Herbal Extraction Plants

Cocoa Extraction Plant

Mechotech designs and manufactures extraction plants for cocoa-derived extracts, engineered and built at our Hyderabad, India works. The catalogue covers three cocoa extract routes only: flavanols from cocoa nibs, theobromine, phenolics and soluble fibre from cocoa husk, and cocoa butter by supercritical CO2. Cocoa bean processing (roasting, winnowing, grinding, pressing and chocolate making) is not part of the catalogue. Final scope is confirmed by engineering review of your raw material and target extract.

This page covers extraction plants for cocoa-derived raw materials, not a cocoa processing factory. Nibs and husk routes use multi-stage counter-current, ultrasonic, combined or microwave extraction vessels, with an enzyme reaction vessel for soluble fibre from husk. Cocoa butter by CO2 uses high-pressure SS 316L extraction vessels, separators and CO2 recovery. All routes share cleaning and size reduction, filtration or centrifugation, a vacuum evaporator with solvent recovery, an optional dryer, CIP and PLC-SCADA automation, with GMP-oriented hygienic design and documentation to support the customer's own qualification. Final scope is confirmed by engineering review; configuration depends on raw material, process requirement and capacity.

Technical Specifications

Plant Type	Cocoa-derived extract plants only: nibs, husk and CO2 cocoa butter
Not in Catalogue	Cocoa bean processing: roasting, winnowing, grinding, pressing and chocolate making
Cocoa Butter (CO2)	Cocoa beans as listed, exact plant part / feed form confirmed with the client; supercritical CO2 with optional ethanol modifier (single candidate route)
Cocoa Nibs Flavanol Extract	Cocoa nibs; counter-current, ultrasound-assisted, hybrid or microwave-assisted extraction with ethanol/water or a suitable food-grade solvent (4 candidate routes)
Cocoa Husk Extract	Cocoa husk; theobromine and phenolics by counter-current, ultrasound, hybrid or microwave routes; soluble fibre by enzyme-assisted extraction (5 candidate technologies)
Separation	Filtration or centrifugation of spent solids; separator vessels on the CO2 route
Concentration & Recovery	Vacuum evaporator with solvent recovery; membrane concentration unit where required
Drying	Dryer where a dried form is specified; otherwise supplied as a concentrate
Product-contact Material	SS 316L, electropolished, CIP-cleanable
Automation	PLC-SCADA, configured to requirement
Plant Capacity	Configured to requirement; parameters are fixed after pilot trials
Scope Confirmation	Final scope is confirmed by engineering review

Manufacturing Process

Raw-Material Preparation

Cocoa nibs, cocoa husk or the cocoa feed for the CO2 route are cleaned and size-reduced so the target compounds can be reached by the extraction medium. Particle size and moisture are set during process development, starting from the material as you supply it.

Route Selection & Pilot Trials

The candidate route is chosen for the target extract and tested at small scale, since recovery, selectivity, solvent or water duty and quality are measured in pilot trials before plant parameters are fixed.

Extraction

Flavanols from nibs, and theobromine and phenolics from husk, are extracted by counter-current, ultrasound, hybrid or microwave routes. Soluble fibre from husk uses enzyme-assisted extraction with water, enzyme and pH control. Cocoa butter uses supercritical CO2.

Solid-Liquid Separation

Spent solids are removed by filtration or centrifugation and the extract is clarified. On the CO2 route, pressure is reduced in a separator so the extract is released from the CO2.

Concentration & Medium Recovery

The clarified extract is concentrated, with solvent recovered where a solvent is used and CO2 recompressed and recirculated on the CO2 route.

Recovery & Standardisation

The target fraction is recovered and checked against the customer-declared specification.

Drying & Packing

The product is dried or supplied as a concentrate and packed to the customer requirement, with documentation.

Major Plant Equipment

Raw-material cleaning and size-reduction system
Multi-stage counter-current extractor
Ultrasonic extraction vessel with transducer system
Microwave extraction vessel with temperature and safety controls
Combined extraction train (per the sequence selected in process development)
Jacketed enzyme reaction vessel with pH and temperature control
Supercritical CO2 extraction vessels, CO2 pump, heat exchangers and chiller
Separator vessels and CO2 recovery / recycle system
Filtration / centrifugation system
Vacuum evaporator and solvent recovery system with condensers
Membrane concentration unit (where required)
Dryer (where a dried form is specified)
CIP (clean-in-place) system
PLC-SCADA control panel and instrumentation

