Simple system of cocoa and coffee drying

A trial test of small scale cocoa and coffee dryer had been carried out, where in the obtained product of drying had fair quality in accordance to Indonesian Agricultural Standard. The capacity was 25-30 kg of wet cocoa beans or coffee cherries. The dryer was made from used drum and its pan was made from aluminum plate of 2 mm thickness. Solar heat and agricultural waste products were employed as energy sources. Solar heating was intensified by installing above the dryer a cap of transparent polyethylene sheet of 0.3 mm thickness in appropriate manner, in order to raise the drying temperature up to 65 grade C. The duration of drying of cocoa beans to obtain a moisture content of 7 percent was 37 hours, while drying fresh coffee until 13 percent moisture content required 60 hours