Engenharia Agrícola (Apr 2020)

EFFECT OF THE POSTHARVEST PROCESSING METHOD ON THE BIOCHEMICAL COMPOSITION AND SENSORY ANALYSIS OF ARABICA COFFEE

  • Yeison F. B. Rodriguez,
  • Nelson G. Guzman,
  • Joel G. Hernandez

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1590/1809-4430-eng.agric.v40n2p177-183/2020
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 40, no. 2
pp. 177 – 183

Abstract

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ABSTRACT The objective of this work was to study the influence of two postharvest processing methods on the biochemical composition and sensory analysis of a Colombian specialty coffee. For this purpose, coffee beans (Coffea arabica) of the Castillo variety were collected and processed using the wet and semi-dry methods, and the drying process was conducted in a sun drier prototype with a plastic parabolic cover, with a maximum drying air temperature of 50 °C; green coffee beans were managed according to the official Specialty Coffee Association cupping protocol and roasted to a medium and dark degree. Physicochemical determinations (pH, color, titratable acidity, caffeine content, and chlorogenic acid quantification) in green coffee and roasted coffee beans were performed; the sensory analysis was performed by a panel of trained tasters. The wet and semi-dry processing methods resulted in differences in color parameters, pH values, and caffeine content. However, the titratable acidity, chlorogenic acid, and sensory evaluation did not have any difference; therefore, the type of coffee processing method used is not relevant to the final chemical properties of the roasted coffee (i.e., the Castillo variety) evaluated in this study; the coffee cup score is also not affected, and the post-fermentation washing process can be dispensed with.

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