Installation for alkalinizing and pasteurizing cocoa beans before they are crushed

Claim 1

Apparatus for alkalinizing and pasteurizing cocoa beans before they are crushed, said apparatus comprising a first drum communicating with the atmosphere and including an inlet and an outlet, said first drum being rotatable about its longitudinal axis so as to transport beans from said inlet to said outlet; means provided at the inlet of the first drum for conjointly and continuously feeding the beans and an alkaline solution into the first drum; heating means for heating the first drum so as to promote the reaction of the alkaline solution on the beans and for bringing said beans to a partially dried condition; a second drum communicating with the atmosphere and including an inlet and outlet, said second drum being rotatable about its longitudinal axis so as to transport beans from the inlet of said second drum to the outlet of said second drum; means for continuously transferring the beans leaving the outlet of the first drum through the inlet of the second drum into the second drum; means for providing a stream of hot air whose input temperature is about 300° C. through said second drum in the direction of movement of said beans; heating means for heating the second drum and cooperating with the hot air stream to bring the beans exiting the outlet of the second drum to an output temperature of about 90° C. and for lowering the humidity of said beans to below 2%; and means for recovering the dried beans leaving the outlet of the second drum; wherein said first and second drums each comprises a plurality of internal blades each disposed parallel to the longitudinal axis of the respective drum and regularly staggered angularly and longitudinally in relation to each other, and said first drum further includes support means for supporting each of the blades of the first drum in a spaced relationship with the internal wall of said first drum.