total polyphenols concentration decreases as
of ethanol, creating acetic acid and then carbon dioxide and the antioxidant activity, [2].
water. All these exothermic reactions produce a rise in the
mass temperature to 50◦ C. As a result, the fermentation causes
the diffusion of alcohol and acetic acid in the grain, and the B. Drying
germination inhibition. This is how a series of biochemical The moisture content in fermented grains is around 55%,
reactions, divided into two phases, have triggered that lead to but in order not to decrease the quality due to its storage,
the formation of flavor precursors. you must stop this process in 7% according to [3]. Drying is

18th LACCEI International Multi-Conference for Engineering, Education, and Technology: “Engineering, Integration, And Alliances for A Sustainable Development”. “Hemispheric
Cooperation for Competitiveness and Prosperity on A Knowledge-Based Economy”, 29-31 July 2020, Buenos Aires-Argentina.
 3

TABLE II TABLE IV
L OSS OF RAW MATERIAL PER PROCESS D ESCRIPTION OF MAIN COMPONENTS OF PROCCESS

Process Time % Lost Waste Type Parameters TK-101 TK-102 TK-103

Fermentation 6 days 30 - 50 % Liquid Diameter [m] 1 0.3 2
Drying 5 to 7 days 10 - 15 % Mucilage High [m] 2 0.5 0.5
Operating temperature [◦ C] 55 55 55
Design temperature [◦ C] 80 80 80
Pressure [atm] 1 1 1
TABLE III
L OSS OF RAW MATERIAL

Process Initial Weight Final Weight Lost Weight

Fermentation 10 kg 6 kg 4 kg and manipulation of the respective control loops of the fer-
Dried 6 kg 5.28 kg 720 grams mentation process. Each signal is brought to a PC via Ethernet
TCP/IP communication for operator viewing.

carried out using sun dryers or artificial hot air dryers. During
drying, the reactions initiated continue with the fermentation;
its bitterness and astringency decrease the polyphenols, the
almonds color changes, and the cotyledons turn brown or
cinnamon color. For this reason, the moisture content should
decrease slowly in a period of 5 to 7 days using the sun.
With this, the oxidation reactions responsible for the flavor
and aroma of cocoa are completed; otherwise, there is a risk
of inactivating enzymes before the essential chemical changes
been completed, which occur due to high temperatures (>65◦
C), and low humidity. Also, a quick-drying induces the grain
crushing, generating wrinkled cuticles that determine the
cocoa product quality.
Fig. 4. Control and communications architecture
According to work developed by WM Paez Ramos, we can
take as reference parameters the loss of raw material with The flowchart of Fig. 5 shows the process steps and its
purely handmade processes. See table III-B, and III-B as you main componets related as follows:
can see in [8].
• TK-101 FERMENTATION HOP.
• TK-102 LIQUID COLLECTOR
• TK-103 DRY GRAIN COLLECTOR

Each before component was dimensioned in table IV.

V. T RANSFORMATION P ROCESS
A brief description of the process is made next:
See P&ID in Figure 5. See Control and communications
architecture in the Fig. 4.

A. Fermentation
Cocoa stocks the process through the top cover of the
Fig. 3. Flowchart of the cocoa production process. Source: Authors. TK-101 fermentation hopper. At this moment, the system
state must be in “FILLED” mode, and the mixer screw
installed inside the TK-101 would be stopped. Posteriorly,
the discharge valve FV-101 and the FV-102 liquid evacuation
IV. M ATERIALS AND METHODS
valve located at the hopper base should be closed.
Fermentation and drying processes are designed accord-
ing to quality requirements and the raw material used for The process begins with a timer, which is activated to
project development. The system proposed has a local control record the temperatures of the sensors TIT-101, TIT-102,
panel, where all signals of the analytical measuring instru- TIT-103, TIT-104 A record of pH (AE-102) and relative
ments can be visualized. The measuring instruments detect humidity (AE-101) is also made. This data enters the PLC-001
level, start/stop and emergency stop buttons, engine shut- controller, which employs the I-01 interlock that activates the
down/ignition and opening/closing of On-Off control valves, M-101 motor for removing the product constantly to avoid

18th LACCEI International Multi-Conference for Engineering, Education, and Technology: “Engineering, Integration, And Alliances for A Sustainable Development”. “Hemispheric
Cooperation for Competitiveness and Prosperity on A Knowledge-Based Economy”, 29-31 July 2020, Buenos Aires-Argentina.
 4

Fig. 5. P&ID process of fermentation and benefit of cocoa. Source: Authors.

