Development and Performance Evaluation of Manual Operated Coffee Bean Demucilager

Coffee remains Ethiopia's top export commodity and is the most significant crop in the country's economy. The crop's production and quality are extremely low, despite its economic significance. The decline in Ethiopian coffee quality is mostly caused by improper postharvest processing methods, such as harvesting immature cherries, not sorting during grading and processing, improper drying without considering drying time, drying place, layer thickness, and drying material, transportation, storage, over-fermentation, etc. The processing of coffee beans is a critical step that influences the quality of the final product. Effective demucilaging is essential to remove mucilage while preserving the integrity of the beans. This study focuses on the development and performance evaluation of a manually operated coffee bean demucileger, aimed at improving the efficiency of coffee processing while minimizing operational costs. The objective was to design a user-friendly, effective demucilaging device for small-scale coffee production settings. The demucileger was constructed using locally sourced materials, and its performance was evaluated based on parameters such as efficiency, ease of operation, and quality of demucilaged beans. Results indicated that the device successfully removed mucilage with an efficiency rate and washing capacity of 86% and 86.86 kg/hr. while maintaining the integrity of the beans. This manual operated demucileger presents a viable solution for smallholder coffee farmers, potentially enhancing their productivity and product quality in an economically sustainable manner.