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Volume 25
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Article

Construction of an Automated Removal Robot for the Natural Drying of Cacao Beans

by
José Tuanama-Aguilar
1,
Carlos Ríos-López
1,
José Luis Pasquel-Reátegui
2,*,
Carlos Rodríguez-Grández
1,
John C. Santa-Maria
1,
Janina Cotrina-Linares
1,
Cristian García-Estrella
1 and
Felix-Armando Fermin-Perez
3
1
Facultad de Ingeniería de Sistemas e Informática, Universidad Nacional de San Martín, Tarapoto 22000, Peru
2
Grupo de Investigación en Ingeniería y Tecnología Agroindustrial, Facultad de Ingeniería Agroindustrial, Universidad Nacional de San Martín, Tarapoto 22000, Peru
3
Laboratorio de Robótica e Internet de las Cosas, Facultad de Ingeniería de Sistemas e Informática, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima 15081, Peru
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Sensors 2025, 25(5), 1520; https://doi.org/10.3390/s25051520
Submission received: 5 January 2025 / Revised: 10 February 2025 / Accepted: 25 February 2025 / Published: 28 February 2025
(This article belongs to the Section Sensors and Robotics)
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Abstract

Cacao producers often obtain low-quality beans due to the poor manual drying process. This study proposes the construction of an automated prototype robot for the removal during natural drying of cacao beans at Cooperativa Agraria Allima Cacao Ltd., Peru, and evaluates its effectiveness on bean quality. The robot comprises three modules (control, displacement, and removal) and motion sensors. Four 400 kg batches were analyzed, obtaining moisture contents of 6.71, 8.59, 7.74, and 6.80% with the robot, compared to 7.86, 7.94, 6.60, and 7.54% with the manual method. The standard deviations in the grains treated with the robot were lower, evidencing a more uniform drying. In addition, the total phenol content was higher in the robot-dried beans, indicating better preservation of bioactive compounds. Although the robot did not reduce the drying time, we conclude that its sustainable and economically accessible design contributed to obtaining higher-quality beans compared to the conventional method, with more homogeneous drying and better preservation of phenols, key aspects for producing high-quality cacao.
Keywords: robotics; automation; postharvest; Theobroma cacao L.; control system; optimization robotics; automation; postharvest; Theobroma cacao L.; control system; optimization

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MDPI and ACS Style

Tuanama-Aguilar, J.; Ríos-López, C.; Pasquel-Reátegui, J.L.; Rodríguez-Grández, C.; Santa-Maria, J.C.; Cotrina-Linares, J.; García-Estrella, C.; Fermin-Perez, F.-A. Construction of an Automated Removal Robot for the Natural Drying of Cacao Beans. Sensors 2025, 25, 1520. https://doi.org/10.3390/s25051520

AMA Style

Tuanama-Aguilar J, Ríos-López C, Pasquel-Reátegui JL, Rodríguez-Grández C, Santa-Maria JC, Cotrina-Linares J, García-Estrella C, Fermin-Perez F-A. Construction of an Automated Removal Robot for the Natural Drying of Cacao Beans. Sensors. 2025; 25(5):1520. https://doi.org/10.3390/s25051520

Chicago/Turabian Style

Tuanama-Aguilar, José, Carlos Ríos-López, José Luis Pasquel-Reátegui, Carlos Rodríguez-Grández, John C. Santa-Maria, Janina Cotrina-Linares, Cristian García-Estrella, and Felix-Armando Fermin-Perez. 2025. "Construction of an Automated Removal Robot for the Natural Drying of Cacao Beans" Sensors 25, no. 5: 1520. https://doi.org/10.3390/s25051520

APA Style

Tuanama-Aguilar, J., Ríos-López, C., Pasquel-Reátegui, J. L., Rodríguez-Grández, C., Santa-Maria, J. C., Cotrina-Linares, J., García-Estrella, C., & Fermin-Perez, F.-A. (2025). Construction of an Automated Removal Robot for the Natural Drying of Cacao Beans. Sensors, 25(5), 1520. https://doi.org/10.3390/s25051520

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