Qualidade de café nos estádios cereja e verde-cana via condutividade elétrica

Abstract

Maturation is a very important factor for the quality of coffee (Coffea arabica L.). Significant contributions to quality improvement are attributed to the preparation of coffee by wet processing. The electrical conductivity test is an indirect indicator of damage to the membranes and cell wall that may be related to the coffee beverage quality. The objective of this study was to estimate through the electrical conductivity test the potential quality of the coffee harvested in the green stage sugarcane when prepared by wet processing and also to determine the period of soaking. The beans in parchment were dried until moisture from 10.5 to 11% and subsequently benefited, and standardized for defects and sieve. The electrical conductivity of exudate was measured after soaking periods of 3.5 and 5 hours. The experiment was conducted in a 7x2 factorial arrangement (seven lots of coffee and two levels of maturity: cherry and green cane), in CRD with four replications. The means were compared by F test and by the criterion of Scott-Knott at 5%. Grains green sugarcane have higher electrical conductivity than grains cherry, however, in general, all results stood at low levels, indicating good membrane integrity and potential for quality beverage.