Plant Output

Cocoa butter extract (CO2)Flavanols extract from cocoa nibsTheobromine and phenolics extract from cocoa huskSoluble fibre extract from cocoa husk

Applications

Pharmaceutical standardised ingredient supply
Nutraceutical capsule, tablet and supplement manufacturing
Food and beverage applications
Cosmetic and personal care active ingredients
Cocoa butter as a CO2 extract for food, nutraceutical and cosmetic use
Value-added extracts from cocoa husk, such as theobromine, phenolics and soluble fibre

Key Features

Cocoa-Derived Extracts Only
This is an extraction plant scope. Roasting, winnowing, grinding, pressing and chocolate making are not part of the catalogue.
Three Catalogued Routes, Each With Its Own Page
Nibs flavanols, husk theobromine and fibre, and CO2 cocoa butter are separate catalogue entries with their own candidate technologies.
Targets Assigned to Routes
For husk, theobromine and phenolics are screened to counter-current, ultrasound, hybrid and microwave routes, while soluble fibre is screened to enzyme-assisted extraction.
Parameters Fixed After Pilot Trials
Screening ranks are directional, and the final technology, operating parameters and configuration are established during process development and pilot validation.
SS 316L Hygienic Construction
Product-contact surfaces are SS 316L and CIP-cleanable, with PLC-SCADA automation and recipe control configured to the project scope.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the Mechotech cocoa extraction plant cover?

It covers extraction of cocoa-derived raw materials. The catalogue lists three routes: cocoa nibs flavanol extract, cocoa husk theobromine and fibre extract, and cocoa butter by CO2. Each is configured around your raw material and target extract. Final scope is confirmed by engineering review before any proposal is finalised.

Does Mechotech supply cocoa bean roasting, winnowing, grinding or chocolate-making equipment?

No. Cocoa bean processing, meaning roasting, winnowing, grinding, pressing and chocolate making, is not part of the Mechotech catalogue, and this page should not be read as covering it. Our scope here is extraction plants that take cocoa nibs, cocoa husk or the cocoa feed for CO2 extraction and recover a defined extract from it. Final scope is confirmed by engineering review.

Which cocoa route matches which product?

Flavanols come from cocoa nibs through counter-current, ultrasound, hybrid or microwave extraction using ethanol/water or a suitable food-grade solvent. Theobromine and phenolics come from cocoa husk through the same families of routes, while soluble fibre from husk uses enzyme-assisted extraction. Cocoa butter is listed as a supercritical CO2 route. Pilot trials confirm the choice for your material.

What raw-material information do you need for a cocoa extract plant?

We need to know which material you will supply (nibs, husk or beans), its form and moisture, expected volume and the extract you want to recover. The cocoa butter page notes that the exact plant part and feed form are confirmed with the client, so a precise description matters. Feasibility on your own material can be discussed through the Process Development Centre.

Can cocoa butter really be extracted with CO2?

The catalogue lists supercritical CO2 as the single candidate technology for cocoa butter, with an optional ethanol modifier, at exploratory screening stage. That means it is a candidate route to be tested rather than a proven standard configuration. Extraction, separation and CO2 recovery are set up around high-pressure SS 316L vessels, and operating parameters are fixed only after pilot trials.

Can the cocoa extracts be dried to a powder?

The catalogue pages list a dryer where a dried form is specified; otherwise the extract is supplied as a concentrate. The dryer type depends on the extract, for example a spray dryer where the extract suits it, and is decided during process development. Concentration and solvent recovery come first, using a vacuum evaporator, with membrane concentration added where required.

Why must scope be confirmed by engineering review?

Because the catalogue lists cocoa as extract routes at screening stage, not as a standard cocoa processing plant, the routes are treated as candidate technologies. Screening ranks are directional, not yield or plant guarantees. Engineering review checks your raw material, target extract, solvent or CO2 approach and capacity before the configuration is set, and it is also where anything outside extraction, such as bean processing, is identified as out of scope.

What should I send to request a cocoa extraction plant proposal?

Send the cocoa material you will process (nibs, husk or beans), its form and moisture, the extract you want, any specification or assay target, expected volume, solvent preference, automation level and site utilities. We will also ask what is upstream of the plant, so we can state clearly what is and is not included. You can request a quote, or see the wider herbal extraction plant range.

Project Enquiry Pages

Country pages that include this equipment among their project areas:

Côte d’Ivoire: Cocoa & botanical extraction

Ready to discuss your project?

Get a free quote and technical consultation from our engineering team.

Get A Free Quote

Cocoa Extraction Plant