Coffee bean drying optimization was carried out by means of RSM minimizing the energy consumption and maximizing the process thermal efficiency.

A mechanistic coffee bean drying model was solved for a complete mixed assumption to simulate a 7.60 m³ Guardiola dryer loaded with 2675 kg of wet green coffee grains.

Optimization was carried out with restrictions on grain’s temperature (T_β<45°C), final water content (X_β<11%) and water activity (a_w<0.80) to prevent ochratoxin A formation and sensorial damage.

A 15.80% reduction in energy consumption was achieved when optimization results were compared with the normal operation conditions.