Cacao Post Harvest- Drying- an essential step.

Following fermentation, the beans must be dried to secure safe storage but it is also an essential step directly linked to the fermentation. In fact, the fermentation process is still happening while the cocoa is being dried. During the fermentation, acetic acid is promoted by turning the mass and by “feeding” the acid with oxygen… this acetic acid needs to be taken out of the beans with the water it contain during the drying stage otherwise the beans would be too acidic. 

Drying too hot and too fast and the acetic acid is locked into the beans!  Ideally drying temperature should not exceed 65 deg Celsius . Hotter than this temperature and the water escapes the beans leaving behind the acetic acid making the overall l cacao difficult to use necessitating longer conching times and increasing the cost of production.

As you can see, the drying process will have a direct effect on the overall bean quality. 

When the weather permits, the beans are sun dried. Sun drying is ideal but it can be difficult to do so in a tropical environment when it can rain for days so there are other ways to dry cocoa: Dedicated drying tunnels of different kind, fixed floor dryers with rolling roofs and kilns using combustible to heat the cocoa.

Interesting link : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhMdCgQ94FU