MANILA -- The Department of Science and Technology - Industrial Technology Development Institute (DOST-ITDI) is inviting industries and entrepreneurs to adopt the cacao and tablea processing technology it has developed.
Speaking at a forum held in Alabang, Muntinlupa on Friday, ITDI Food Processing Division supervisor, Ma. Dolor Villasenor, said the problem in Philippine tablea is that it has a gritty texture, has a burnt odor and taste, and is non-GMP compliant.
To address these, the DOST engineers made a cacao roaster, which apparently uses two-stage roasting process to improve the product.
According to ITDI, this roaster refines ground cocoa powder to reduce the particle size, thus giving the tablea a smoother texture.
Villasenor added that apart from making the tablea smoother, using this technology will also make the product less acidic than commercially available products.
Based on the ITDI's website, locally fabricating this cacao roaster would cost PHP600,000, while imported ones would cost up to PHP1 million.
Cacao is being used not just in the food industry but also in other products like soap, remarked Villasenor.
She said that in the Philippines, 80 percent of cacao comes from Davao, while 20 percent are being sourced from other countries in Africa and Latin America.
DOST-ITDI noted the increasing value of cacao in both the local and international markets. With this, the agency looks for partner industries to adopt or mass produce the technology for a more cost-efficient, better quality tablea production.
The cacao roaster is among the various ITDI-developed technologies presented on Friday. The event gathered industry partners, with the goal of enticing licensed fabricators and those who may want to adopt these technologies. (PNA)
