INNOVATIVE EXPERIMENTAL PLANT TO IMPROVE COFFEE PROCESSING (Atena Editora)

Abstract

In Mexico, coffee production refers to a process with traditional processing practices that combine rustic and semi-mechanized activities, where quality is not controlled, placing it in the category of conventional coffee. In recent years worldwide, the demand for high-quality coffee has increased and in order to offer this model, it is necessary to standardize the processing and transformation processes that increase the quality and value of the coffee.

In order to exploit the different capacities in our country, it is necessary to design an innovative experimental plant for the processing of the primary coffee beneficiary, which is capable of adapting to the processes known by the producers, through the instruments and machinery the plant will provide The producer has control over the variables that influence taking advantage of the organoleptic properties of the coffee bean prior to harvest. The plant allows experimentation and obtaining controlled results according to the primary processing method to be applied.

The development of the experimental plant has three iterative design cycles; 1) concept design, in which the various processes and methods investigated are evaluated to seek their homogenization with the help of instruments for monitoring and control, 2) prototype design, which is carried out with the help of 2D platforms and 3D modeling, that allow visualizing the location of the different equipment, as well as the flows of the different primary processing processes that the producer wishes to apply, and 3) innovation design, in which the products and services allow the value chain to be improved through processes instruments, data control and new techniques. For the development and maintenance of the experimental plant, it is necessary to link the entities that make up the quadruple helix; companies, government, society and public centers and institutes of higher education. In order to promote teamwork, collaboration and the exchange of ideas to strengthen, sustain and enrich the innovation ecosystem created through the experimental plant.