Abstract
The objective of this study was to evaluate the correlation between a group of physiological variables (electrical conductivity, potassium leaching, and germination percentage) and a group of drying kinetics variables (drying time and drying rate) in addition to verifying the relation between drying kinetics variables and coffee quality as a function of processing type, temperature, and drying airflow. Coffee drying was conducted in a fixed-layer dryer at two temperatures and two airflows. After drying, an evaluation of the physiological and sensorial quality was conducted. Based on the results obtained, the following conclusions were drawn: coffee that is processed via a dry method is more sensitive to mechanical drying with heated air than coffee processed via a wet method, resulting in poor physiological performance; airflow does not interfere with the physiological quality of pulped and natural coffees; a temperature increase from 40 to 45°C resulted in a decrease in the physiological quality only for pulped coffee; and an increase in the drying rate as a result of an increase in the drying temperature to 40°C had a negative effect on the sensorial quality of pulped coffee.
Highlights
Coffee quality depends on many factors, which range from species choice and crop variety to the method of preparation of coffee for consumption
If the drying is not conducted correctly, it will impair the quality due to undesirable physical, chemical, and sensorial alterations, causing degradation of chemical components that may come in contact with hydrolytic and oxidative enzymes, thereby affecting the characteristic color, flavor, and aroma of the beverage (Borém, 2008; Bytof et al, 2007; Marques, Borém, Pereira, & Biaggioni, 2008)
When the airflow was increased from 24 to 96 m3 min.-1 m-2 during the natural coffee drying, the drying time decreased by 6% (87.65 to 82.63 hours) and 11% (56.18 to 49.81 hours) at 40 and 45°C, respectively
Summary
Coffee quality depends on many factors, which range from species choice and crop variety to the method of preparation of coffee for consumption. Among these factors, processing, drying, storage, milling, and transportation are fundamental for obtaining and maintaining a differentiated final product. If the drying is not conducted correctly, it will impair the quality due to undesirable physical, chemical, and sensorial alterations, causing degradation of chemical components that may come in contact with hydrolytic and oxidative enzymes, thereby affecting the characteristic color, flavor, and aroma of the beverage (Borém, 2008; Bytof et al, 2007; Marques, Borém, Pereira, & Biaggioni, 2008).
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