increasing of the temperature and pH. screw to push the product towards the discharge valve FV-101.
Once the TK-101 hopper is empty, the “FILLING” phase is
The liquid produced during the fermentation process is enabled again to start the fermentation of Cocoa products.
drained from the TK-101 hopper on one side by opening the
FV-102 valve (On-Off drive) and deposited in the TK-102 B. Drying
fermentation tank. This liquid will accumulate until reaches
The screw-type conveyor belt will take the product and
the activation level of the LSH-101 high-level switch. This
bring it to the drying table B-101, which has four industrial
switch signal generates the I-03 interlock, with which the
gas burners controlled by the TCV-101 valve. This valve
FV-103 valve is opened and the P-101 fermented recirculation
regulates the amount of gas supplied to guarantee a predefined
pump is switched on, the fermented liquid re-enters the
temperature at the drying table that is monitored by four
TK-101 hopper on the part superior to moisturize the grain
temperature sensors.
and help maintain a stable pH level.
With the ignition of the industrial gas burners, the operator
The fermentation process liquid is extracted from the starts the drying timer. Once the drying is completed, the
TK-101 hopper, on one side, opening the FV-102 valve operator announcements to remove all dried products.
(On-Off drive) and deposited in the TK-102 fermentation
tank. TK-102 will accumulate the liquid until reaching the The HMI has a process screen in which you can see in
activation level of the LSH-101 high-level switch. A switch real-time. Between these variables are the temperatures, PH,
signal generates the I-03 interlock, with which the FV-103 relative humidity, state of the equipment (engines, valves),
valve is opened and the P-101 fermented recirculation pump blocks for the configuration by the operator, and the elapsed
is switched on. Thus, the fermented liquid re-enters to TK-101 times in each process.
hopper, moisturizing the grain, and regulating the pH level.
VI. C ONSTRUCTION AND TESTS
When the timer becomes equal to a value set by the operator,
the fermentation process will be terminated. The discharge A. Construccion
valve FV-101 (on-off action) will open, a limit switch will For the construction of the control panel model, a 9mm
indicate that the valve is 100 %, which open and will activate thick triplex sheet with a length of 120 x 60 cm was used.
interlock I-02. At the same time, the I-02 will turn on the SC- A perforation was made on the left side for the insertion
101 screw-type conveyor belt, while changing the direction of a Panel View Plus 1500 (HMI with a screen of 15 ”) as
of rotation of the mixer screw of the hopper TK-101. So, the shown in Fig.6 and 7. At the bottom of the table and just

18th LACCEI International Multi-Conference for Engineering, Education, and Technology: “Engineering, Integration, And Alliances for A Sustainable Development”. “Hemispheric
Cooperation for Competitiveness and Prosperity on A Knowledge-Based Economy”, 29-31 July 2020, Buenos Aires-Argentina.
 5

Fig. 6. HMI - Fermentation stage. Source: Authors. Fig. 8. Step response to temperature of fermentation. Source: Authors.

Fig. 9. Implementation of Labview GUI. Source: Authors.

Fig. 7. Mounting & communication with sensors. Source: Authors.

B. Tests
below the HMI, four holes are made where are installed:
• The Montecarlo tests performed corresponds to the
a NO (Start) button, an NC (Stop) button, a 2-position
communication between the PLC, HMI and operator
selector (manual/automatic) and an emergency stop button
console. It performs activation tests of PLC inputs and
with mushroom retention.
outputs, which were corroborated with the indication
LEDs of each module.
On the right side, two 25mm wide x 500mm long DIN rail
(Omega) rail units were fixed using wood screws. These rails • Additionally, the states and color changes in the process
are used for the quick anchor installation of the control units graphs displayed in the HMI are reviewed, in addition to
listed below: the correct operation of the buttons (Start, Stop, Selector,
• Stratix communications switch x 8 LAN ports Emergency stop) located on the front of the control panel.
• 24V voltage source ref: 1606-XLS
• PLC Allen Bradley CompacLogix L23-QBFC1B • For the simulation, it uses Labview with TCP-IP proto-
• Modbus TCP / IP communication card ref: Prosoft col. This simulation allows us to create disturbances to
MVI69-MNET guarantee a stable design, as shown in Fig. 9 and ??.
• 16 AWG cable terminal set
We wired the internal components of the board with VII. R ESULTS & C ONCLUSIONS
16AWG cable. For this, we uses tubular pin terminals With the Montecarlo simulation of the control, employing
and heat shrinkable bushings for wiring identification. For the use of the PLC A L23-QBFC1B, the correct operation
cable organization, it installed 2 units of 20mm grooved gutter. of the control algorithms for the drying and fermentation
process of the cocoa, and its sensors, which uses a standard

