Students of Southern Philippines Agri-Business and Marine and Aquatic School of Technology (SPAMAST), University of Southeastern Philippines (USeP), and Compostela Valley State College (CVSC) pitched their undergraduate theses on coffee to the audience of the Coffee Farms and Industry Encounters through the Science and Technology Agenda (FIESTA).
Organized by the Southern Mindanao Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development Consortium (SMAARRDEC), the Coffee FIESTA was held on August 22-23, 2019 at the SPAMAST Digos campus, Davao del Sur.
The students who presented their thesis include Mr. Rejino F. Oroz of USeP, Ms. Juvy B. Digal of CVSC, Mr. Reymar Christ Jay P. Montefalcon of SPAMAST, and Ms. Lilianie L. Yorong of CVSC.
Oroz pitched his thesis, "Design and Optimization of Programmable Solar Powered Coffee Roaster for Small-Scale Roasting."
If approved, Oroz says his study will develop the first solar powered coffee roaster for small-scale roasting. It will also optimize its performance to achieve high coffee quality rating, he added.
Digal presented her thesis, "Utilization of Beauveria bassiana as Mycopesticide in Controlling Coffee Berry Borer (CBB) Hypothenemos hampei." She mentioned that Beauveria bassiana, a fungal parasite, will be applied on collected male CBBs before releasing to the study site. This is in hope of infecting female CBBs to prevent them from laying eggs in coffee berries, she added.
Meanwhile, Montefalcon pitched his thesis, "Controlled Coffee Bean Solar Dryer: An Innovative Drying Method in Enhancing the Quality of Coffee." He noted the study's aim to enhance the quality of coffee using a controlled solar dryer. He also added that a cost analysis shows that using controlled solar dryer is more profitable compared to the conventional dryer.
Lastly, Yorong presented her thesis, "Assessing the Impact of Climate Change on the Production of Coffee in Compostela Valley." She mentioned that her study aims to provide information on the influence of climate change in Compostela Valley's coffee production. She added that her study may be used as reference on policy making and mitigation of possible effects of climate change in the coffee industry.
The technology pitching was conducted in line with Coffee FIESTA's goal to promote and commercialize technologies and R&D breakthroughs in the Region's coffee industry.
FIESTA is a technology promotion, transfer, and commercialization platform initiated by the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD).