Abstract

The objective of the work was to study the effect of drying temperature on cup quality of the robusta coffee subjected to mechanical drying in comparison with conventional sun drying. The robusta coffee processed by wet (parchment coffee) and dry (cherry coffee) methods were subjected to drying at different temperature regimes (40 oC, 50 oC and 60 oC) in a rotary mechanical dryer. The results of the study indicated that as the drying temperature increased, the time of drying reduced. Sun drying of parchment coffee took 48 hours (approximately seven days) to attain the desired moisture content of 11-12 per cent, while mechanical drying reduced the drying time to 16 to 24 hours. Similarly, cherry coffee subjected to sun drying took 88 hours (approximately 15 days), while mechanical drying reduced the drying time to 32 to 48 hours. The cup quality rating of coffee dried by different drying methods revealed that sun-dried robusta parchment coffee scored the highest cup rating. As the drying temperature increased, the cup quality ratings decreased. A similar cup quality rating was also observed with cherry coffee. These results indicate a considerable reduction of drying time when coffee beans are dried in a mechanical dryer. However, there is a need to regulate the drying temperature, which otherwise would negatively impact the quality of coffee. The drying temperature should not exceed 40oC for preserving the innate quality of robusta coffee because the high drying rates provoked by high temperatures can cause damage to the coffee quality due to the damage caused to the cell membranes. Overall, mechanical drying is more advantageous to sun drying in-terms of drying hours (indirectly reduces dependency on manpower) and preservation of innate quality of the coffee.

Highlights

  • Coffee is one of the most popular beverages consumed throughout the world

  • Arabica coffee is susceptible to many pest and diseases, while robusta is resistant to many pest and diseases affecting coffee

  • In case of wet processing, the wet parchment coffee samples obtained after complete removal of mucilage were pre-dried for one day under the sun to remove the free moisture and loaded into a rotary mechanical dryer for further drying

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Summary

Introduction

Coffee is one of the most popular beverages consumed throughout the world. Arabica and robusta are the two types of coffee normally cultivated worldwide on a commercial basis. Arabica comes up well at higher elevation where cool-climate prevails during most of the year. Robusta comes up well at a lower elevation where hot and humid climate prevails. Arabica coffee is susceptible to many pest and diseases, while robusta is resistant to many pest and diseases affecting coffee. The quality of arabica is superior compared to robusta and fetches a higher price than robusta. Coffee growing areas in India can be classified as traditional coffee-growing areas mostly consisting of Western Ghats of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the non-traditional area

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