18th LACCEI International Multi-Conference for Engineering, Education, and Technology: “Engineering, Integration, And Alliances for A Sustainable Development”. “Hemispheric
Cooperation for Competitiveness and Prosperity on A Knowledge-Based Economy”, 29-31 July 2020, Buenos Aires-Argentina.
 6

industrial communication signal of 4-20 mA. The algorithm R EFERENCES

for controlling the drying and fertilization time regulates the [1] F EDERACI ÓN NACIONAL DE C ACAOTEROS – F EDECACAO
mucilage agitation speed to avoid changes in pH. https://www.dinero.com/edicion-impresa/pais/articulo/industria-del-
cacao-colombiano-produce-record/25161, Bogota, Colombia, 2017.
[2] LM. C ARDONA tesis “Influencia del proceso de fermentación sobre las
As a pilot test, it was possible to check some operating caracterı́sticas de calidad del grano de cacao”,Universidad Nacional de
parameters of the system, especially the temperature of the Colombia, Sede Medellı́n, Colombia, 2016.
[3] M AHECHA ROJAS R AFAEL E MILIO Article “Efecto del secado y alma-
cocoa drying process. The system has a temperature response cenaje sobre la calidad del cacao (Primera parte)”, Periódico de la
at 50◦ C at 700rpm, which is equivalent to 40 minutes but Federación Nacional de Cacaoteros • Año 8 • No.23, Marzo – Abril
it is required to keep that in a 56-hour course so that the 2015 Gobierno, productores e industria unidos por el cacao.
[4] A FOAKWA , E. O “Changes in acidification, sugars and mineral compo-
dehydration of the seed is home-grown Fig. 8. sition of cocoa pulp during fermentation of pulp pre-conditioned cocoa
(Theobroma cacao) beans”,International Food Research Journal, 20(3):
On the other hand, the developed user interface (GUI) 1215-1222 (2013)
[5] S CHWAN , R. y F LEET, G. “Cocoa and Coffee Fermentations
has different levels of intervention, both manual and (first)”,London, 2015 Schwan, R., y Fleet, G.
automatic, which allow the decision parameters of the process [6] https://www.dinero.com/edicion-impresa/pais/articulo/industria-del-
to be varied. It is important to note that these process cacao-colombiano-produce-record/251611
[7] Schwan, R., y Fleet, G. (2015). Cocoa and Coffee Fermentations (first).
parameters vary according to the humidity and height of London
the cocoa processing site. Additionally, this GUI allows for [8] WM. PAEZ R AMOS tesis “Propuesta de mejora del proceso de trans-
obtaining historical graphs of each sensor for studies and formación del cacao en APOMD para la disminución de su desperdi-
cio”,Universidad de la Salle, Bogota, Colombia, 2017.
parameterization of the drying and fermentation process of [9] R AM ÍREZ S ULVAR ÁN , J ES ÚS A RTURO AND S IGARROA R IECHE , A LINA
cocoa to increase its quality. K ATIL AND D EL VALLE VARGAS , R ÓMULO A LBERTO Characterization
of cocoa (theobroma cacao l.) farming systems in the norte de santander
department and assessment their sustainability,Revista Facultad Nacional
As conclusions, the following three can be determined: de Agronomı́a Medellı́n; Vol. 67, núm. 1 (2014); 7177-7187 2248-7026
0304-2847;(2014)

• It is important to highlight the need for simulation before

starting the cocoa drying and fermentation system. Since
the operating parameters of the plant change and are
consistent with the geolocation of the cocoa crop and its
processing system. In addition, the simulation verified
the rapid response of the actuators to various operating
conditions.

• The development of this fully automatic cocoa drying

and fermentation process has not been implemented in a
farm, at this time in Colombia. This type of process can
guarantee the quality of the cocoa bean and the drying
time. At same time, the fermentation is standardized to
obtain premium cocoa for export.

• This work proposes a profound change around adding

value to the cocoa production chain, allowing its trans-
formation and raising its quality level, which would
positively impact the economy of the producers of this
grain.

VIII. F UTURE WORK

This work raises the need to carry out a standard

experimental design for the determination of the operating
parameters to obtain the best possible quality of processed
cocoa. This process must be carried out under the operating
conditions of the cocoa processing plant.

We expected to generate the large-scale implementation of

these Automated control of Cocoa post-harvest and transfor-
mation process to obtain high-quality beans systems, for the
grain growing regions of Colombia.

18th LACCEI International Multi-Conference for Engineering, Education, and Technology: “Engineering, Integration, And Alliances for A Sustainable Development”. “Hemispheric
Cooperation for Competitiveness and Prosperity on A Knowledge-Based Economy”, 29-31 July 2020, Buenos Aires-Argentina.