ILORIN BASED RESEARCH INSTITUTE DEVELOPS SOLAR TENT DRYER FOR COCOA

Mr Folorunsho Babarinsa, a researcher at the
Nigerian Stored Products Research Institute
(NSPRI), Ilorin, said the institute had developed a
Solar Tent Dryer for cocoa beans.
Babarinsa said in Abuja on Wednesday that the
dryer was developed to revive the country’s lost
glory in cocoa production and boost export of the
commodity.
According to him, the major factor responsible
for the decline in the quality of Nigerian cocoa
leading to the beans being discounted in the
international market was poor drying.
He said the best drying method that would retain
the quality of cocoa was sun drying but that it
could be too slow in drying a large quantity.
The researcher said the dryer was an advanced
sun drying method that would ensure efficient
drying of the beans and still retain its quality.
“You cannot dry cocoa the way you dry other
commodities. When you dry other commodities
you dry very fast and at very high temperature.
But when you dry cocoa too fast or at high
temperature, it will not allow the chemical
reaction that will remove the acidic taste to occur.
Drying must be so slow that while water is being
removed, you don’t overtake the chemical
reaction.
“If drying is too fast, all those acids that need to
be converted into volatiles and go away will
remain entrenched in the cocoa.
“The solar tent dryer will dry the cocoa at an
average temperature, therefore, retaining its
quality and safety as it would not be exposed to
flies and dirt’’.
He noted that the dryer was accessible, easy to
fabricate and did not require electricity.
According to him, the Nigerian cocoa is being
rejected because of the low standard of its flavour
and aroma.
Bababrinsa explained that 95 per cent of cocoa
utilisation was for making chocolate, adding that
any cocoa with acidic and flaccid flavour could
not be used for this purpose.
“ If our cocoa is bad, one of the quality
determinants is the flavour and aroma which is
required from the cocoa before it can be
processed into chocolate.’’
He identified packaging as another factor
negatively affecting Nigerian cocoa in the
international market.
The researcher expressed regret that the Federal
Government was not paying adequate attention
to the cocoa sector the way it used to in the past
because of the money the country was
generating from the oil sector.
Babarinsa urged the Federal Government to pay
adequate attention to the commodity to boost the
country’s economy.