Abstract
The study aimed at comparing the effects of three coffee pulping methods on the physico-chemical properties and sensory qualities of coffee. The coffee cherries were processed by disc pulper, drum pulper and eco-pulper methods which varied on mode of operations and mucilage removal methods. The coffee parchment were dried to moisture content of 10 ± 1% and green coffee beans were evaluated for parameters including moisture content, mass, volume, density, pH, titratable acidity, protein, sucrose and lipids content of green coffee beans. The parameters such as moisture, mass, volume and density were determined by actual measurements. Protein was determined by Kjeldhal method, lipids were extracted by Soxhlet method and sucrose extracted and determined by HPLC. The pH showed some significant difference (p<0.05) between the treatments. There was no significant difference on other parameters such as mass, volume, density and titratable acidity, protein, lipids and sucrose. The processing methods showed similar levels on the scores of sensory attributes analyzed by qualified panelist and the scores varied between 7.0-10. The final quality was not significantly different between the processing methods and no defects and faults noted in the samples. It was concluded that the three processing methods do not vary on the levels of physico-chemical components of coffee and gives similar characteristics on sensory attributes and final quality of coffee beverage. Key words: Coffee processing, pulping methods, fermentation, physico-chemical composition, sensory quality.
Highlights
Coffee quality is associated to a set of factors that involve physico-chemical and sensorial aspects which, in turn, depend on the post-harvest handling and processing (Coradi et al, 2007; Afonso Júnior, 2001, Lima et al., 2008)
The volume depends on the size of the coffee beans which is mainly influenced more by factors such as climatic and agronomic practices than the processing methods
We investigated the effects of the coffee processing methods, mainly the eco-pulper, the disc and drum pulper on the levels of physico-chemical parameters of coffee such as mass, volume, density, titratable acidity, colour, proteins, sucrose and lipids contents
Summary
Coffee quality is associated to a set of factors that involve physico-chemical and sensorial aspects which, in turn, depend on the post-harvest handling and processing (Coradi et al, 2007; Afonso Júnior, 2001, Lima et al., 2008). Wet coffee processing consists in removing pulp and skin from fresh berries using a pulping machine (Murthy and Naidu, 2011). Mucilage is traditionally removed by use of natural fermentation process where the natural micro flora degrade it facilitating its elimination by washing (Murthy and Naidu, 2011, Avallone, 2000).The whole process entails use of large quantities of water during pulping, washing and grading stages which contributes to the pollution of water in countries where it is commonly used (Gonzalez-Rios et al, 2007, Bailly et al, 1992). Fermentation is a crucial stage in coffee wet processing because apart from enhancing the removal of mucilage from parchments it is reported to improve the quality of coffee
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